Biology - Science Support Partnership Program
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USGS: Biology
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FWS Region 4 - FY2009 Science Support (SSP) and Quick Response Program (QRP) - Request For Proposals (RFP)To: Project Leaders, Ecosystem Team Leaders, Refuge Chief and Assistant Regional Directors for Fisheries, Migratory Birds and Ecological Services From: Regional Research Coordinator Subject: CALL FOR PROPOSALS - FY09 Science Support Partnership and Quick Response Programs for the Southeast Region (Due: May 15, 2008) The Southeast Region Research Committee solicits proposals for the Science Support Partnership (SSP) and Quick Response (QR) programs, funded by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). These programs support cooperation between USGS and the Service in gathering scientific information to address our management needs. We expect approximately $90,000 to be available for new SSP starts in the Southeast Region for FY09. Although not yet announced by USGS, there is usually $50,000 available in our region for QR projects each year. A wide range of research projects, biological studies, and other forms of technical assistance have been funded by these programs in the past. We are interested in projects of broad applicability that may serve as demonstrations of the ability of USGS and the Service to work in partnership. Specifically, we wish to move away from a “customer - vendor” model of interaction with USGS. Therefore, proposals should originate with a need identified by the Service’s Project Officer and be developed jointly with a selected USGS Principal Investigator. Roles and responsibilities for the Project Officer, Principal Investigator, and others are described in Attachment 1. The Project Officer is responsible for annual evaluations for SSP projects (if multi-year; Attachment 2) and final project evaluations for both SSP and QR (Attachment 3). The competition level for SSP and QR funds is high. Four of 14 SSP and 4 of 16 QR proposals were successful last year, when about $140,000 was available for new SSP starts. Budgets and abstracts for the successful proposals are in Attachment 4. SSP funds are targeted for projects that are regional or national in scope or application. Inter-regional projects must be identified in any cover message and within the proposal; they must also have separate budgets for each region. Projects should address regional priorities (https://intranet.fws.gov/region4/shapingfuture/RDpriorities-final2007.pdf). Last year’s successful proposals addressed water habitat on a refuge, landscape conservation, focal bird species, threatened and endangered species, and aquatic species. Ecosystem team and program priorities are also used to evaluate proposals. Further, studies adopting “cross program” and “big picture” (e.g., landscape-level) approaches are encouraged for strengthening our internal relationships and our partnership with USGS via SSP. QR projects are funded only in a single fiscal year, with budgets limited to the range $10,000 - $25,000. They also should address a priority issue; however, they tend to be smaller in scope, often addressing a more local priority. Projects longer than 18 months or >$25,000 will not be considered for QR funds. In addition to considering how well the proposed project addresses priorities, the following factors will be considered by the Regional Research Committee when evaluating proposals: Clarity in expressing
Please follow the attached instructions and formats for SSP (Attachment 5) and QR (Attachment 6) proposals. All proposals must identify the Service Project Officer, contain a budget table with sufficient detail to show how the needs of the project will be met, and a set of products that meet Service needs. Inter-regional proposals must show how the budget will be divided among participating regions. USGS science centers are expected to charge their full overhead rates (Attachment 7); verify the overhead rate with each PI, as the information in Attachment 7 may have changed. The proposal should describe how gathered information will be applied to Service management needs. Multi-year proposals must use the SSP format and include interim deliverables that can be used to assess progress. To be considered, proposals must be submitted with required signatures (last page of Attachments 5 and 6) before the May 15 deadline. The required signatures may be documented as follows, in decreasing order of preference: scanned signatures sent with electronic form of document, emails (complete with valid email addresses) indicating review and approval, and faxed signatures. Individuals must submit proposals electronically, preferably by email, to their program’s Assistant Regional Director (ARD) or their ecosystem team leader no later than Thursday, May 15, 2008. Please notify Bill Starkel (bill_starkel@fws.gov), Regional Research Coordinator, of your proposal submittal. All proposals will first be ranked by the ARDs and ecosystem teams and then forwarded to Bill, by June 16. ARD and ecosystem team rankings are necessary to utilize program and team priorities that may be unknown to members of the Regional Research Committee. For example, assigning objective priorities to recovery of different imperiled species can be nearly impossible for people in other programs. Our goal is to have the final Service proposals to USGS prior to August 15, and this is subsequent to regional and national coordination and review processes. Submittal to USGS prior to the end of the fiscal year will allow them time to review the proposals, facilitate development of work plans and hopefully start projects in the fall. Feel free to contact Bill (404-679-7127) for more information, or any member of the Regional Research Committee: Dean Demarest, Janet Ertel, Robin Goodloe, Ronnie Haynes, Chuck Hunter, Wilson Laney, Jay Troxel, and Randy Wilson. Bill Attachment 1 - Roles and Responsibilities Attachment 2 - Annual Project Evaluation Attachment 3 - Final Project Evaluation Attachment 4 - Successful 2008 Proposals Attachment 5 - SSP Proposal Format Attachment 6 - QR Proposal Format Attachment 7 - FY07 USGS Overhead Rates Access this RFP as a word document (Issued February 15, 2008) |
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