GUIDELINES FOR SUBMITTING A FULL PROPOSAL
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GUIDELINES FOR SUBMITTING A FULL PROPOSAL
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MARYLAND SEA GRANT COLLEGE PROGRAMTwo-Year Funding Period |
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SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTSPIs must follow the instructions about proposal format as explained in the guidance document or risk the proposal being returned. Details for completing all components of the proposal are in the section Detailed Proposal Submission Requirements section of these guidelines.
PIs are required to use the Maryland Sea Grant online proposal worksheets for their project summary form, budget form and budget justification form. If you need to request an account or be reminded of your existing log in information contact research@mdsg.umd.edu or call 301-405-7500 and speak with either Fredrika Moser or research staff (Annette Meredith or Scott Goodwin). Please establish your account well before the proposal submission date. Access the proposal worksheets at http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/programs/research/worksheets. DETAILED PROPOSAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINESSCHEDULE FOR PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND REVIEWIt is extremely important that completion times be adhered to as closely as possible.
DELIVERABLESThe following items should be submitted by 5 pm, to Dr. Jonathan Kramer, Maryland Sea Grant Director, 4321 Hartwick Road, Suite 300, College Park, MD 20740. Adobe Acrobat is required for creating the required PDF of your full proposal.
Researchers should conform to the submission policies of their host institutions particularly with regard to obtaining institutional endorsements and requirements for original signed signature pages. If you have questions regarding compiling and saving your full proposal as a PDF please email research@mdsg.umd.edu for guidance. PROJECT DURATIONProposed projects should be for a 24-month duration. Regardless of project length, funds are awarded on an annual basis. A yearly progress report is essential for evaluation of the project and for assessing whether sufficient progress has been made to warrant renewal of funding. All PIs must submit annual progress reports and a final report at the completion of the project. Reports are submitted electronically through the MDSG website. EXPLANATION FOR SUBMITTING A REGIONAL RESEARCH FULL PROPOSALFor PIs who are submitting proposals that specifically address the "Regional Research Proposal" section of the RFP and have PIs from Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, please follow these guidelines:
If you have any questions or concerns on submitting your regional research proposal please contact your respective Sea Grant office to speak with either Chuck Epifanio, DESG; Fredrika Moser, MDSG; or Lee Larkin, VASG. EXPLANATION FOR COMPLETING ALL FULL PROPOSAL COMPONENTSForm templates can be downloaded from http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/programs/research/forms/. Specific formatting instructions are described in the Full Proposal Formatting section of these guidelines. PIs are required to use the Maryland Sea Grant password protected, online proposal worksheets to complete their project summary form (90-2), budget form (90-4) and budget justification form and to generate the PDFs to submit with their other proposal components. This system does not automatically submit the information to Maryland Sea Grant. If you need to request an account or be reminded of your existing log in information for accessing the online proposal worksheets contact research@mdsg.umd.edu or call 301-405-7500 and speak with either Fredrika Moser or research staff (Annette Meredith or Scott Goodwin). Please establish your account well before the proposal submission date. Access the proposal worksheets at http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/programs/research/worksheets. Signature Cover SheetIt is the investigator's responsibility to route the proposal through their own campus' research administration and to receive an appropriate level of sign-off. You may use your own campus' signature form or the Maryland Sea Grant's template. Proposal Worksheets LoginGo to http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/programs/research/worksheets and enter your name and login information that you received from Maryland Sea Grant and select the "Continue" button. After you login, you will be directed to the "Beginning Page." Beginning PageAffiliation is the lead PI's home institution. ICode corresponds to the grantee institution and is set automatically after the Affiliation is entered. Project Title is generally 16 words or less. Please keep title consistent throughout proposal. If you have already used the online system, select your proposal title from the drop down box and click on the "Go On" button. Otherwise, leave "New" selected and click on the "Go On" button and enter the Project Title in the space provided on the Project Summary (90-2) page. Project Summary Form (90-2)
