GESI will award approximately six (6) incentive awards each year to encourage faculty members to collaborate and apply for challenging and complex environmental sustainability grants. Through financial incentives and administrative support provided by these grants, greater leverage of U-M’s intellectual depth and breadth coupled with its unique geographic and industrial location in the Great Lakes basin can be achieved that expands U-M’s reputation as an innovative problem solver and leader in environmental sustainability.
2008 Research Focal Areas
Although the Graham Institute has six focal areas, preference will be given for this RFP to those proposals focusing on either one of the following two areas and/or their intersection:
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Freshwater and Marine System Sustainability
Freshwater and marine systems research includes the protection, remediation, and management of watersheds, lakes, aquifers, bays, estuaries, and fisheries. Linkages between aquatic systems, impacts of invasive species and contaminants, and treatment and remediation are studied.
Human Health and the Linkage to a Changing Environment
Research into human health and the environment includes the understanding, measurement and prediction of environmental factors on human health, as well as the impacts of potential technologies, processes and policies to reduce or remediate contaminated environments. Environmental contamination, nutritional change, communicable diseases, cultural effect, and by-products of industrial processes are studied.
The Graham Institute recognizes that there may be worthy research proposals investigating crucial aspects of environmental sustainability that may not be closely aligned with these categories. The Graham Institute strongly encourages individuals interested in developing a proposal outside of these areas to discuss the proposed research with Professor Jeremy D. Semrau, Graham Fellow for Research Development (jsemrau@umich.edu) prior to submission.
Award Amounts
For awards made in 2008, up to $200,000 may be requested for 2 years of support ($100,000/year), with the average award being $140,000 ($70,000/year).
Teams of faculty researchers may leverage any requested funds by simultaneously applying for other sources of internal funding, e.g., OVPR, CARSS, HEURI, MMPEI, etc. In such a situation, if these grants are selected for funding by ESMRT, GESI staff will coordinate with representatives of other groups petitioned for funding to ensure that funds are appropriately distributed.
Expectations for Winning Teams
- Acquisition of continuing external funding beyond at least year two
- One seminar per year detailing research progress throughout the duration of the project
- Peer-reviewed publications in archival journals
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