Research Funding
Virginia Sea Grant offers a range of funding opportunities for researchers, graduate students, and undergraduate students. We support sound scientific research that is consistent with Virginia Sea Grant’s Strategic Plan to benefit the Commonwealth.
National Research Competitions
Since 1966, Sea Grant has invested in the development of sustainable marine and Great Lakes resources to help coastal communities maintain a safe and sustainable local seafood supply. The National Sea Grant College Program continues to invest in research aimed toward protecting these resources through funding opportunities offered at the national level.
Application Deadline: May 2, 2024, by 11:59pm ET.
Notice of Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-OAR-SG-2024-25936
Project Description
NOAA’s National Sea Grant Office anticipates approximately $1,000,000 of federal funds will be available to individual Sea Grant programs to support 1-5 projects that address Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) across a shared geography, biogeography or watershed. Each application may request between $200,000 and $600,000 in federal funds per project and may be for up to three years.
Eligible Applicants
Sea Grant College Programs, Sea Grant Institutional Programs, and Sea Grant Coherent Area Programs are eligible to submit to this opportunity. Applications require the standard 50% non-federal match for Sea Grant projects. This will be a stand-alone (i.e., non-omnibus) award. All projects must take place within the United States or territories or their respective waterways.
Applicants are encouraged to pursue diverse partnerships, including with state agencies and academic institutions, to develop projects that research and monitor CECs that may cause ecological or human health impacts, including PFAS, in coastal and estuarine waters. Projects may include direct or competed research and appropriate associated supporting costs and activities (e.g., administration, extension, research/project synthesis) and could include efforts that:
Focus on species of ecological importance, particularly those with strong socio-economic and/or human health dimensions (e.g., subsistence, recreational, or commercial shellfish and/or finfish);
Focus on the prevalence, transportation, and biogeochemical transformations of CECs across a watershed or ecosystem, especially those with pathways that involve drinking water and/or wastewater;
Consider the in-situ multi-stressor and/or interactive effects of CECs that organisms likely experience in their natural environments; and/or
Perform short-term monitoring assessments to help steer more focused, long-term monitoring initiatives.
Please carefully review the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) NOAA-OAR-SG-2024-25936 for specific instructions on how to apply for the competition via grants.gov.
Due Date
Applications must be submitted to Grants.gov by May 2, 2024.
If you have questions please contact sg.grants@noaa.gov and specify that your question is related to FY24 Contaminants of Emerging Concern in the subject line.
Deadline for full applications: May 7, 2024 by 11:59 pm ET
Project Description
Subject to the availability of funding, the National Sea Grant Office (NSGO) anticipates approximately $2,000,000 in FY2024 federal funds will be available to eligible applicants to support projects that will advance our scientific knowledge of the American Lobster fishery and support the resiliency of fishing communities in the face of environmental change and economic uncertainty.
Awards will be made for no more than approximately $600,000 in federal funds per project and may be for one or two years in duration with a maximum of two years. Applications will require 50% in non-federal match funding. All projects must take place within the United States or territories or their respective waterways.
There is no guarantee that funds will be available to make awards, or that any application will be selected for funding. If an applicant incurs any costs prior to receiving an award agreement signed by an authorized NOAA official, it does so at its own risk of not being selected or of these costs not being included in a subsequent award. NOAA and DOC will not be responsible for any incurred project costs if a project fails to receive full funding.
This opportunity is open to any individual; any public or private corporation, partnership, or other association or entity (including any Sea Grant College, Sea Grant Institute or other institution); or any State, political subdivision of a State, Tribal government or agency or officer thereof.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to consider projects that involve partnerships among industry, State agencies, academia, and other community members engaged in the research priorities they intend to investigate.
Information about current and past funded research projects can be found at seagrant.umaine.edu/extension/american-lobster-initiative/research-projects/.
Please carefully review the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for specific instructions on how to apply for the competition via grants.gov.