Project Summary Form (90-2) Grant/Project Number ignore Project Status select "New" Duration select years of project duration Start Date is automatically filled in for you. Co-Principal Investigator enter all Co-PIs and their affiliations by selecting the + symbol to expand the list and entering the information. Budget Assignments are used to designate different budgets and subcontracts as needed for the Co-PIs. Regional proposals should only list PI and Co-PIs that will be supported by funding from Maryland Sea Grant. Sea Grant Strategic Plan Classification Codes list one to three codes for the proposal. Keywords should not exceed five. Objectives This should summarize the objectives stated in the proposal. You are limited to 150 words. Methodology Highlight methods necessary for conducting the research, such as standard models or techniques to be followed, specialized equipment needed, new or previously designed techniques resulting from other Sea Grant projects or related research. You are limited to 150 words. Rationale This must include statements describing the particular issue addressed by this project and how the project results will further the understanding of the issue and its relevance to problems in Maryland's coastal and estuarine systems. You are limited to 150 words. Save The Worksheet select the appropriate button. Selecting the save button will save your work and return you to the "Beginning Page" where you can then log off or continue work to complete the Budget form (90-4) and the budget justification. Budget Form 90-4 and Budget JustificationAfter you complete the 90-2 Project Summary Worksheet and you return to the "Beginning Page" radio buttons should appear for completing the budget worksheet(s). The available budget worksheets are determined by how you completed the "Budget Assignments" on the Project Summary Worksheet. If there are multiple investigators on a proposal and you selected different budgets for them, then you should see multiple budget worksheets indicated on the "Beginning Page." To complete a budget form, select the appropriate radio button and click on "Go On." HINT: Make sure that the correct title for your proposal appears in the "Proposal Title." The budget forms will allow you to complete a form for each year and a combined (summary) budget for all years for the PI and Co-PIs if selected to do so. Multi-institution proposals should include budget pages for each institution. Explanations for completing the budget and budget justifications are provided within the forms with drop down boxes, explanations before each section and "+" signs to expand lines of the budget. Budget JustificationFor every dollar value you enter into your budget, you are required to enter a justification for that line item. Failure to do so may compromise your proposal submission. The budget justification must be a detailed description of each cost item in the 90-4 budget page. A box is provided next to each budget line for you to complete the budget justification. The justification must sufficiently address the questions described in the proposal worksheets for each item in the budget. Differences in budget items for the two years must be noted and explained. Provide detailed explanations of any subcontract work in the budget justification box in the subcontract line. When you have completed the budget form and the budget justification you can save it and return to the "Beginning Page." From there you can complete the additional forms and create PDFs of all the forms. You must make PDFs of these forms and combine them with the rest of your proposal submission components and submit all as one PDF as well as with the required hard copies. Completing the forms on our online proposal worksheet system DOES NOT automatically submit the forms to Sea Grant. Sea Grant Research FellowIf you would like to request a Sea Grant Research Fellow, please note this at the bottom of Budget worksheet (Form 90-4) by checking the box provided. Do not include the cost of a fellow in the estimated budget for your project. Under a separately funded program, Maryland Sea Grant offers through a competitive process support for graduate students working on Sea Grant funded projects. Students awarded a Maryland Sea Grant Research Fellowship are fully supported to work on a Sea Grant-funded research project as part of their work towards a graduate degree. Support is anticipated to cover two continuous years, pending NOAA support. Fellowships provide a stipend, tuition remission, and other benefits. It is expected that Fellows will focus on their research during this fellowship and not hold teaching assistantships. Fellows are required to participate in several Maryland Sea Grant sponsored activities designed to help develop an understanding of the link between science and outreach. These activities will not deflect from the primary research focus of the fellowship; rather, they are designed to enhance it in a meaningful way. Funds for these students are limited, and not every Sea Grant supported effort can be awarded a Fellow. PIs also have the option of including student support as a line item in their budgets and must include all associated costs incurred. Matching FundsA 50 percent match (e.g., a $100K budget must have a match of $50K) is sought on all Sea Grant proposals. Please contact the Maryland Sea Grant office if any questions arise about the eligibility of matching funds. Note that it is important to specify match contributions carefully to be able to demonstrate sources and amounts. Any match contributions identified by investigators are subject to federal audit that may result in additional costs to the institution. Match may be in the form of selected "in-kind" services or additional funds from a specified institution, agency, industry, or nonfederal program. No funds from federal agencies can be used as match. Body of the ProposalThe body of the proposal (excluding references) is limited to 15 pages of text, single-spaced. Write your proposal using the following headings in the sequence listed above. The project title and the name, position and affiliation of the PI and each Co-PI should be presented at the top of the first page of text. Before formatting the proposal consult the instructions under "Full Proposal Formatting." Proposals must be typed according to these instructions. Background and