REQUEST FOR PRE-PROPOSALS: Water Resources Research National Competitive Grants Program (104g)
The U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the National Institutes for Water Resources is requesting proposals for the FY 2018 Water Resources Research National Competitive Grants Program (104g). Grants will support research on improving and enhancing the nation’s water supply. Any investigator at an accredited institution of higher learning in the United States is eligible to apply. Proposals may be for projects of 1 to 3 years in duration and may request up to $250,000 in federal funds. Successful applicants must match each dollar of the federal grant with one dollar from non-federal sources.
Proposal submittal is a two stage process. First, preproposals must be submitted by the Principal Investigators to their Water Research Institute or Center established under the provisions of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984, as amended (https://water.usgs.gov/wrri/). In Arizona that entity is the Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) at the University of Arizona. Consult the RFP at the link below for preproposal instructions.
The WRRC must receive the preproposal from Arizona PIs prior to 12:00 noon MST, Wednesday, February 14, 2018. The WRRC will forward the preproposals to the USGS National Program Office for the peer panel evaluation. Preproposals should be emailed to Susanna Eden at the email address below.
Up to 30 preproposals will be selected to be invited to submit a full proposal. Submitting a preproposal does not obligate the PI to submit a full proposal. Invited full proposals must be submitted to the grants.gov internet site at http://www.grants.gov by the university at which the Institute or Center is located. Because full proposals will be submitted through the WRRC, they should be sent to the WRRC at least three (3) weeks before the deadline of 5:00 PM Eastern Time, June 1, 2018.
Research projects may address a range of topics, including evaluation of innovative approaches to water treatment, infrastructure design, retrofitting, maintenance, management, and replacement; exploration and advancement of our understanding of changes in the quantity and quality of water resources in response to a changing climate, population shifts, and land use changes; development of methods for better estimation of water supply, both surface and groundwater, including estimation of the physical supply and of the economic supply of water; development and evaluation of processes and governance mechanisms for integrated surface/ground water management; and the evaluation and assessment of conservation practices. Proposals involving substantial collaboration between the USGS and university scientists are encouraged.
Funds have not yet been appropriated for this program for FY 2018. The Government’s obligation under this program is contingent upon the availability of funds.
Contact WRRC Assistant Director Susanna Eden at seden@email.arizona.edu or 520-621-5670 with questions.