Michigan Sea Grant (MISG) today announced that nearly $1.2 million in new funding is available for projects addressing issues affecting the Great Lakes and Michigan’s coastal areas. These projects should aim to develop information, create tools, and build partnerships that will improve decision-making for particularly challenging coastal issues in the state and to fulfill critical research needs for the Great Lakes and coastal systems.
MISG will support three types of research projects during the 2024-2026 funding cycle: Integrated Assessment and Core Research Projects, funded at up to $110,000 per year for two years; and Graduate Student Research Fellowships, funded at up to $60,000 per fellowship.
Find the 2023 Request for Proposals (RFP) and full proposal submission guidelines here.
Integrated Assessment Projects rely on extensive partner and community engagement to address important ecological and socioeconomic issues within the Great Lakes and to inform planning, policy, and natural resource management. Core Research Projects generate new data with clear applications to management, policy, or conservation. Graduate Student Fellowships support graduate students (M.S. or Ph.D.) conducting collaborative research in the natural or social sciences and who are enrolled full-time at Michigan universities and colleges.
“We are excited to offer the largest amount of funding support in our program’s history, which will help generate the scientific knowledge needed to address critical management and sustainability challenges in our state and our Great Lakes ecosystem,” said Tom Johengen, MISG director. “This increased level of funding supports the goals of the National Sea Grant College Program to continue to invest more in research needed to protect our coastal areas.”
Qualified researchers at universities and colleges, including community and tribal colleges, located in Michigan are eligible to be Principal Investigators on MISG-funded projects. Other project team members may come from federal, state, and local agencies; non-governmental organizations and community groups; K-12 schools; and other organizations relevant to the project.
“We are always looking for projects that bring together innovative, diverse research teams from Michigan universities and, where possible, leverage active research programs conducted by federal and state agencies,” said Mike Fraker, MISG research manager.
All MISG funds are awarded via a competitive process involving external peer review and external advisory panel recommendations. A total of approximately $570,000 will be awarded each year within this two-year project period, which begins on February 1, 2024. Fellowships are either one- or two-year projects. Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. EST on May 24, 2023; instructions and other important dates and links are available here.
Michigan Sea Grant is a cooperative program of the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. We fund research, education, and outreach projects designed to foster science-based decisions about the use and conservation of Great Lakes resources.
