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For additional information on this funding opportunity, assistance,
or time-line and budget templates, please contact:

Sue Hills - Phone: (907) 474-5106 - Fax (907) 474-5571 - email:
shills@ims.alaska.edu

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY - DUE 28 September 1999

The Alaskan Coastal Marine Institute (CMI), established by
cooperative agreement among the University of Alaska, the State of
Alaska, and the Minerals Management Service (MMS), is pleased to
announce a funding opportunity for Federal Fiscal Year 2000. The
purpose of the CMI is to provide matching MMS funding for research in
Alaska on coastal, marine, and human environmental issues pertaining
to offshore minerals exploration and extraction. Up to one million
dollars per year are available as matching (co-funding) for projects.
Researchers must secure at least one dollar of non-federal matching
funds for every dollar from the CMI. Acceptable non-federal match
includes funding from university, municipal, state, or private
sources. The match may also be in-kind, such as needed services. No
limit is set on the dollar amount for each project, but the intent of
the CMI is to fund several smaller projects rather than fewer large
ones. Projects may be up to three years in duration.

Projects should address one or more of the Framework Issues and focus
on an area of current interest to MMS (currently primarily the
Beaufort Sea and secondarily Cook Inlet/Shelikof Strait), or be
generally applicable regardless of geographic area (e.g., laboratory
studies). Of highest interest are scientific studies that provide
information needed for decisions regarding OCS development in the
nearshore central Beaufort Sea, especially research applicable to the
Northstar and Liberty projects. At least one researcher on each
project must be associated with the University of Alaska. However,
the University researcher is not required to be the scientific lead
PI. Please contact CMI if you need help in making this linkage.

FRAMEWORK ISSUES
Scientific studies for better understanding marine, coastal, or human
environments affected or potentially affected by offshore oil and gas
or other mineral exploration and extraction on the outer continental
shelf;

Modeling studies of environmental, social, economic, or cultural
processes related to OCS gas and oil activities in order to improve
scientific predictive capabilities;

Experimental studies for better understanding of environmental
processes, or the causes and effects of OCS activities;

Projects which design or establish mechanisms or protocols for
sharing data or scientific information regarding marine or coastal
resources or human activities in order to support prudent management
of oil, gas, and marine mineral resources; and

Synthesis studies of scientific environmental or socioeconomic
background information relevant to the OCS gas and oil program.

In general, scientific studies that will help managers and regulators
make better decisions about persistent issues relating to offshore
oil and gas and other marine minerals are desirable. Specific MMS
information needs are detailed in the MMS Alaska OCS Region's
Environmental Studies Strategic Plan (ESSP) and can be viewed at the
Alaska Region web site (http://www.mms.gov/alaska/ess/essp/sp.htm).
Hard copy of the ESSP can be viewed at the CMI office in Fairbanks
and at the MMS office in Anchorage. Offerers are encouraged to review
this plan, especially Part B. "Descriptions of Proposed Studies" for
descriptions of needed information. Proposals that successfully
address these needs are particularly encouraged. However, proposals
are not limited to the needs described in the ESSP. If you have
research interests that fall outside these specific areas but still
believe the CMI program may want to fund your work, please contact
CMI before proceeding. Such work will have a lower priority and will
be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Inclusion of graduate or undergraduate students is encouraged as is
involvement of local residents and communication of results with the
general public. Projects may include continuing education of academic
and regulatory communities on topics relating to the Framework Issues
through development of short courses, workshops and seminars.
Graduate students may propose projects through the sponsorship of a
faculty member.

EVALUATION
Preproposals will be evaluated on the quality and clarity of the
formulated question, the adequacy of the execution, and the overall
relevance of the project to CMI framework issues. Applicants will be
notified in early November 1999; full proposals will be due in early
December 1999. Final decisions will be made on proposals in February
2000, and funds should be available by May 2000.

PREPROPOSAL CONTENT
Each preproposal must include the following sections. Sections 2-6
should total no more than 5 pages combined of single-spaced text.