Project RelevanceThis is the introduction to your proposal. Readers should obtain a complete understanding of the context in which the effort is being proposed, its direct connection to questions in the RFP and the nature of the specific problem being addressed. This section should also demonstrate your familiarity with previous and ongoing work relevant to the proposed effort. Project Description and ObjectivesInclude a general description of the project. State the hypothesis(es) of your proposed effort and the objectives for each year. MethodsDescribe the experimental designs, techniques, and analyses to be used. Be specific. This includes an explanation of how the data will be analyzed using appropriate statistical and/or graphical procedures. Readers should be able to make a determination of the appropri¬ateness of the proposed approach for achieving the stated objectives. This section and the previous section should convince peer reviewers of your understanding of the state-of-the-art and the merit of your technical approach to conducting the research. Anticipated BenefitsDescribe the implications of the anticipated results. This section should respond to questions such as:
Performance MeasuresThe National Sea Grant Office uses three performance measures to identify areas where Sea Grant contributes to the overall mission of NOAA. It is anticipated that each research project will make some contribution toward one or more of these measures of success. Please use this section to consider how your research might contribute to these three performance measures. The measures are: Measure 1: Return on investment from the discovery and application of new sustainable coastal, ocean and Great Lakes products. Measure 2: Cumulative number of coastal, marine and Great Lakes issue-based forecast capabilities developed and used for management. Measure 3: Percentage/number of tools, technologies and information services that are used by NOAA partners/customers to improve ecosystem-based management. Project Leadership and PersonnelList names, highest degree, position and telephone number of PIs and Co-PIs and Associates and specify the number of assistants and support personnel required. (Detailed information on professional personnel should be included in their curricula vitae.) FacilitiesBriefly describe the facilities to be used. Be sure to specify any unique facilities that will be used or required. NOTE: REFERENCES AND THE SUBSEQUENT SECTIONS ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE 15 PAGE LIMIT. ReferencesTo achieve consistency in the final program proposal, we ask that all PIs use the following format for their list of references. Arrange alphabetically by author's surname and do not underline titles of books. Article citation Li, M.F, and J.E. Stewart. 1966. In vitro cultivation of cells of the oyster, Crassostrea virginica. J. Fish. Res. Bd. Can. 23 595-599.
Citation for a part of a book, proceedings or technical collection
Mortland, M.M., and W.D. Kemper. In press. Specific surface. Pages 532-544 in C.A. Black, ed. Methods of Soil Analysis. Agronomy 9. Amer. Soc. of Agron., Madison, Wis. Hansen, E.L. 1976. A cell line from embryos of Biophalaria glabrata (pulmonata): establishment and characteristics. Pages 75-99 in K. Maramorosch, ed. Invertebrate Tissue Culture-Research Applications. Academic Press, New York and London. Book citation Pielou, E.C. 1979. Biogeography. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, Chichester, Brisbane, Toronto. 351 pp. NOTE: When citing an author within the text of the proposal, use format shown in the following sample paragraph: The overwhelming importance of disease was illustrated dramatically by the onset of infection by the haplosporidium Minchinia nelsoni (MSX) (Haskin et al. 1966), which decimated oyster populations in Delaware Bay in 1957-1958 (Haskin et al. 1965; Haskin et al. 1966,1967). Otto et al. (1975,1976) have stated that . . . Outreach PlanPlease read the description of the outreach plan below and complete the one page outreach plan form (http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/programs/research/forms/ under "Outreach Plan"). Investigators are strongly encouraged to contact the Maryland Sea Grant office to discuss potential outreach approach and audiences (including industry, policy-makers, the broad researcher community and the public). Discussions with Sea Grant Extension Program agents and specialists are encouraged in the early stages of proposal development. A list of Sea Grant Extension personnel can be found at: http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/programs/about/staff/. Why Ask About Outreach?Sea Grant has a broad mission to contribute to the sustainable and wise use of our coastal resources. To accomplish this Maryland Sea Grant uses the tools of research, education and outreach, and we try to have an element of all three tools in everything we do. Our outreach products are unique and incorporate science as the basis for the message we are trying to convey. To ensure that the research we fund is as effective as it can be in serving this mission, we require investigators receiving support to demonstrate that they have a plan to get their findings into a form that is useable by the individuals and organizations that the research intends to benefit. What is Outreach?For each proposal, we request that the principal investigator articulate and justify the anticipat¬ed benefits of the research to be undertaken. This includes identifying the benefits offered over short to long time scales to various "end users" of the information or technologies devel¬oped. Included, for instance, are environmental managers, decision makers, and other con¬stituencies such as commercial fishermen, environmental