Connecticut Institute for Resilience & Climate Adaptation (CIRCA)

This program has closed.

CIRCA is seeking proposals from UConn faculty for climate research seed grants.  These awards are intended to support the development of competitive grant proposals that advance CIRCA’s mission; projects that address CIRCA priorities and complement existing capacity will be preferred.  A larger proposal resulting from the seed grant project should be submitted within one year of the CIRCA grant completion.  Seed grant projects should be completed in 12 months.  CIRCA anticipates funding four $15,000 seed grants by the end of the spring semester, 2022.

Proposals should address research on at least one of the following CIRCA priority research topics:

1. Pilot experiments/surveys to develop preliminary data to characterize how natural processes and social interactions will be modified by climate change.
2. Novel analysis approaches to characterize climate change impacts on humans, the economy, or Connecticut ecosystems.
3. The development of methods to characterize socioeconomic impacts of climate change on Connecticut communities.
4. The development and demonstration of approaches to assess the effectiveness of engagement strategies used in adaptation planning in the diverse array of Connecticut communities.
5. The development and evaluation of innovative approaches to resilient engineering and adaptation in Connecticut (e.g. green infrastructure to address erosion and stormwater).
6. The development and evaluation of innovative financing approaches for adaptation and resilience actions.

IMPORTANT DATES

March 15, 2022: Proposals due by 5 PM

April 2022 – April 2023: Award Period

Fall 2022: participate in a 6 month meeting or CIRCA webinar

Spring 2023: participate in a 12 month research symposium

ELIGIBILITY

• The Principal Investigator (PI) must be eligible to submit external proposals and be a member of CIRCA’s affiliated faculty list. If not already on this list, the PI can fill out a request form on CIRCA’s Affiliated Faculty & Staff webpage.  
• Eligible faculty may only submit one proposal as PI or Co-PI.
• Proposals must be clearly linked to a planned external grant application within one year of pilot project completion. The PI(s) must commit in good faith to using the seed grant funds research to support an external grant proposal.
• The project should amplify the likelihood of the PI’s success, develop a new research theme, or foster a new interdisciplinary collaboration.

REVIEW CRITERIA

Proposals will be screened to ensure they address the mission of CIRCA.  Ranking will consider:

• the novelty and significance of the proposed research (30%);
• the effectiveness of the research plan and the qualifications of the team (30%);
• how the project outcomes complement the activities and advance the mission of CIRCA (20%);
• whether the project expands CIRCA’s support for Faculty and students (10%); and
• additional sources of support (e.g. time, equipment, funding) (10%).

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Proposals should be submitted electronically as a single file PDF by e-mail to circa@uconn.edu for receipt no later than 5:00 p.m. EST on March 15, 2022.  Specify “CIRCA Research Proposal” in the subject line. Proposals that are not received by the deadline will be returned without review. Proposals that fail to comply with content, format, and length requirements will be returned.

Proposals should contain the following elements and follow the structure and guidelines indicated below. All length guidelines assume 1-inch margins, 11-12 point fonts, single spacing, single-sided pages.  A proposal should include:

Cover Page

• Project title
• Names, affiliations, department, title/position, and contact information for each of the principal and co-principal investigator(s).
• Total project budget

Research Plan (4-page maximum)

• Project Summary – Provide information about the proposed project. The concept for a future external grant application should also be described, including how CIRCA’s proposed seed grant will help the research team develop a more competitive external grant.
• Research Strategy – Include a brief description of the research significance and approach. The significance should focus on the larger research questions that will be addressed by a future external grant application.  This section should also describe which of CIRCA’s five research priorities is targeted by the work.  The approach portion of the Research Strategy should focus on the project that is being funded by the seed grant.
• Timeline – Describe a timeline with major tasks and deliverables including participation in the 6-month and 12-month grantee meetings and expected timeframe for submitting external grant

Proposed Project’s Relationship to Current Research. Provide a brief description of how the proposed project is related to any current projects being conducted by the PI(s)

Relevant References

Biographical Sketch of PI(s) in NIH or NSF format

Current and Pending Support List for the PI(s) in NIH or NSF format

Roles and Responsibilities of Project Personnel (1 page). Briefly describe the roles of all people working on the project.  If there is more than one PI, describe the individual project responsibilities of each PI

Budget with Justification (1 page)

Other Sources of Support for the project (e.g., additional funding, in-kind services, equipment)

Letters of support (if applicable)

AWARD CONDITIONS

All awards are required to comply with UCONN policies, budget, and reporting procedures.  Investigators will also provide a final report to CIRCA that will include:

• Executive summary of the project for a non-technical audience – 500 words
• Project background and context
• Explanation of how project advanced CIRCA mission and priority research area(s)
• Project description, including goals and methods
• Outcomes and products, including a description of the planned external grant application

The project reports and products will be published through the CIRCA website and/or in printed form. Copies of all project products are also required upon request (manuscripts, maps, photos, presentations, tools, data files, etc. as appropriate).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Investigators are encouraged to review this CIRCA website and resilientconnecticut.uconn.edu to learn more about on-going research and former grant projects.

FOIA Statement 

The information and materials submitted to CIRCA for consideration under this funding program are subject to the terms of the Connecticut Freedom of Information Act ("FOIA") and all applicable rules, regulations and administrative decisions regarding their disclosure to third parties. The information and materials submitted are exempt from disclosure until a determination has been made whether to fund a specific proposal. If an individual or entity is interested in preserving the confidentiality of any part of its proposal, whether funded or not, it will not be sufficient merely to state generally in the proposal that the proposal is proprietary or confidential in nature and not, therefore, subject to release to third parties. Instead, those particular sentences, paragraphs, pages or sections that an individual or entity believe to be exempt from disclosure under the FOIA must be specifically identified as such and accompanied by an explanation and rationale sufficient to justify each exemption consistent with § 1-210(b) of the FOIA. The rationale and explanation must be stated in terms of the reasons the materials are legally exempt from release pursuant to the FOIA. UConn, DEEP, and CIRCA will identify as protected from disclosure such materials to the extent permitted by FOIA and all applicable rules, regulations and administrative decisions. Any final determination on the status of a specific document withheld from disclosure may be determined by the Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission and the courts, if applicable.