Opportunities

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Current Opportunities

The solicitation is a coordinated effort of the University of Wisconsin System, and the Wisconsin departments of Natural Resources; Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection; and Safety and Professional Services. This cooperative solicitation allows interested individuals to prepare project proposals that can be submitted to several different funding sources simultaneously and eliminates the need to submit similar proposals several times for different solicitation efforts. It is our intent that this joint solicitation will make it easier for interested researchers to prepare proposals, promote coordination among state organizations and researchers, and enhance the ability of state agencies and the UW System to meet their objectives.

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Past Opportunities

Ongoing research needs include improving and enhancing the nation’s water supply and availability, as well as promoting the exploration of new ideas that address or expand our understanding of water problems. Proposals are sought on the following specific areas of inquiry; levels of priority are not assigned, and the order of listing does not indicate the level of priority:

National-scale evaluation of water budget: Retrospective or predictive analyses using hydroclimate-forcing data sets, with emphasis on CONUS404, which was developed in a USGS- NCAR collaboration. Additional guidance includes

  • Emphasis on prediction of water-budget components through a variety of interpretive approaches
  • Incorporation of how uncertainty in hydroclimate-forcing propagates to water budget components
  • Consideration of both retrospective and projected conditions.

Rasmussen, R.M., Liu, C., Ikeda, K., Chen, F., Kim, J., Schneider, T., Gochis, D., Dugger, A., and Viger, R., 2023, Four-kilometer long-term regional hydroclimate reanalysis over the conterminous United States (CONUS), 1979-2020: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9PHPK4F.

Socieoeconomics: Integrate ongoing USGS research and data collection in order to assess socioeconomic and ecological vulnerability to compounding extreme events and develop adaptation measures. This proposed project should undertake new research (e.g., Water Use and Social and Economic Drivers Program) to understand the vulnerability of urban (e.g., trans-basin diversions), agricultural (e.g., reservoir management), and ecological (e.g., endangered species) water-use sectors to drought and compounding hazards such as wildfire. Additional guidance includes:

  • Provide a quantifiable portfolio of risk for water-use sectors (including ecological and socio-economic)
  • Develop climate futures and planning scenarios for relevant institutions: management, communities, other institutions

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The challenges and opportunities of understanding the effects of per-and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances on water resources are poorly understood, despite the real and growing effect of this group of man-made substances on water quality and the resultant exposure to humans, other organisms, and ecosystems. Research is needed to better understand these interactions and guide management decisions that will improve water resources at the regional or national scale.

Proposals are sought on the following specific areas of inquiry (levels of priority are not assigned, and the order of listing does not indicate the level of priority):

Media-specific methods: Enhanced methods for detection on specific media, with a clear indication of

  • new or different compounds,
  • new or different methodological approaches,
  • lower detection levels for specific media or compounds, especially with respect to EPA health guidelines for PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic Acid) and PFOS (Perfluorooctane Sulfonate).

Media of interest include (in ranked order) (1) Tissues/plasma, (2) sediment, (3) air or interfaces, (4) water.

Atmospheric sources: Improved understanding of atmospheric exchange in PFAS distribution and fate. This may include methods to determine transport of PFAS to the atmosphere and to subsequent receiving waters, such as a water method that determines “new” compounds based on their likelihood to occur in the atmosphere.

Processes oriented at molecular level: 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.

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The challenges and opportunities that link aquatic invasive species and water resources are poorly understood, despite the real and growing effect of numerous aquatic invasive species on water quality, water quantity, and aquatic ecosystems. Research is needed to better identify and understand these interactions and to guide management decisions that will help to improve invasive species management and thus reduce effects of invasive species on water resources and aquatic ecosystems at local, regional, and national scales. Proposals are sought on the following specific areas of inquiry (levels of priority are not assigned, and the order of listing does not indicate the level of priority):

  • Effects: Research that improves our understanding of the effects of aquatic invasive species on lakes, rivers, and associated tributaries in the upper Mississippi River basin, including changes to water quantity, water quality, and ecosystem dynamics.
  • Characteristics: Research that identifies physical, biological, and chemical characteristics of water bodies that infer resistance and resilience to the distribution, establishment, and effects of aquatic invasive species in the upper Mississippi River basin. Research is needed to better understand these interactions to guide management decisions that will improve invasive species management and result in positive effects on aquatic ecosystems.
  • Management: Research on assessment of the detection, spread, and management of aquatic invasive species in the upper Mississippi River basin and the connections to human dimensions, both socially and economically. Note that this does not include physical control of AIS.

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Awards are available only to Water Resources Research Institutes established pursuant to the provisions of section 104 of the Water Resources Research Act – http://water.usgs.gov/wrri/index.php. However, any investigator at an institution of higher learning in the United States is eligible to apply for an award through a Water Resources Research Institute. The application, with full proposal along with the SF-424 and SF-424B and budget forms, must be submitted through grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov) by the university at which the Institute is located.

Wisconsin applicants:

Please contact Melissa Boyce (maboyce@aqua.wisc.edu) at the Wisconsin Water Resources Institute as soon as possible for submission instructions. The due date for PIs to submit applications to the Wisconsin Water Resources Institute is 5 p.m. CDT on April 17, 2023.

For more detail, program announcements are attached and links are below:

G23AS00485 for 104g General:  https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=346333

G23AS00484 for PFAS:  https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=346326

G23AS00483 for AIS:  https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=346316

File Downloads:

104g Budget Instructions
104g Budget Justification (template)
Budget file (Excel template)
FY23 104G Full Proposal eDrop Guidelines
Sample budget justification narrative