2026-2028 Minnesota-Wisconsin Sea Grant Joint Request for Proposals

Up to $100,000 per year for two years will be available for funding each of the Minnesota and Wisconsin portions of a joint research project for a grant total of up to $200,000 per year. Match is not required for Wisconsin partners. 

Minnesota-based partners must demonstrate a 25% nonfederal match and a minimum of 40% of funds must be dedicated to student support. Additional budget instructions will be provided at the full proposal stage of the competition.

This joint request for proposals aims to support research to advance climate adaptation and resilience for Lake Superior coastal resources and communities in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Potential applied research topics include, but are not limited to: 

Hazardous Material Transport 

Assess existing strategies and develop novel strategies to reduce the risks to communities and ecosystems from hazardous material transport near or on Lake Superior. 

Storms, Infrastructure, and Preparedness 

Analyze historical trends of Lake Superior storms and build predictive models to assess current and likely risks to onshore infrastructure and habitat. 

Identify coastal hazards and extreme weather risks to people and their livelihoods and identify associated solutions for vulnerable coastal communities.

Design, test, or model novel coastal infrastructure approaches that increase resilience to future climate conditions and coastal hazards. 

Develop novel and transferable methods to assess Great Lakes coastal communities' vulnerability and/or associated climate adaptation pathways. 

Develop or assess collaborative planning approaches and/or tools to advance the incorporation of natural hazards resilience and climate adaptation principles into community plans, policies, and actions. 

Resilient Fisheries 

Analyze how the historic 2022 Cisco year class is influencing the food web dynamics in Lake Superior and the associated management implications for the Lake Superior commercial and recreational fisheries.

Preference will be given to proposals that leverage research(er) strengths across Wisconsin and Minnesota to employ multidisciplinary and/or complementary approaches. 

If you have interest in this topic and/or have skills that might would be relevant to a research team and, but you are not unsure how to connect with researchers in other states, you are encouraged to submit your information via the Investigator Connection Form below and review the list of potential collaborators on the Responses to the Investigator Connection Form. Submitting your information to this list is not a requirement for submission to this RFP.

Investigator Connection Form
Responses to the Investigator Connection Form

The ultimate intent of this call for proposals is to provide Lakes Superior coastal communities with information and tools to increase resilience and adaptation to changes in climate. The potential for applied impact of the proposed work will be evaluated at the preproposal stage. Preproposals should clearly identify community partners with whom researchers will engage. Applicants are encouraged to think creatively about the most appropriate engagement method for their work and are welcome to discuss outreach ideas with Sea Grant extension professionals in their respective Sea Grant programs. 

A research review panel, assembled and attended by representatives from Wisconsin and Minnesota Sea Grant programs, will address the following questions when reviewing preproposals to determine whether to encourage a full proposal: 

1. What is the importance of the proposed project for the region and to what extent is the proposed project relevant to Lake Superior communities? 
2. What is the scientific merit of the proposed project? 
3. What are the qualifications of the investigators? 
4. What are the likely outcomes or impacts (environmental, educational, social, economic, etc.) that could result from the project? Did investigators identify potential users of project results (e.g., specific businesses, industries, coastal communities, underrepresented and/or underserved communities, state and federal government agencies, etc.?). Are partners, communities, and populations served by the project engaged in the process and potential outcomes associated with the proposed work? 
5. Does the budget estimate seem adequate, or too high/too low? Does the project seem to be a good value? 
6. How well integrated is the project, given researchers from different state programs? 

Investigators from the two states should prepare one preproposal document and submit it to Wisconsin Sea Grant as described in Wisconsin Sea Grant RFP. In the preproposal document, clearly indicate the portion of the project and budget that is associated with each state’s investigative team. 

The deadline for preproposals is Friday, January 17, 2025, 3 p.m. CST. Applicants will receive feedback on their preproposals by the end of February 2025. Full proposal guidance will also be provided at that time. The deadline for full proposals is Friday, May 2, 2025, 3 p.m. CDT. To be eligible to submit a full proposal, applicants MUST submit a preproposal by the preproposal deadline.