Applications must be submitted to Grants.gov by May 7, 2024.
If you have questions, please contact sg.grants@noaa.gov and specify that your question is related to the American Lobster Research Funding Opportunity in the subject line.
Deadline for full applications: May 2, 2024 by 11:59 pm ET
Project Description
Subject to the availability of funding, the National Sea Grant Office (NSGO) anticipates approximately $1,000,000 in FY2024 federal funds will be available to eligible applicants to support 2-3 projects that will develop and execute local, regional and national programs, workshops and services to enable fishermen to enter career paths and make a living supplying seafood from our oceans, coasts and Great Lakes.
Awards will be made for no more than approximately $400,000 in federal funds per project, and may be for one or two years though for no more than $200,000 per year. Applications will require 25% in non-federal match funding. All projects must take place within the United States or territories or their respective waterways.
Successful projects will create and implement trainings that include the following types of programs, workshops, and services:
- seamanship, navigation, electronics, and safety;
- vessel and engine care, maintenance, and repair;
- sustainable fishing practices;
- other training needs as identified by the community.
There is no guarantee that funds will be available to make awards, or that any application will be selected for funding. If an applicant incurs any costs prior to receiving an award agreement signed by an authorized NOAA official, it does so at its own risk of not being selected or of these costs not being included in a subsequent award. NOAA and DOC will not be responsible for any incurred project costs if a project fails to receive full funding.
To be eligible to receive a grant under this program a recipient shall be a collaborative State, Tribal, local, or regionally based network or partnership of public or private entities, which may include— (A) a Sea Grant Institution; (B) a Federal or State agency or a Tribal organization; (C) a community-based nongovernmental organization; (D) fishermen’s cooperatives or associations; (E) an institution of higher education (including an institution awarding an associate’s degree), or a foundation maintained by an institution of higher education; or (F) any other appropriate entity.
Federal agencies and their personnel are not permitted to receive federal funding under this competition; however, federal scientists and other employees can serve as uncompensated partners or co-Principal Investigators on applications. Federal labs and offices can also make available specialized expertise, facilities or equipment to applicants but cannot be compensated under this competition for their use, nor can the value of such assets be used as match.
Information about current and past funded projects can be found at seagrant.noaa.gov/youngfishermen/.
Please carefully review the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for specific instructions on how to apply for the competition via grants.gov.
Applications must be submitted to Grants.gov by May 2, 2024.
If you have questions please contact sg.grants@noaa.gov and specify that your question is related to the Young Fishermen’s Career Development Projects in the subject line.
Regional Research Competitions
To address broader regional priorities, Virginia Sea Grant periodically partners with other Sea Grant programs throughout the mid-Atlantic region to bring together innovative research teams with high levels of integration, those who demonstrate synergistic benefits, and mechanisms for transferring knowledge to end-users.
No Opportunities are Currently Available
Notice of Intent Deadline: January 31, 2024, by 11:59pm ET.
Application Deadline: March 27, 2024, by 11:59pm ET.
Project Description
Subject to the availability of funding in fiscal years 2024 and 2025, Sea Grant anticipates approximately $16,000,000 will be available to support innovative, transformational research to application (R2A) projects that will address the prevention and/or removal of marine debris, with award periods of three years. “Research to application” or R2A refers to research and development projects that transition into tangible, scalable outcomes and outputs. Examples include (but are not limited to) new prototypes, products, processes, or tools.
Proposals may address (but are not limited to) innovative or non-proven interception and/or removal technologies (i.e. prototype devices that require additional research and development prior to deployment, and/or need to be tested in new environments), reusable systems, microplastics, and/or nanoplastics. Successful proposals will build upon and extend existing knowledge and efforts related to marine debris; support broad, innovative research to address critical gaps with respect to marine debris; make that information available to communities and stakeholders; include Sea Grant education and extension professionals, community representatives, government, academic, non-governmental, tribal, and industry partners, as appropriate; and proactively incorporate principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and accessibility at every level of the work. Proposals must include funding for Sea Grant education and/or extension personnel as collaborators. Community, government, academic, non-government, and industry stakeholder participation/involvement in projects is strongly encouraged. Applications DO NOT require non-federal match. However, applicants are strongly encouraged to combine NOAA federal funding with formal matching contributions and informal leverage from a broad range of sources in the public and private sectors. To this end, applicants should note that cost sharing and leverage of other funds is an element considered in the evaluation criteria.