groups, and specific target groups within the general public. Very few, if any, of these individuals will read the journal articles stemming from the research or attend the professional meeting at which results are presented. Hence, outreach must employ different, appropriate vehicles to convey the information to them in a readily understandable manner. There are many different tools that can be used, provided that there is a clear target audience and a logical outcome of the effort. Articulating a plan for this is a vital part of a successful proposal to Maryland Sea Grant. With this in mind, it is relevant to comment on how Maryland Sea Grant distinguishes between outreach and other functions. While we greatly value the education of undergraduate and graduate students, for example, we consider this part of the overall education mission of most research institutions, but it is not considered outreach. Neither are peer reviewed journal articles or presentations at scientific meetings. All are important products of the research process, but they do not qualify as constituent or user-directed outreach. What is an Outreach Plan?A Maryland Sea Grant outreach plan describes how specifically targeted groups will learn about research outcomes so that they can use the information when making decisions about coastal resources. The plan would describe what types of products you will create to commu¬nicate results and how the targeted groups will get the information. In addition, the plan should state, within reason, what the proposers expect that the impact of the effort will be. For instance, will managers be able to make a better decision regarding a specific issue, will a new method to manage a specific problem be developed or will a key group have new tools to address an important issue pertaining to Chesapeake Bay restoration? A general distribution of information to wide audiences in the general public (e.g., via a website) can be useful but is most likely not sufficient in and of itself. In addition, output (i.e. products) from an outreach effort should lead to outcomes that can be evaluated as a product of the funded project. All full proposals must include the following form — MDSG Outreach Plan. It is designed to help guide principle investigators as they develop plans and will serve as the reference for evaluat¬ing products over the lifetime of funded projects. We Can Help in OutreachMaryland Sea Grant has an effective Communications Program and a Sea Grant Extension Program in partnership with Maryland Cooperative Extension. Publications in our magazine Chesapeake Quarterly may be part of your outreach plan, but check with the editors to see if this is feasible. Our Extension faculty of educators and specialists have a variety of expertise and are actively working with many of the groups that are potential beneficiaries of your research. You can find out more about the program areas they are working in based on the description on our web page http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/programs/extension/. Some researchers, as part of their research program or service activities, are directly and actively engaged with stakeholder communities that help inform the direction of the proposed research and provide a built-in audience for the results, when they become available. Describing your engagement with these groups and the specific activities you plan related to the project being proposed is as valid an outreach plan as one that directly involves Maryland Sea Grant staff, faculty and products. The key is defining a strategy for ways in which specific users can learn about and make use of the products of your research. Cooperating Institutions Summary (Regional Proposals ONLY)PIs submitting regional proposals must submit a one page description of the project's PI and co-PI responsibilities; the benefits of this multi-state team; and mechanisms for communication and coordination of PIs across the three states. This section does not count as a page in the 15 page project description. Site MapIf work is planned that requires sampling or other site-specific work you must, at least, use the map provided to indicate site location(s). Please number your sites. Project Milestone Chart(s)Each proposal must include a one-page monthly project milestone chart for each proposed year of funding. A milestone is a point at which an accomplishment is made or a decision reached with respect to executing the work plan. The multi-year milestone chart, which has space for yearly milestones, should be filled out for multi-year projects only, in addition to monthly milestones for appropriate year(s). Summary of Accomplishments of Current and Previously Funded Sea Grant ProjectsPrinciple investigators who have been funded by Maryland Sea Grant since 2005 are requested to submit a one-page summary of the accomplishments of their previous Maryland Sea Grant funded research. Information on research findings and publications, outreach efforts and students supported as part of the research, should be highlighted in the one page summary. List of Current and Pending Research SupportThis list specifies projects in which PIs are currently involved that are funded by Maryland Sea Grant and other agencies, or are under consideration for such funding. Please provide a brief explanation of any overlap between this proposal and any of those mentioned here. Format should be as follows: Funded"Evaluation of Food Sources for Striped Bass," U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Contract no. FWS 14-16-0008-2138 with the Horn Point Laboratory, UMCES; 15 June 1999-14 June 2003; $52,000; 15% time commitment. "Copper, Striped Bass and Patapsco River System," National Science Foundation, Office for the IDOE, Grant