California Sea Grant

National Sea Grant College Competitions

NOAA Sea Grant Aquaculture Research Program 2010

Funding Opportunity Description

NOAA Sea Grant will make available up to $6,000,000 for a national competition to fund aquaculture research projects for FY 2010 to FY 2011, as part of the overall plan to support the development of environmentally and economically sustainable ocean, coastal or Great Lakes aquaculture. This Federal Funding Opportunity includes information on application and criteria for aquaculture research projects requesting a total of $50,000 to $400,000 in federal funding for up to a two-year period. Matching funds are required. Given the anticipated amount of funding and the anticipated number and quality of proposals submitted, approximately 15 projects of average federal funding $400,000 are anticipated. Some projects selected in this competition may be awarded in FY 2011 and funded with FY 2011 funds.

Closing Date: May 25, 2010
Expected Number of Awards: 15
Estimated Total Program Funding: $6,000,000
Award Range: $50,000 to $400,000

Download Federal Funding Opportunity Announcement

NOAA Sea Grant Aquaculture Research Program 2010 (48kb)

Deadline

Proposals are due on May 25, 2010 by 2:00 pm (PDT).

Aquaculture Research proposals must by submitted electronically using the California Sea Grant proposal submission website.

IMPORTANT: Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to contact our program to discuss proposal ideas. Contact Paul Olin at pgolin@ucdavis.edu / 707-565-2621 or Shauna Oh at shaunaoh@ucsd.edu / 858-534-4440.

If you are applying as a commercial organization or an individual, you must register with grants.gov, and submit your application to http://grants.gov, federal funding opportunity number NOAA-OAR-SG-2010-2002488. You must register with grants.gov before you can submit. Registration takes some time, so you should register NOW if you are not already registered. Information on how to register to grants.gov can be found at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp.

Reference Information

List of Forms

Please note the suggested name for your files after each item, no spaces or '/' in the filenames.

If you are submitting two or more proposals please put a number after PIName
 (e.g., 1_PIName2_formname.pdf) for each document in the proposal.

It would be VERY helpful if you would follow this format.

List of required elements
Proposal Form Suggested File Name
Signed Title Page (National Sea Grant PDF)
 1_PIName_Title.pdf
Project Summary Form 2_PIName_ProjSum pdf
Project Description 3_PIName_Narrative.pdf
References and literature citations 4_PIName_References.pdf
Budget Form (revised 4/27/2010) 5_PIName_Budgets.xls
Current Research Support Form 6_ PIName_CurrResSupp.pdf
Curriculum Vitae  7_PIName_CV.pdf
NOAA NEPA Questionnaire  8_PIName_NEPA.pdf

 

Additional Standard Forms
Proposal Form Suggested File Name
SF-424 - Application for Federal Assistance 9_PIName_SF-424.pdf
SF-424A - Budget Information - Nonconstruction Programs 10_PIName_SF-424A.pdf
SF-424B - Assurances - Nonconstruction Programs 11_PIName_SF4-424B.pdf
Lobbying declaration LLL* 12_PIName_Lobbying.pdf
Certification form  CD-511* 13_PIName_Cert_CD-511.pdf
Certifications  form CD-512* 14_PIName_Cert_CD-512.pdf
Conflict of Interest form CD-571*  15_PINname_Cert_CD571.pdf
Letters of Support 16_PIName_LtrSupp.pdf

 

Submission of Proposals

An electronic version of your proposal should be sent to California Sea Grant by the deadline date of : May 25, 2010, 2:00 pm PDT (5:00 pm EDT).

Proposals must be submitted electronically using the California Sea Grant proposal submission website.

IMPORTANT: Contact us at sgnsgoproposal@ucsd.edu to obtain a password to use the secured website link BEFORE submitting any files. Additional instructions for preparing a proposal are provided on our website and in this document.

A complete proposal must be submitted.

Electronic Submission
•  Submit one (1) set of PDFs and Excel files of proposal and additional materials electronically.