Applicants and awardees from the FY22/23 National Sea Grant Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Marine Debris Challenge Competition are eligible to apply for these funds. Current awardees may submit an application outlining how additional funds would advance their original project. These applicants should focus on scaling and operationalizing their original technology or method rather than additional research. NOAA also encourages new applicants or previous applicants with new project ideas to apply.
Fully integrated teams of collaborators noted above must submit proposals with a Sea Grant program (Sea Grant Colleges, Institutions, or Coherent Area Programs) as a partner. A Sea Grant program may participate in more than one proposal. Collaborations among Sea Grant programs are encouraged, as appropriate. Please note that it is not a requirement that investigators, including the PI, are part of a Sea Grant program. Contact information for each program can be found at https://seagrant.noaa.gov/About. All 34 Sea Grant programs are eligible to serve as partners and to submit applications. If you need further assistance in identifying a program to partner with please contact the National Sea Grant Office via email at sg.grants@noaa.gov
Eligibility:
This opportunity is open to any person or group within the United States or its territories, as well as tribal nations within those geographies.
Applicants must submit proposals in partnership with a relevant Sea Grant program. Please note that it is not a requirement that investigators, including the PI, are part of a Sea Grant program. Contact information for Sea Grant programs can be found at: https://seagrant.noaa.gov/About. If you need further assistance in identifying a program to partner with, please contact one of the Sea Grant Marine Debris Team listed below in Section VII. Agency Contacts.
Federal agencies and their personnel are not permitted to receive federal funding under this competition; however, federal scientists and other employees can serve as uncompensated partners or co-Principal Investigators on applications. Federal labs and offices can also make available specialized expertise, facilities, or equipment to applicants but cannot be compensated under this competition for their use.
Funding Availability:
Subject to the availability of funding, this announcement describes how eligible applicants should apply for the National Sea Grant BIL Marine Debris Challenge Competition. Sea Grant anticipates having approximately $16,000,000 to fund approximately 5-12 projects of up to three years’ duration. We expect the average project size will be between $1,000,000 and $2,000,000; however, applications may request up to $3,000,000 in federal funds addressing the program priorities.
Questions:
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Program Development Awards
One of the most valuable aspects of a Sea Grant program is its capacity to bring university, governmental, or private resources to bear upon various emerging problems or opportunities. Program Development funds are provided by Virginia Sea Grant to achieve four primary goals: support high-impact students, cultivate innovation through collaborative proof-of-concept projects, nurture strategic initiatives, and to examine pressing or emerging problems. Proposals to convene multi-institutional or partnership-focused meetings that explore opportunities for collaboration, help advance integration across partners, or address pressing or emerging needs are encouraged.
For more information, contact VASG Associate Director Scott Sandridge at sasandridge@vaseagrant.org or 804-684-7251.
Additional Support
Virginia Sea Grant will no longer fund external requests to sponsor conferences or support participants at conferences. This policy change results from increased organizational requests seeking financial support that exceed our available resources. Instead, our emphasis will be on providing our fellows with the professional development opportunities that they require to be successful and on meeting emerging strategic needs to benefit the Commonwealth.
If your proposal includes a communications component involving the Virginia Sea Grant Communications Center, please include this in your budget. The Center offers services like science writing, copy editing, photography, videography, drone footage, graphic design, web design, and web hosting. For more information, contact Jay Clark, communications center manager, or Stacy Keating, VASG business manager.
