Calls for Proposals
Turn big data into big insights that improve our world
We periodically invite researchers to submit proposals for collaborative, synthesis research projects in both basic and applied environmental science. If selected, research teams, called working groups, meet one to two times per year at our headquarters in Santa Barbara, CA to focus on their projects.
Successful proposals present research questions that could benefit specifically from the synthesis of existing data and analysis by an interdisciplinary team.
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Open Calls for Proposals
The Gulf Ecosystem Initiative is a partnership between NCEAS and the NOAA RESTORE Science Program to fund synthesis science and postdoctoral researchers. Working groups of scientists and decision makers will collaborate to solve pressing questions across the Gulf of Mexico. Synthesis science proposals and working groups will cover three main areas of research for decision making in the Gulf of Mexico: fisheries, climate change, and the ecological impacts of management.
The Initiative's annual call for proposals yields 2-3 working groups funded at approximately $75,000 - $125,000 to convene their teams and conduct their work across 2-years. NCEAS provides training expertise, logistical and cyberinfrastructure support, state-of-the-art facilities, and years of experience running innovative transdisciplinary working groups. The NCEAS synthesis working group approach produces applied science outcomes that can inform transformative changes to policy and practice, and can help organizations build science capacity while producing innovative, challenge-specific scientific results
Read our summary about the 2023 call for proposals.
The proposal due date is January 31, 2023, 5:00 p.m. PDT.
Required proposal elements and instructions can be found on the GulfEco Website: www.nceas.ucsb.edu/gulfeco
The data produced at LTER sites are an extraordinary scientific resource that can inform a wide variety of questions. Among-site comparisons interrogate the generality of effects observed at particular sites. Modeling efforts employ long term observations and experiments to formulate and test rigorous descriptions of theory. Scaling exercises get at the continental or even global impacts of documented effects. LTER synthesis working groups organized through the LTER Network Office (LNO) are intended to support collaboration on these and many other types of questions.
In the 2022 competition, the LNO expects to award 2-4 synthesis working groups at a funding level of up to $110,000 for up to two years. Learn more and apply now.
The Morpho Initiative is a new applied environmental science initiative launched by NCEAS. Morpho convenes working groups consisting of government agency, NGO, tribal, and academic researchers to develop and accelerate science in the service of environmental management.
Morpho’s annual call for proposals yields 2-3 working groups funded at approximately $75,000 - $150,000 to convene their teams and conduct their work across 2-years. NCEAS provides training expertise, logistical and cyberinfrastructure support, state-of-the-art facilities, and years of experience running innovative transdisciplinary working groups. The NCEAS synthesis working group approach produces applied science outcomes that can inform transformative changes to policy and practice, and can help organizations build science capacity while producing innovative, challenge-specific scientific results
Required proposal elements and instructions can be found on the Morpho Website: www.nceas.ucsb.edu/morpho
The proposal due date is June 1, 2022, 5:00 p.m. PDT.
For this program, NSF approves funds devoted to convening synthesis working groups at NCEAS. You are encouraged to consider including within your application a request for funds to do this. For more information, see this PDF and/or contact NCEAS Director Ben Halpern at halpern@nceas.ucsb.edu or Deputy Director Courtney Scarborough at scarborough@nceas.ucsb.edu.
Working Group Model
Collaboration and diversity are among our core values, and team science is part of our approach. Our research is always conducted in working groups, a model we've pioneered for the field of ecology.
Research proposals should reflect these values and approach.
Calls for proposals are typically associated with one of the following initiatives.
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Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network Synthesis
Through the LTER Network Office, we solicit proposals for projects that synthesize and analyze data from one or more LTER sites. While all relevant ideas will be considered, the selection committee is most interested in ideas that could have high-impact results in the core LTER research areas. Principal investigators are strongly encouraged to contact the Network Office to briefly discuss ideas before submitting proposals.
Learn more about LTER synthesis -
Morpho Initiative
The Morpho Initiative is an applied environmental science initiative that convenes working groups consisting of government agency, NGO, tribal, and academic researchers to develop and accelerate science in the service of environmental management.
Learn more about the Morpho Initiative -
Special Projects
We occasionally convene one or more working groups to tackle a specific issue of interest to a funding partner, such as a foundation, consortium, or government agency.
Learn more about partnering with us