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Coastal SEES (NSF Publication 14-502) FAQs

What is the Coastal SEES grant opportunity?

Coastal SEES (NSF Publication 14-502) is a National Science Foundation (NSF) research grant opportunity focused on the long-term sustainability of coastal systems. It supports interdisciplinary research that improves scientific understanding of how coastal environments function and change, and how human decisions and institutions shape (and are shaped by) those environmental dynamics.

How does the solicitation define "coastal systems"?

In this solicitation, "coastal systems" is defined broadly as the interconnected zone where land, ocean, and atmosphere meet and interact. It includes both natural and built environments.

What kinds of natural coastal environments are included?

Examples listed include barrier islands, wetlands, mudflats, beaches, and estuaries, along with the continental seas and shelves and the overlying atmosphere.

What kinds of built coastal environments are included?

Examples listed include coastal cities and towns, recreational areas, maritime and port facilities, and other human-built or human-managed coastal infrastructure and spaces.

What is the core sustainability idea behind Coastal SEES?

The program is grounded in the view that coasts are coupled human-natural systems. Environmental processes and human decisions continuously shape each other, often across multiple spatial scales (from local communities to regional coastlines) and temporal scales (from storm events to multi-decade change).

Why does NSF emphasize coastal sustainability in this program?

The solicitation highlights that coastal environments provide major societal benefits such as recreation and cultural value, housing, food production, industry, commerce, and ecosystem services. At the same time, human activities can drive physical, chemical, and ecological changes that interact with natural variability, sometimes amplifying risks or degrading ecosystem function.

What types of research questions is Coastal SEES intended to support?

Coastal SEES is intended to support research that develops deeper scientific understanding of interacting environmental and human dynamics in coastal areas, in ways that can inform real societal decisions about how coastal areas are used, managed, conserved, and governed.

Is interdisciplinary integration required?

Yes. A defining feature of Coastal SEES is an explicit requirement to integrate natural sciences and engineering with key aspects of human systems, as needed to address sustainability in practice.

What does "integrating human dimensions" mean in this solicitation?

Based on the solicitation description, integrating human dimensions includes studying reciprocal feedbacks between people and the environment, and examining how individuals, organizations, and institutions interpret and act on scientific and other forms of evidence.

Does the program consider governance and decision-making as part of coastal sustainability?

Yes. The solicitation underscores that governance and decision-making are shaped not only by data, but also by competing interests, values, and incentives. Understanding those processes is described as essential to coastal sustainability.

What kind of outcomes are competitive projects expected to produce?

Projects are expected to produce generalizable, theory-advancing contributions in the natural sciences and engineering while also incorporating the human dimensions needed for sustainability. The description emphasizes insights that generalize beyond a single site and strengthen the scientific basis for managing and sustaining coastal systems.

Are projects expected to focus only on environmental science or engineering?

No. The opportunity is designed for teams addressing coastal sustainability questions that cannot be answered by environmental science or engineering alone, and it explicitly calls for integration with human systems considerations.

What is the estimated total funding available under this solicitation?

The estimated total funding available is about $13,000,000.

What is the expected award size range?

Individual awards are expected to fall between $800,000 (award floor) and $2,000,000 (award ceiling).

Is cost sharing or matching required?

No cost sharing or matching requirement is indicated in the provided description.

What type of NSF program is this from an administrative standpoint?

It is described as a discretionary NSF research grant program within the Science and Technology/Research and Development category.

Which CFDA numbers are linked to this opportunity?

The solicitation is linked to CFDA numbers 47.041 (Engineering), 47.050 (Geosciences), and 47.074 (Biological Sciences).

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is primarily aimed at U.S. academic institutions with research and degree-granting programs in NSF-supported fields, including accredited four-year colleges and universities with a U.S. campus applying on behalf of faculty.

Can nonprofit, non-academic organizations apply?

Yes. The solicitation allows proposals from U.S.-based nonprofit, non-academic organizations involved in research or education, such as independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, and professional societies.

What were the listed full proposal deadline dates?

Key dates listed for full proposal deadlines include January 21, 2014 and October 2, 2015.

Is this opportunity currently open?

No. The opportunity is described as archived as of November 1, 2015, meaning it was active during those cycles but is no longer open under that specific posting.

What time and spatial scales does the program expect projects to consider?

The description emphasizes that coastal human-natural interactions can operate across multiple spatial scales (from local communities to regional coastlines) and temporal scales (from storm events to multi-decade change).

Does the solicitation emphasize any particular coastal benefits or services?

Yes. The description highlights benefits such as recreation and cultural value, housing, food production, industry, commerce, and a wide array of ecosystem services.

What kinds of risks or challenges does the solicitation mention?

It notes that human activities can drive physical, chemical, and ecological changes that interact with natural variability, sometimes amplifying risks or degrading ecosystem function.

What makes a project a good fit for Coastal SEES, based on the description?

A good fit is an interdisciplinary effort that connects fundamental understanding of coastal physical, chemical, and ecological processes with rigorous analysis of human behavior, institutional decision-making, and governance, with results that are generalizable beyond a single location.