1. Cover page (institutional, signed by PI(s) and appropriate
institutional representative)
2. Abstract
3. Background and Relevance to at least one specific Framework Issue
4. Objectives/Hypotheses
5. Methods/Analyses
6. Logistics
7. References
8. Budget
9. Time line, including Deliverables
10. CV (maximum of 2 pages) for each Principal Investigator (PI) and co-PI

The signed institutional cover page is required to be completely
signed at the time of submission for the preproposal to be
considered. It should have signatures of each PI, the dean/director
for each PI, the fiscal officer of the unit in which the proposal
originates, and the authorized organizational representative for the
campus on which the proposal originates. For example, if PIs from the
Institute of Arctic Biology (IAB) and the Institute of Marine Science
(IMS) collaborate on a project that is prepared in the School of
Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (SFOS) office and given an SFOS tracking
number, the cover page should have signatures of the PIs, the
Director of IAB, the Director of IMS, the fiscal officer of SFOS, and
the UAF office of Arctic Research (Ted DeLaca's). If you are
uncertain who must sign your cover sheet, please contact CMI.

Referencing or otherwise identifying ongoing or previous projects
that bear on the proposed work is recommended. Please pay attention
to the Framework Issues and other factors listed as important to the
selection process. Failure to do so may waste your time and
jeopardize an otherwise acceptable project.

Deliverables and logistics, including quarterly (beginning of
January, April, July, and October), annual (due in late May), draft
final, and final reports should be shown on the time line. A
time-line template is available on request via email or hard copy
from the CMI. Please note that a draft final report will be due
approximately three months before submission of the final report for
editorial and scientific review.

The logistics section should briefly describe fieldwork, lab
analysis, travel, report development, etc., that are planned for the
life of the project. Greater project and budget detail will be
required if your project is selected to be developed as a full
proposal.

BUDGET
The preproposal budget should be a relatively accurate estimate of
expected project costs in each general category. The final dollar
amount may change with final proposal preparation.
* Personnel: All personnel involved in the project, by name or job
title, and time commitment for each. In the budget justification
section, detail the responsibilities of each.
* Travel: Number of trips to each destination and number of
travelers. If you are not located in Fairbanks, please include travel
for one day to a winter Technical Steering Committee meeting in
Fairbanks (February) where you will be expected to present a status
report on your project.
* Services: Major categories. Subcontracts will show up as a line
item here. A separate budget page is required for each subcontractor.
Contact the CMI for details.
* Supplies: Major categories, under $2500.
* Equipment: Number of individual items and cost per item. MMS
prefers equipment to be purchased or provided as part of the match;
otherwise it will be MMS property.
* Tuition: Total.
* Indirect cost: Calculate at current rate for your unit.
Subcontracts are assessed UA indirect costs on the first $25K. Work
done by non-UA personnel (e.g., collaborators at another University)
that is to be paid for with CMI funds is usually shown as a
subcontract. This area can be complex; please contact CMI or the SFOS
Proposal Officer for assistance.
* Budget justification: Explanations of items in the budget.

Please work through your own department's proposal officer. If
necessary, proposals can be prepared through SFOS. If you are not
sure how to proceed or interpret the above budget items, please
contact the CMI or the SFOS Fiscal Officer at (907) 474-7928 for
clarification. An example preproposal budget page is available via
email or hard copy from the CMI.

Unless a major revision is recommended during review, increases in
the final budget for the project over that presented with the
preproposal will require a detailed explanation. Substantial budget
increases from preproposal to full proposal may jeopardize project
acceptance.

Non-federal matching funds must be clearly identifiable and
auditable. Please check with the SFOS Proposal Officer on all
intended match to be sure it meets requirements. Letters confirming
support and justifying match amounts are encouraged on the
preproposal and are required for the final proposal. Potential
offerers are strongly encouraged to contact CMI first.

DEADLINES
Please submit preproposals to:

University of Alaska Coastal Marine Institute
School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fairbanks AK 99775-7220

Mailed preproposals must be postmarked by 28 September 1999; manually
submitted preproposals must be received by 5:00 PM, 28 September 1999.

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