Sea Grant National Federal Partnership Liaisons Competition | NOAA OAR SG 2020 2006316

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA OAR SG 2020 2006316

The Sea Grant National Federal Partnership Liaisons Competition is a discretionary federal funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Commerce, administered through NOAA's National Sea Grant College Program (CFDA 11.417). Sea Grant was created by Congress in 1966 and later amended in 2008 (Public Law 110-394) with the goal of strengthening federal-state partnerships that use the expertise of universities and research institutions to solve practical problems and create economic and environmental opportunities in coastal communities. This particular competition supports a liaison model that helps connect federal science and services with on-the-ground needs across the Sea Grant network and the coastal stakeholders Sea Grant serves.

The program plans to fund National Federal Partnership Liaison projects through cooperative agreements. These liaison roles are meant to function as connectors between Sea Grant programs and one or more federal partners, focusing on identifying priority needs, translating and packaging relevant research or tools, and making sure federal information products and services actually reach the people who use them. In practice, that means taking federal partner outputs (like research findings, decision-support tools, datasets, training materials, forecasts, or guidance) and working through Sea Grant's established extension, outreach, and research channels to deliver them to community, state, regional, and sector-specific audiences in a usable way.

The competition is rooted in recommendations made by the National Sea Grant Advisory Board following a 2018 review of the liaison system. The Board found existing liaisons to be valuable, but flagged the need for a clearer and more consistent framework across the network, without losing the flexibility that makes partnerships work in different regions and topic areas. The Board also recommended a clearer, more transparent process for requesting and receiving resources to maintain existing liaison relationships or launch new ones, including a competitive pathway for establishing new positions. This funding opportunity is essentially NOAA Sea Grant's response to those recommendations, aiming to standardize expectations and improve efficiency while still allowing partnerships to be tailored to real-world needs.

In terms of focus, the liaisons are expected to work on key national Sea Grant topic areas where federal science and coastal decision-making intersect. Examples highlighted in the announcement include hurricanes, flooding, and coastal storms; marine, aquatic, and coastal hazards; and issues affecting fishing communities. The intent is not just to support research in isolation, but to strengthen the pipeline from federal expertise to practical application, helping stakeholders and research end-users use credible information to reduce risk, improve resilience, and support sustainable coastal economies.

Funding is described as approximately $200,000 per year across four fiscal years, with support intended for two projects (subject to availability of funds). The listing also indicates an award ceiling of $200,000 and anticipated awards noted as three, reflecting how the competition may be structured or how awards were expected to be made at the time of posting. The opportunity was posted under Funding Opportunity Number NOAA OAR SG 2020 2006316, with an original closing date of July 21, 2020. Applicants were required to follow a staged submission process that includes a letter of intent and a full proposal, with full applications submitted through Grants.gov when applicable. Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others" with clarification provided in the full eligibility section of the official notice, which typically means prospective applicants needed to consult the full announcement language to confirm whether their organization type and role within the Sea Grant network met the requirements.

Additional background material, including the liaison framework and information about existing Sea Grant liaisons, is referenced in the announcement and hosted on Sea Grant's website at seagrant.noaa.gov/liaisons.

• The Department of Commerce in the environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Sea Grant National Federal Partnership Liaisons Competition" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.417.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 02, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 21, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for NOAA OAR SG 2020 2006316

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