FY2022 National Competitive Grant Programs (USGS 104g) - Proposals due April 29th

Friday, March 25, 2022 - 12:30pm
Summary: 

The USGS Water Resources Research Act (WRRA) program has announced 3 new requests for proposals for the FY2022 104g national competition:

These competitive grant programs focus on “water problems and issues of a regional or interstate nature beyond those of concern only to a single State”. The due date for submissions to the NH Water Resources Research Center is 5:00 pm Friday April 29, 2022.  NH PIs should submit proposals to nh.wrrc@unh.edu (do not submit via grants.gov). Please also send nh.wrrc@unh.edu a courtesy email by April 18, 2022 if you intend to submit a full proposal so that we can be prepared to work with you to meet the May 10, 2022 deadline to grants.gov.  Please see the attached RFPs and visit https://water.usgs.gov/wrri/how-to-apply-for-grants-internships.php for further details about these programs. 

These program objectives are to: a) promote substantial collaboration between the USGS and university scientists, b) promote the dissemination and application of research results and c) Assist in the training of scientists (students or early career faculty) in relevant water-resource fields. Any investigator at an accredited institution of higher learning 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.

The National Competitive Grants General Program solicits proposals on the topic of improving and enhancing the nation’s water supply and availability, and promoting the exploration of new ideas that address or expand our understanding of water problems, including the following specific areas of inquiry:

  • Abundance, location, and persistence of legacy nutrients: What are the mechanisms that facilitate accumulation and persistence? Where in landscape are they stored and what does that mean for the potential to enter or move through the hydrologic system? What are the methods, time periods, and utility to characterizing “new” versus “old” sources? Do related nutrients persist and move in the same way, and what does this mean for short- and long-term water quality?
  • Trends of integrated processes: How do changes in one aspect of water quantity and availability affect other long-term aspects? For example, how are changes in groundwater identifiable as changes in streamflow patterns? How do changes in streamflow result in changes in water quality?
  • Water Conflict: What are the risks of water conflict as a result of inter-basin transfers driven by water-use behavior, socioeconomic conditions, changing land-use patterns, and climate variability. Aspects for consideration include identification of thresholds, tradeoffs between sectors and(or) communities, conservation opportunities and stakeholder actions, agent-based modeling, relevant laws and regulations, and adaptive management.

The National Competitive Grants PFAS program solicits research proposals on per-and polyflouroalkyl substances as they relate to the nation’s water quality as well as the social and(or) economic implications that might drive or be affected by PFAS. Proposals are sought on the following specific areas of inquiry:

  • Novel proxies for PFAS detection and quantification
  • Process-oriented research of PFAS fate, transport, and effects, with emphasis on molecular-level understanding of PFAS precursor transformation, sorption dynamics, or mechanisms of bioaccumulation and(or) biological/ecological effects.
  • Atmospheric transport of PFAS that results in delivery to the hydrologic system via precipitation and runoff at regional or national scales.