Opportunity Information: Apply for 21 613
Coastlines and People Hubs for Research and Broadening Participation (Funding Opportunity No. 21-613) is a National Science Foundation grant opportunity designed to strengthen scientific understanding of coastal regions where dense human populations, built infrastructure, and dynamic natural processes intersect. The core motivation is that coastal hazards and stresses are becoming more consequential and harder to manage, and that meaningful progress depends on studying coastlines as complex, coupled Earth systems. Rather than treating coastal change as only a physical science problem, the solicitation emphasizes an integrated approach that connects natural processes (like storms, flooding, erosion, sea level rise, sediment dynamics, and ecological change) with social systems (governance, behavior, demographics, equity, risk perception, and community decision-making) and technological or engineered systems (infrastructure, protective measures, monitoring networks, and other built interventions). The overall aim is to improve understanding and, when feasible, prediction of how these interconnected systems behave under stress, so communities can better anticipate impacts and improve resilience.
The solicitation supports the creation of Coastal Research Hubs, which are meant to be multi-institution, team-based efforts organized around convergent science. In practice, that means proposals are expected to go beyond parallel disciplinary contributions and instead build a tightly integrated research program where methods, data, and theory from multiple fields are combined to address shared questions. The hubs are intended to sit at the nexus of three themes: coastal sustainability, human dimensions, and coastal processes. Projects should focus on populated coastal environments and generate transformative insights into interactions among natural systems, human-built systems, and social systems. A key expectation is that the work will be grounded in real coastal contexts where hazards and human vulnerability are pressing, and that the hub structure will enable sustained collaboration, shared infrastructure or data resources, and coordinated research and participation activities.
A defining feature of this opportunity is that research goals must be integrated with broadening participation goals. The Coastlines and People program specifically calls for diverse and innovative collaborations and places value on efforts that expand who participates in coastal science and who benefits from it. Broadening participation is not framed as an add-on; it is part of the overall design of the hub. This typically implies intentional strategies to build pathways for students and early-career researchers, strengthen partnerships that bring in underrepresented groups or institutions, and create inclusive training, mentoring, and workforce development opportunities tied directly to the hub's research activities and outcomes.
From an administrative standpoint, the award mechanism is a discretionary grant issued by NSF under its science and technology research and development mission. The opportunity lists CFDA numbers 47.041, 47.050, 47.074, 47.075, 47.076, and 47.083, reflecting NSF programs that can support components of the work across different scientific domains. The award ceiling is $4,000,000, and NSF anticipated making about 8 awards under this solicitation, signaling relatively large, hub-scale projects rather than small single-investigator studies. The posting shows a creation date of September 8, 2021, with an original closing date of December 6, 2021. Eligibility is described as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)," which indicates that applicants needed to consult the full solicitation for specifics about what organizations or collaborative structures NSF would accept.
In short, this funding opportunity is aimed at building major, collaborative research hubs that can tackle coastal hazard and sustainability challenges through a holistic Earth systems lens, while simultaneously advancing broadening participation in the coastal research enterprise. The intended result is not only better science and better predictive understanding of coastal risks, but also stronger, more inclusive networks of researchers and practitioners equipped to improve resilience in coastal communities.Apply for 21 613
- The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Coastlines and People Hubs for Research and Broadening Participation" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.041, 47.050, 47.074, 47.075, 47.076, 47.083.
- This funding opportunity was created on Sep 08, 2021.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 06, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $4,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 8 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Coastlines and People Hubs for Research and Broadening Participation opportunity (Funding Opportunity No. 21-613)?
It is a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant opportunity focused on improving scientific understanding of coastal regions where dense human populations, built infrastructure, and dynamic natural processes interact. The program emphasizes studying coastlines as complex, coupled Earth systems so communities can better anticipate impacts and improve resilience.
What problem is this solicitation trying to address?
The solicitation is motivated by the idea that coastal hazards and stresses are becoming more consequential and harder to manage. It aims to support research that can better explain, and when feasible predict, how interconnected coastal systems behave under stress.
What kinds of coastal issues and hazards are within scope?
