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Coastal SEES (NSF 12-594) - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the NSF Coastal SEES grant opportunity?

NSF Coastal SEES (Funding Opportunity Number 12-594) is a discretionary research grant program under NSF's broader Science, Engineering, and Education for Sustainability (SEES) initiative. It supports research intended to strengthen scientific and practical understanding needed to support a sustainable future, with a focus on coastal environments as tightly coupled human-natural systems.

What is the core purpose of Coastal SEES?

The central purpose is to advance knowledge about how coastal environments function through interacting physical, ecological, chemical, social, economic, and governance processes. The solicitation emphasizes that long-term coastal sustainability cannot be addressed by a single discipline because these processes change over time and influence one another through feedback loops.

How does the program define "coastal systems"?

Coastal systems are defined broadly as the land-sea interface and adjacent connected areas. This includes barrier islands, wetlands, mudflats, beaches, estuaries, coastal cities and towns, recreation zones, maritime and port facilities, continental shelves and seas, and the atmosphere above them.

Why does NSF emphasize interdisciplinary research for Coastal SEES?

The program highlights that coastal pressures come from interacting natural and human drivers. Natural variability (storms, seasonal cycles), extreme events, and long-term environmental change intersect with development, resource extraction, pollution, shoreline modification, and infrastructure expansion. Because these factors influence each other, the program prioritizes interdisciplinary work that connects natural sciences with social, behavioral, and economic sciences.

What types of research questions does Coastal SEES prioritize?

Coastal SEES prioritizes projects that improve understanding of reciprocal relationships between people and coastal environments. This includes studying how human activities alter coastal systems physically, chemically, and ecologically, and how those changes then affect communities, economies, and decision-making.

What does "decision relevance" mean in the context of this opportunity?

Decision relevance refers to research that can inform societal choices about how coasts are used and managed for multiple objectives. The solicitation frames these objectives as including economic development, aesthetics and recreation, research, conservation, and risk reduction.

Does the program encourage integrating social science and governance research?

Yes. The opportunity explicitly calls for integrating natural sciences with social, behavioral, and economic sciences, including research on governance and how decisions actually get made. It points toward studying how individuals and organizations interpret and act on scientific evidence, how competing interests shape policy and management, and how human responses and environmental change can create feedbacks that amplify or dampen impacts.

What makes coastal areas a priority for sustainability research in this solicitation?

The opportunity emphasizes that coastal areas are economically and socially critical, contain high-value built assets, and provide ecosystem services that support human well-being. It also notes demographic urgency, citing that a large share of the global population lives in coastal regions and is expected to grow, increasing reliance on coastal benefits and exposure to coastal risks.

How much funding was expected to be available?

NSF anticipated an estimated total funding pool of $15,000,000 for the cycle described.

How many awards did NSF expect to make?

NSF anticipated making about 15 awards.

What is the minimum award size (award floor)?

The stated award floor was $750,000.

Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The opportunity stated that there was no cost-sharing or matching requirement.

What is the activity category for this funding opportunity?

The activity category is Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

Which NSF disciplines or program areas does Coastal SEES span?

The opportunity spans multiple NSF disciplines. The listed CFDA areas include Engineering (47.041), Geosciences (47.050), Biological Sciences (47.074), Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (47.075), and Polar Programs (47.078).

Who is eligible to submit a proposal?

Eligibility is focused on U.S.-based organizations with research and education capacity. Proposals could be submitted by U.S. academic institutions (including accredited four-year colleges and universities with U.S. campuses) on behalf of their faculty, and by U.S. nonprofit, non-academic organizations tied to research or educational activities (such as independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, and professional societies).

Is this program intended for single-discipline projects?

The program is framed around the need for interdisciplinary approaches and highlights that coastal sustainability challenges are shaped by interacting processes across natural and human systems. Based on the solicitation description, projects are expected to connect multiple disciplines rather than stay within a single field.

What scale of projects is Coastal SEES best suited for?

Based on the award floor and the program emphasis, Coastal SEES is best understood as NSF support for large, interdisciplinary projects that connect coastal environmental processes with human behavior, institutions, and policy.

What kinds of human activities and pressures are relevant to this program?

The opportunity highlights human actions such as development, resource extraction, pollution, shoreline modification, and infrastructure expansion, and the ways these interact with natural variability, extreme events, and long-term environmental change.

What is meant by "tightly coupled human-natural systems" in this solicitation?

It refers to coastal environments where human systems (communities, economies, governance, infrastructure) and natural systems (physical, ecological, chemical processes) influence each other over time. The solicitation emphasizes reciprocal effects and feedback loops, meaning changes in one part of the system can drive responses in others.

What deadline is provided in the archived cycle description?

The full proposal deadline listed for the archived cycle was January 17, 2013.

Was NSF expecting this to be a one-time solicitation or recurring?

NSF indicated it anticipated an annual call for proposals under this program.

What outcomes or impacts is the program aiming to support?

The program aims to produce knowledge that improves the ability to sustain coastal systems for current and future generations, particularly by generating science that helps inform decisions about coastal use and management across competing objectives.