Request for Proposals RFP 2024-2026

This Competition is Closed

Texas Sea Grant periodically seeks proposals from investigators at ALL Texas universities and colleges. Others eligible include nonprofit, non-academic institutions; for-profit organizations; state, local and Indian tribal governments; and unaffiliated persons.

Awards will support outcome-oriented research that spans broad areas of natural, physical, social, behavioral and economic sciences and engineering; will improve the understanding, wise use and stewardship of Texas’ coastal and marine resources; and will generate substantial social, economic and environmental impacts in Texas.

Texas Sea Grant RFP 2024-2026

Please review the Texas Sea Grant Strategic Plan 2024-2027 upon which, the RFP is based.

Timeline

Pre-proposal Webinar: January 12 and 13, 2023 10:00 AM CST – 12:00 PM CST
Pre-proposals Due: February 3, 2023 (5:00 PM CST; NO EXCEPTIONS)
Pre-proposal Feedback to PIs: March 3, 2023
Full Proposal Workshop Webinar Date: Friday, March 10, 2023 from 1:00 – 4:00 PM
Full Proposals Due: April 14, 2023 (5:00 PM CST; NO EXCEPTIONS)
Notice of Intent to Fund: June 30, 2023
Award Start Date: February 1, 2024
Award End Date: January 31, 2026

Texas Sea Grant RFP 2024-2026 Full Proposal Webinar

Full Proposal Webinar Slides Part 1

Full Proposal Webinar Slides Part 2

Frequently Asked Questions

Why isn’t Texas Sea Grant interested in funding research that includes modelling?
We do fund research that includes modelling and have a few active research projects now that include modelling.

What do you really want to fund?
Integrated research and extension projects that improve the understanding, wise use and stewardship of Texas’ coastal and marine resources, outcome-oriented research that spans broad areas of natural, physical, social, behavioral and economic sciences and engineering, policy, law and planning. Therefore, the most competitive research proposals will respond to one or more of the research priorities established for this RFP (see p. 2) and achieve one or more of the focus area(s) and goal(s) identified in the Texas Sea Grant Strategic Plan 2024-2027, and has an end user identified.

What outcomes do you want to see? 
We want to see outcomes relevant to your proposed research. Everyone project should result in peer-reviewed publications and should train students. These are the default outcomes. We want more than the default outcomes. See list of outcomes in the PPT.

Can I collaborate with someone from outside of Texas?
Yes. The PI must be from a Texas institution/organization. Collaborators can be from outside of Texas.

In the pre-proposal requirements you ask us to identify the Focus Area(s) from the Strategic Plan and to identify the research priority and then to describe the relationship to Texas Sea Grant Focus Area(s)/Research Priorities. Isn’t this redundant?
No. We need you to select the Focus Area and Goal from the Strategic Plan, and we need you to select the Research Priority established by the RFP.  Then, we need you to describe in words how your proposed research project relates to the Focus Area, Goal and the Research Priority and how the research will achieve the goal selected. Why? Because this is one of three criteria our reviewers will use to evaluate each pre-proposal (see page 5, Review Criteria: The degree to which the proposed research relates to Texas Sea Grant focus areas and research priorities identified in the RFP).

Why doesn’t Texas Sea Grant fund mini-grants? Other Sea Grant programs do. 
Every Sea Grant program operates differently. Some years we receive a small amount of extra funds from the National Sea Grant Office for specific types of projects and we will give mini-grants when these funds come to us. In other years, we have had leftover funds from research projects that we funded but did not use all of their money and we have redistributed this small amount of leftover funds to new research projects. These mini-grant funds are typically called “program development” funds by the National Sea Grant Office and some Sea Grant Programs budget for these funds annually in their four year omnibus proposals/awards. Texas Sea Grant does not do this. Programmatic funds are not viewed as, counted as, nor coded as “research” in the National Sea Grant Office PIER reporting system and because state programs are required to spend 40-50% of their core federal funds on research, this can become problematic at evaluation time.

Resources

Texas Sea Grant Request for Proposals RFP 2024-2026

InfoReady Applicant Guide

Access InfoReady link Texas Sea Grant RFP 2024-2026 Pre-proposal Phase

PRE-PROPOSAL TEMPLATES

Texas Sea Grant 2024-26 Pre-proposal Template

Suggested Reviewer List

FULL PROPOSAL TEMPLATES

Sea Grant 90-4 Multi-year Budget Template

Budget Justification Template

OMB-approved Demographics Question

NOAA Grants Management Division’s Budget Narrative Guidance

NEPA REQUIREMENT

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a United States environmental law that established a national policy promoting the enhancement of the environment. All NOAA-funded research projects must comply with NEPA.

Proposals selected for funding will be required to submit an Abbreviated Environmental Compliance Questionnaire, with inclusion of relevant, proper permits status/copies addressed/enclosed, including those by partner institutions/subrecipients. The responsibility for acquiring permits lies with the funded PI; failure to secure permits may result in delayed receipt of funds with a special award condition placed on the pending award which requires satisfying, prior to the start of the project or that part of the scope of work.

NSGO Abbreviated Environmental Compliance Questionnaire

NEPA Questionnaire – Guidance

NEPA Questionnaire – Fieldwork Example

NEPA Questionnaire – Labwork Example

NEPA Questionnaire – Socioeconomics Example

RFP Contacts

For questions about proposal development, submission and review or the InfoReady Proposal system, please contact Mia Zwolinski, Texas Sea Grant Associate Director, at mzwolinski@tamu.edu or 979-458-0449.