In 2019 MIT Sea Grant will focus our funding resources on the following specific areas of marine research:

(1)   Aquaculture Technologies: Based on data gathered in our constituent meeting on November 30, 2017, MIT Sea Grant created a new focus area for research on novel technologies to enable offshore aquaculture.
(2)   Ocean Acidification: MIT Sea Grant will focus funding research on ocean monitoring using physics-based data inference, buoy data, and fusing diverse sources of data, e.g. at least two of satellite data, data from drifters.  The target is to demonstrate such a computer monitoring system for the Boston Harbor or the Gulf of Maine.
(3)   Underwater Wireless Power Transmission and Data Communication:  MIT Sea Grant will focus funding on research that delivers a laboratory prototype for wireless energy transfer to exceed 1 kW, and/or a prototype for data transmission underwater in highly stratified environment targeting distances of the order of 100m.

An informational meeting for year’s RFP was held at MIT Sea Grant on Thursday, January 25 2018 to provide guidance for interested applicants. A recording of that meeting can be found on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvRUt6lkYKw

For more information, important dates, and eligibility requirements, see the MIT Sea Grant RFP website.

This announcement invites the submission of brief, preliminary proposals from Principal Investigators (PI) at eligible organizations who wish to pursue research relating to the priority research topic areas identified below. Eligible proposing institutions are welcome to propose research lasting up to three years in duration, and requesting a total budget from $80,000 to $250,000 (sum of total direct costs plus 25% indirect costs). Applicants must submit a pre-proposal by March 15, 2018, to one of the Sea Grant programs, depending on the focus area and priority research topic(s) that the proposed research addresses. For more information visit the [EasyDNNnewsLink|86]

California Ocean Protection Council has identified six broad focus areas that include all the priority research topic areas identified in this call.  They are:

1. Ocean acidification and hypoxia, and other changes in ocean conditions from a changing climate

2. Sustainable fisheries and aquaculture

3. Sea-level rise adaptation and coastal resilience

4. Coastal sediment management

5. Marine pollution

6. Marine renewable energy 

Depending on appropriations, NOAA National Sea Grant College Program (NOAA Sea Grant) expects to have available a total of $7,000,000 to $11,500,000 across fiscal years 2018, 2019 and 2020 as part of the Sea Grant National Aquaculture Initiative (NAI). As part of the NAI, this competition is designed to foster the expansion of a sustainable U.S. ocean, coastal and Great Lakes aquaculture sector by addressing one or more of the following priorities: (a) supporting the development of emerging systems or technologies that will advance aquaculture in the U.S., including projects that will help stimulate aquaculture production by nascent industries; (b) developing and implementing actionable methods of communicating accurate, science based messages and information about the benefits and risks of U.S. marine aquaculture to the public; and (c) increasing the resiliency of aquaculture systems to natural hazards and changing conditions. Successful applications must describe projects that clearly address major constraints, barriers or hurdles limiting aquaculture production in the U.S. Complete proposals are due from eligible parties to Sea Grant programs on March 2, 2018 at 5 p.m. local time. Proposals from Sea Grant programs are due in grants.gov by March 30, 2018. 

Interested applicant may obtain the full Federal Funding Opportunity announcement by visiting grants.gov opportunity number NOAA-OAR-SG-2018-2005489. 

Applicants are strongly encouraged to reach out to their Sea Grant Program one to two months prior to the Sea Grant program

The NOAA/NOS/National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) and the NOAA/OAR/Ocean Acidification Program (OAP) are soliciting proposals for the Identification and Application of Acidification Thresholds in Coastal Ecosystems. The goal is to develop a threshold detection and warning capability for ocean acidification in concert with other stresses. This includes identification of indicator species and parameters (ecological, economic, and/or social) to monitor that might provide early warning of impending change from one ecosystem state to another. Funding is contingent upon the availability of Fiscal Year 2018 Federal appropriations. It is anticipated that projects funded under this announcement will have a September 1, 2018 start date. Applicants should submit proposals not to exceed $350,000 per year for projects generally 2-4 years in duration, with a total multi-year budget not to exceed $1,050,000. Funding for this program is contingent upon the availability of funds, which may not have been appropriated at the time of this announcement.

Due Date: Letters of Intent must be received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on December 8, 2017 and are required before submitting a full proposal. Full applications must be received and validated by Grant.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on February 13, 2018. 

The full funding opportunity and information on how to apply can be found on [EasyDNNnewsLink|69]. 

For more information, please contact Beth Turner, NOAA/NCCOS, 603-862-4680 or elizabeth.turner@noaa.gov.

The Ocean Carbon & Biogeochemistry (OCB) Program is working with a scientific organizing committee to plan the 4th U.S. Ocean Acidification Principal Investigators meeting in conjunction with the 2018 Ocean Sciences Meeting, February 7-19, 2018 in Portland, Oregon.

If you are interested in attending the meeting, apply by November 6th using this link: [EasyDNNnewsLink|67]