The purpose of this document is to advise the public that the NOAA RESTORE Science Program is soliciting proposals for projects of five years in duration with the option for a five year, non-competitive renewal award for high-performing projects. This announcement invites proposals that request funding for partnerships that include researchers, resource managers, and other interested parties to conduct a collaborative research project that will identify, track, understand, or predict trends and variability in the Gulf of Mexico’s natural resources and the abiotic and biotic factors driving those trends. Funding is contingent upon the availability of funds in the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund.
This federal funding opportunity invites proposals that plan to identify, track, understand, or predict trends and variability in the Gulf of Mexico’s natural resources and the abiotic and biotic factors driving those trends. Applicants are required to form a team of researchers, resource managers, and other interested parties focused on the natural resource(s) they intend to investigate.
Applicants are encouraged to propose research that aligns with one or more of three areas of emphasis identified from that process:
- Climate change – Research in this area should investigate if long-term trends and variability in key natural resources in the Gulf Region are or will be impacted by changes in the climate and its associated variability (e.g., extreme events such as hurricanes, precipitation events, drought, heat waves, etc.).
- Water quality and quantity – Research in this area should investigate if long-term trends and variability in key natural resources in the Gulf region are impacted or will be impacted by water quality and/or quantity (e.g., nutrient status and cycling, saltwater intrusion, harmful algal blooms, salinity dynamics, wastewater management, flooding, etc.).
- Fish, fisheries, and fishing communities – Research in this area should investigate long-term trends and variability in fish stocks, fisheries, and fishing communities that enhance our understanding or lead to improved management of managed or endangered species, spawning aggregations, aquaculture, fisheries, and stressors.
It is anticipated that final recommendations for funding under this Announcement will be made in June 2025; projects funded under this Announcement will have a October 1, 2025 start date. More information is available at: https://restoreactscienceprogram.noaa.gov/funding-opportunities/ffo-2025.
Total estimated program funding: $17.5 million over five years
Estimated number of awards: 6
Award ceiling: $4 million
Award minimum: $1 million
Application Deadline: All applicants must submit a letter of intent by 11:59 pm ET on May 23, 2024 in order to submit a full proposal. Full proposals are due by 11:59 pm ET on August 22, 2024.