GX-41953 with the Horn Point Laboratory, UMCES; 6 Feb 1999-6 August 2002; $80,000; 20% commitment. Pending"International Maritime Laws and the Atlantic Striped Bass Fishery," National Science Foundation, Office for the IDOE; 1 May 2002 - 30 April 2003; $150,000; 50% time commitment. Curricula Vitae for Principal Investigators and Co-Principal InvestigatorsProvide a 2-page (maximum) curriculum vitae for all professional personnel. Type in same format and sequence as sample in attachments, using Helvetica 11-point type. Include all applicable sections (Education, Experience, Research Interests, Professional Activities) and no more than five recent related publications. List of Six Suggested Peer Reviewers and their AddressesThis list will help us in our peer review process. Names of individuals from outside the Chesapeake Bay region (DE, MD, VA) that are knowledgeable and competent in your field of inquiry should be accompanied by complete addresses, e-mail and phone number, if possible. Please submit only one copy, attached to proposal original. APPENDIX AFULL PROPOSAL FORMATTINGIn order to produce for NOAA a uniform Maryland Sea Grant proposal volume that integrates proposals, area summaries and program information in a consistent format to submit through grants.gov, we ask that you follow the guidelines listed in this section. Typeface or FontWhen formatting your proposal, please choose the Helvetica (or Arial if you don't have Helvetica) font. Please print your proposal on a laser printer. The typesizes should be: Main Head, 18 point; name and title of PI, 11-point; all other text, including subheads and body text, 11-point. (Format Example pdf) Sample, Helvetica Character Set (size, 11-point):
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz Proposal FormatType proposals single space, with a ragged right margin (that is, do not justify the right mar¬gin), and one carriage return between paragraphs. All margins should be 1". Body of proposal should be typed continuously (do not start a new page for each new section) until the References, Cooperating Institutions Summary (Regional Proposals only), List of Current or Pending Research Support, and Curriculum Vitae, which should each start on new pages. The first page of the body of the proposal should be numbered 1 (center, bottom) and numbering continued through the proposal, references,(cooperating institutions summary), current/pending research support, and curriculum vitae. The project summary, budget and budget justification forms completed using the online proposal worksheets are correctly formatted and only need to be saved as a PDF and included in the full proposal PDF submission. Submitting Full ProposalWe require the electronic submission of all parts of the proposal—signature cover page, summary form (90-2), budget and justification, body, references, cooperating institutions summary (regional proposals only), curriculum vitae, current and pending support and site map as a single PDF submitted through our online system http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/programs/research/rfp/submit We also require an original and three hard copies submitted to the Maryland Sea Grant Office. ListsUse bullets for lists. When typing lists, indent left margin flush under first letter of each item, as shown below:
Latin Terms and ItalicsPlease type any Latin genus and species names in Italic. HeadingsDo not number the different levels of headings. Follow format of headings shown in the example on the following page, including title, authors, major headings, subheadings, etc. Format ExampleDownload an example of the proposal format at ftp://ftp.mdsg.umd.edu/Public/MDSG/forms/examples/ex_format.pdf. PROPOSAL REVIEW PROCESSMaryland Sea Grant will select projects for inclusion in the 2009 Maryland Sea Grant College funding request based on the following criteria:
After full proposals are received, they will be sent out for external review. In addition, an external review panel will be convened consisting of researchers with expertise in those disci¬plines represented by proposals under consideration. Based on its own review and the exter¬nal written reviews, this panel will recommend a set of proposals for Sea Grant support in 2009. Depending on funding constraints and reviewers' comments, Maryland Sea Grant may ask PIs to revise their budgets and scope of work. In the interest of developing the best possible program, Maryland Sea Grant may ask a researcher to consider various modifications of a proposed study or to consider ways in which one effort might better complement other proposed efforts. Collaborations, either within or among campuses or institutional programs, are encouraged. Investigators will be expected to discuss the implications of the anticipated results of their research with the Maryland marine community. For example, researchers should consider potential outcomes of their research beyond the scientific benefits. The leveraging of funds is also encouraged through the development of joint initiatives with industry via other funding sources. FORMSSignature cover sheet, project summary form (90-2), budget form (90-4), outreach plan, site map, milestones and curriculum vitae are available as electronic templates on the web at: http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/programs/research/forms/ The project summary form (90-2), the budget form (90-4) and the budget justification must be completed online using the proposal worksheet system at: |
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May 30, 2008
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http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/programs/research/rfp/guidelines/text/
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