National Estuarine Research Reserve Graduate Research Fellowship Program for Fiscal Year 2012 | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the National Estuarine Research Reserve Graduate Research Fellowship Program (FY 2012)?

This is a discretionary grant opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of Commerce through NOAA. It is designed to support graduate-level research that is connected to the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS), a nationwide network of protected estuarine sites used for long-term research, monitoring, and education.

2. Which federal agency is offering this opportunity?

The opportunity is offered by the U.S. Department of Commerce through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

3. What is NERRS and why does it matter for this program?

The National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) is a network of designated estuarine reserves across the United States and its territories. These reserves serve as "living laboratories" that support long-term research, monitoring, and education. This program focuses on research that leverages these reserve sites and addresses estuarine science questions and management challenges at local and national scales.

4. What kinds of benefits or outcomes is the program grounded in?

The program is grounded in the idea that healthy estuaries provide public benefits with ecological, economic, recreational, and aesthetic value. Because estuaries support habitat for many ecologically and commercially important species (including fish, shellfish, birds, and other wildlife), the reserves are managed for conservation as well as sustained scientific study and long-term monitoring.

5. What research setting do the reserves provide to graduate researchers?

NERRS reserves are designed to function both as conservation units and as dependable platforms for long-term data collection. This supports research on trends, stressors, and management outcomes over time, and also enables comparison of conditions across different regions through the system-wide network structure.

6. What is the activity category for this grant?

The opportunity is issued as a grant under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category.

7. What is the CFDA number associated with this funding?

The CFDA number listed is 11.420 (Coastal Zone Management Estuarine Research Reserves).

8. How much funding was NOAA expecting to award in total?

NOAA anticipated an estimated total funding amount of $640,000.

9. About how many awards was NOAA expecting to make?

NOAA anticipated making about 33 awards.

10. What was the expected size range of individual awards?

Individual awards were expected to range from a floor of $20,000 up to a ceiling of $640,000.

11. Is cost sharing or matching required?

Yes. The announcement specifies that cost sharing or matching is required, so applicants should plan to contribute non-federal resources in line with the requirements described in the full announcement.

12. Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is institution-focused rather than individual-focused. Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education, other nonprofit organizations, and state and local governments. The announcement notes that additional eligibility details are provided in the full announcement text.

13. Can an individual graduate student apply directly?

Based on the posted information, eligibility is described as being geared toward institutions rather than individuals applying directly. Institutions such as universities, nonprofits, and state/local governments are listed as eligible applicants.

14. What is the official funding opportunity number?

The funding opportunity number is NOAA NOS OCRM 2012 2003083.

15. What is the official title of the opportunity?

The title is National Estuarine Research Reserve Graduate Research Fellowship Program for Fiscal Year 2012.

16. When was the opportunity posted?

The public posting and creation date was August 23, 2011.

17. What was the application deadline?

The application closing date was November 1, 2011.

18. When was the opportunity archived?

The archive date was December 1, 2011.

19. How are reserve sites selected and what framework is used?

The reserves are selected to represent different regions and ecosystem types, following the national classification framework described in 15 CFR Part 921.

20. Where can applicants find information about reserve locations and characteristics?

NOAA points interested parties to the NERRS website at www.nerrs.noaa.gov for descriptions of reserve locations and characteristics.

21. Is there a way to contact staff at a specific reserve?

Yes. The notice indicates that reserve staff are listed in Appendix I of the full announcement, and interested parties can contact reserve staff for site-specific context.

22. Who is the listed point of contact for program questions or access issues?

The listed point of contact is Alison Krepp in the Estuarine Reserves Division.

23. What contact phone number is provided for the program point of contact?

The phone number provided is 301-713-3155 ext. 105.

24. What is the stated purpose of using reserves as long-term research platforms?

The reserves enable long-term monitoring and research that can reveal trends, identify stressors, and evaluate management outcomes over time. This long-term approach is emphasized as something short-term studies often cannot achieve, and the network structure supports cross-region comparisons and application of findings to national estuarine management needs.