There is a secure website for submitting the electronic copy of your proposal at
https://csgc.ucsd.edu/wpe/SUBMISSIONS/PILogin.php

Please e-mail sgnsgoproposal@ucsd.edu to obtain a password to use the website link BEFORE submitting any files.

The proposal submission website accepts PDFs and Excel (xls.) files only. Once submitted through the website, PDFs and Excel files may not be edited online. To change a PDF or Excel file, it must be deleted and resubmitted. The maximum size of a PDF or Excel file submitted online is 6 MB. To submit larger files, please contact sgnsgoproposal@ucsd.edu.

For questions regarding the proposal submission website itself, please contact Roberto Chavez at (858) 534-4441; email rachavez@ucsd.edu.

Please note the following requirements:

Required Elements (Full Proposals)

Full proposals must include the following ten elements:

a. Signed Title Page (one-page maximum): The title page should clearly identify the program area being addressed by starting the project title with: "Sea Grant Aquaculture Research Program 2010", followed by a colon and a brief descriptive title of the proposal, followed by a hyphen and letters "PI" and the last name of the Principle Investigator. For example, "Sea Grant Aquaculture Research Program 2010: a new site planning tool - PI Smith". The title page must include the name, affiliation, and address of the investigators with e-mail and telephone numbers, the budgets requested and match offered for year one and, if applicable, for year two and a total budget figure, and the date of submission. An optional Title Page template is available at http://www.seagrant.noaa.gov/funding/forms.html .

b. Project Summary (two-page maximum for this section): It is critical that the project summary accurately describe the project being proposed and convey all essential elements of the project. The project summary must not exceed two pages and include:

  1. Title: Use the exact title as it appears in the rest of the application;
  2. Investigators: List the names and affiliations of each investigator who will significantly contribute to the project; start with the Principal Investigator;
  3. Funding request for each year of the project, including matching funds;
  4. Project Period: Start and completion dates. Proposals should request a start date of October 1, 2010 or later; and
  5. a one-page Project Abstract: This abstract must include the rationale for the project, the scientific or technical objectives and/or hypotheses to be tested, a brief summary of work and accomplishments to be completed to be used for public dissemination.

An optional Sea Grant Form 90-2 may be used for this purpose http://www.seagrant.noaa.gov/funding/forms.html.

c. Project Description (15-page limit):

  1. Introduction/background/justification: Subjects that the investigator(s) must include
    in this section are:
    1. current state of knowledge of problem or issue and justification for proposed work;
    2. contributions that the study will make to the particular discipline or subject area or issue; and
    3. contributions the study will make toward addressing the problems identified in the appropriate state Sea Grant Strategic Plan Regional Research and Information Planor National Sea Grant Strategic Plan.
  2. Research Work Plans and Milestones: Include as appropriate: Objectives to be
    achieved, hypotheses to be tested, how the objectives relate to top program priorities (listed
    in Section I.B), experimental design and statistical analyses, and role of all project personnel.

    This section should also describe how the research, outreach or other parts of the overall project will be integrated to effectively lead to the desired result. It should also discuss how the success of the project (i.e., objectives, timelines, milestones) will be measured and reported.

    This section must either include one or more of the performance measures listed in section I.A, with targets, or include other performance measures with targets, and provide an explanation of how achievement of these performance measure targets will lead to increased targets for one or more of the performance measures in section I.A. The performance measures should be outcome-based rather than activity based.

