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Grants Will Encourage Collaborative Community Research

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Katie Mosher, 919-515-9069, katie_mosher@ncsu.edu

Posted Thursday, November 12, 2015

North Carolina Sea Grant is requesting applications for its new Community Collaborative Research Grant Program, thanks to a new partnership with the William R. Kenan Jr. Institute for Engineering, Technology and Science at NC State University.

This new grant program is designed for universities, agencies and communities to collaborate toward a common goal. Credit: Jamie Moncrief/UNCW
This new grant program is designed for universities, agencies and communities to collaborate toward a common goal. Photo Credit: Jamie Moncrief/UNCW

“We are seeking proposals that focus on creative problem solving for environmental and regulatory issues,” explains Susan White, Sea Grant executive director.

The new projects will bring local knowledge and intuition within coastal communities together with academic rigor of university researchers. That combination, along with strong field research, should result in recommendations likely to be accepted by resource managers, industry leaders and other groups, White adds.

Known as CCRG, the program leverages $30,000 from the Kenan Institute with Sea Grant funding. Raj Narayan, associate director of the Kenan Institute, cites a tradition of Sea Grant success in collaborative research and outreach, including its past administration of the state’s Fishery Resource Grant program, and ongoing cooperative research programs related to marine mammals, and blue crabs and oysters.

The CCRG will be broader. Projects can fit into one or more of Sea Grant’s five focus areas: Healthy Coastal Ecosystems; Sustainable Coastal Development; Safe and Sustainable Seafood Supply; Hazard Resilience in Coastal Communities; and Environmental Literacy and Career Initiation.

Narayan looks forward to brainstorming for research topics and the application of results. “Our partnership with Sea Grant will support projects that provide opportunities for researchers and economic developers to work together in order to develop innovative approaches for addressing community needs,” he says.

Proposal Planning Highlights

CCRG project teams must include at least two people, a scientific expert and a local knowledge expert. These roles may be faculty or staff members from North Carolina-based institutions of higher learning, staff from local or state governmental entities in the state, representatives of non-government organizations based in offices in the state, and N.C. business owners and citizens.

Grants will range between $2,000 and $25,000. Matching funds are not required but are encouraged. Teams are limited to a one-year research project. Projects must start between March 1 and May 31, 2016.

Proposals must use the 2015-16 CCRG application form. The template and instructions are available at ncseagrant.ncsu.edu/ccrg.

Proposal deadline is 4 p.m. on Jan. 15, 2016. Proposals can be hand-delivered, mailed, or emailed. Faxed proposals will not be accepted. Email proposals to Vanda Lewis at vlewis@ncsu.edu. Mail or deliver signed applications to Vanda Lewis, North Carolina Sea Grant, NC State University/CMAST, 303 College Circle, Morehead City, NC 28557.

For more information, academic partners may contact John Fear at 919-515-9104. Community partners may contact Scott Baker at 910-962-2492.

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North Carolina Sea Grant: Your link to research and resources for a healthier coast