The opportunity highlights coastal storms, flooding, erosion, sea level rise, sediment dynamics, and ecological change, especially where these processes intersect with people, infrastructure, and community decision-making.
Does the program focus only on physical or natural science aspects of coastal change?
No. A central point of the solicitation is that coastal change should not be treated as only a physical science problem. Projects are expected to integrate natural processes with social systems and technological or engineered systems.
What does an "integrated approach" mean in this solicitation?
An integrated approach connects (1) natural processes (for example, storms, flooding, erosion, sea level rise), (2) social systems (for example, governance, behavior, demographics, equity, risk perception, community decision-making), and (3) technological or engineered systems (for example, built infrastructure, protective measures, monitoring networks, and other interventions).
What are Coastal Research Hubs?
Coastal Research Hubs are multi-institution, team-based efforts organized around convergent science. They are intended to support sustained collaboration and coordinated research and participation activities, often involving shared infrastructure or data resources.
What does "convergent science" mean for proposals?
In practice, it means proposals are expected to go beyond parallel disciplinary contributions. The research program should be tightly integrated, combining methods, data, and theory from multiple fields to address shared questions.
What themes are Coastal Research Hubs expected to sit at the nexus of?
The hubs are intended to sit at the nexus of three themes: coastal sustainability, human dimensions, and coastal processes.
What types of coastal environments should projects focus on?
Projects should focus on populated coastal environments, particularly real coastal contexts where hazards and human vulnerability are pressing.
What kinds of outcomes is the program trying to enable?
The program aims to generate transformative insights into interactions among natural systems, human-built systems, and social systems. A major intended outcome is improved understanding and, when feasible, prediction of coastal risks and stresses so communities can improve resilience.
How important is broadening participation in this opportunity?
Broadening participation is a defining feature. Research goals must be integrated with broadening participation goals; it is not treated as an add-on, but as part of the overall hub design.
What does broadening participation typically involve under this solicitation?
The solicitation indicates value for diverse and innovative collaborations and efforts that expand who participates in coastal science and who benefits from it. This typically implies strategies to build pathways for students and early-career researchers, strengthen partnerships that bring in underrepresented groups or institutions, and create inclusive training, mentoring, and workforce development opportunities tied directly to hub research activities and outcomes.
What agency is offering this funding and what is the award mechanism?
The funding is offered by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The award mechanism is a discretionary grant under NSF's science and technology research and development mission.
What is the maximum award size (award ceiling)?
The award ceiling listed is $4,000,000.
How many awards did NSF anticipate making under this solicitation?
NSF anticipated making about 8 awards under this solicitation.
Does the scale of funding suggest anything about the expected project size?
Yes. The anticipated number of awards and the $4,000,000 ceiling indicate relatively large, hub-scale projects rather than small single-investigator studies.
What are the CFDA numbers associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity lists CFDA numbers 47.041, 47.050, 47.074, 47.075, 47.076, and 47.083, reflecting NSF programs that can support components of the work across different scientific domains.
When was the opportunity posted and what was the closing date?
The posting shows a creation date of September 8, 2021, and an original closing date of December 6, 2021.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is described as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)." This indicates applicants needed to consult the full solicitation for specifics on what organizations or collaborative structures NSF would accept.
Is this opportunity aimed at research only, or also at practical community outcomes?
It is primarily a research opportunity, but the framing emphasizes producing knowledge that helps communities anticipate impacts and improve resilience. The solicitation also stresses grounding work in real coastal contexts where hazards and vulnerability are pressing.
Why does the solicitation emphasize coupled Earth systems?
The solicitation argues that meaningful progress on coastal hazards and stresses depends on studying coastlines as complex, coupled Earth systems, where physical processes, ecological change, infrastructure, and human decisions interact and shape outcomes.
What distinguishes a strong proposal conceptually, based on the description provided?
Based on the description, a strong proposal would present a hub-scale, multi-institution convergent research program that tightly integrates natural, social, and engineered dimensions of coastal systems; focuses on populated coastal settings; and embeds broadening participation as a core, well-aligned element of the hub's research and activities.
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