    This section must also include at least one milestone (a significant activity to be performed or objective to be achieved) per year.
  3. Outcome: Describe the project outcomes or benefits that will contribute to improving and further developing marine aquaculture in the U.S. Identify the planned outcomes in objective, quantifiable terms. The outcome should be a description of the desired end state to be achieved (for example, the desired changes adopted by the aquaculture industry), not just a description of the activities to be performed. Describe how the project outcomes will enhance sustainable domestic aquaculture. If appropriate, describe how the outcomes will affect an identified regional, state, or national aquaculture priority. Describe how the outcomes of the project will be measured and reported.
  4. Outreach Plan: Describe specific outreach goals, activities, and deliverables including publications, presentations, and public education. Provide a specific, measureable, time-bound work plan for these activities. Describe how the results of the project will benefit stakeholders (e.g., local coastal communities, public and private sectors).
  5. Coordination with other program elements: Describe any coordination with other agency programs or ongoing research efforts. Describe any other proposals or outside activities that are essential to the success of this proposal.

d. References and Literature Citations: Must be included as appropriate. This section does not count towards the 15-page maximum.

e. Budget and Budget Justification: Applications must reflect the total budget necessary to accomplish the project. There must be a separate budget for each year of the project as well as a cumulative budget for the entire project. Applicants must use the Sea Grant Budget Form 90-4. Please read the Budget Justification for descriptions of the budget categories and cost-share.

Subcontracts must have a separate budget page. Please note: As a host institution, UC San Diego charges 54.5% overhead ($13,625) on the first $25,000 of a subaward. Subawards are issued to non-UC campuses only. Please be aware that this cost must be included in your budget prior to electronic submission.

The appropriateness of all matching funds (including in-kind contributions) will be determined on the basis of guidance provided in applicable Federal cost principles, and applicants will be bound by the percentage of matching funds in the grant award. Applicants must provide justification for all budget items in sufficient detail to enable review of the appropriateness of the funding requested. Pay special attention to any travel or supply budgets and provide details. This section does not count towards the 15-page maximum.

f. Current and Pending Support: Applicants must provide information on all current and pending Federal support for ongoing projects and proposals, including subsequent funding in the case of continuing grants. The proposed project and all other projects or activities requiring a portion of time of the principal investigator and other senior personnel must be included. The relationship between the proposed project and these other projects must be described, and the number of person-months per year to be devoted to the projects must be stated. This section does not count towards the 15-page maximum.

g. Letter(s) of support: Applicants may provide letters of support from stakeholders. Letters of support do not count towards the 15-page maximum.

h. Vitae (2-page maximum per investigator) This section does not count towards the 15-page maximum.

i. Standard application forms: Standard application forms are available through grants.gov. They are mandatory for a proposal application. This section does not count towards the 15-page maximum.

j. NOAA NEPA Questionnaire: As part of this application process, questions from "The Environmental Compliance Questionnaire for NOAA Federal Financial Assistance Applicants" (OMB Control No. 0648-0538) must be answered. This NEPA Questionnaire form is available at http://www.seagrant.noaa.gov/funding/forms.html. All applicants need to fill in sections A,D,E and F. If you are proposing activities Related to Damage Assessment and Restoration, also fill out section G. If you are proposing activities Related to Fisheries Sampling and Research, fill out section H. Failure to complete all of the indicated questions will result in the application being considered incomplete.

Program Contacts

National Sea Grant contact: Dr. Gene Kim, oar.hq.sq.aquaculture@noaa.gov

Assistance with the overall RFP process and questions on proposal topics and alignment to CA Sea Grant Strategic Plan.

• Paul Olin, Marine Advisor
Phone: (707) 565-2621
Email: pgolin@ucdavis.edu

• Russ Moll, Director or Shauna Oh, Assistant Director
Phone: (858) 534-4440
Email: sgnsgoproposal@ucsd.edu

General Proposal Help (assistance with forms, format, and submission)
• Carol Bailey-Sumber, Grants Specialist
Phone: (858) 534-7855
Email: sgnsgoproposal@ucsd.edu

Budget Help
• Catherine Hughes, Business & Fiscal Officer
Phone: (858) 534-4440
Email: sgbudget@ucsd.edu

Computer/Internet-related Help
• Roberto Chavez, Programmer
Phone: (858) 534-4441
Email: rachavez@ucsd.edu