Nevada Water Resources Research Institute

NWRRI RFPs

There are two opportunities annually to receive funding through the National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR): Nevada Water Resources Research Grants and National Competetive Grants.

Nevada Water Resources Research Grants [104(b)]

Nevada was granted approximately $125,000 to be used annually for research projects in the state. Nevada Water Resources Research grants are summarized below:

• Proposals should be for research and information transfer projects that are for a duration of 12 to 24 months.
• A 1:1 (nonfederal: federal) match is required.
• Indirect costs may not be charged but can be used as match.
• The principal objectives of the program are to:
  • Conduct competent research related to important water resource problems of the state of Nevada;
  • Promote the dissemination and application of the research results involving these problems; and
  • Assist in training scientists in relevant water resource fields.

National Competitive Grants [104(g)]

National Competitive grants are summarized below:

• Approximately $1,500,000 is available annually.
• Any investigator at an institution of higher learning in the United States is eligible to apply for an award through a Water Research Institute or Center.
• Competitive grants under Section 104(g) are required to focus on water problems and issues of a regional or interstate nature beyond those of concern only to a single state.
• Proposals involving substantial collaboration with the USGS are encouraged.
• A 1:1 nonfederal match is required.
• Proposals must be filed by the university at which the Institute or Center is located.

Research Priorities

1. Socioeconomics and Water Use: Includes the development of water use models that require understanding what drives the timing and location of water being withdrawn and used and how those relations change when climate impacts use or conservation/management strategies (culture/societal/economics) are implemented.
2. Water-related Hazards and Public Health: Exploration of the intersections of land/water use, disease vector mechanisms, and water hazards, climate change, and/or irrigation practices. Research may include advancing our understanding of these connections as they affect the development rates of pathogens impacting public health.
3. Exploration and Advancement of Our Understanding of Harmful Algae Blooms (HABs): Proposals are sought that focus on innovations in monitoring the occurrence of HABs and algal toxins, research on factors that result in algal toxin production, and improvements in near-real time modeling and forecasting of toxin-producing blooms.

• Six proposals will be funded under theses research priorities. The maximum award is $250,000.
• Any investigator at an institution of higher learning in the United States is eligible to apply for an award through a Water Research Institute or Center.
• Competitive grants under Section 104(g) are required to focus on water problems and issues of a regional or interstate nature beyond those of concern only to a single state.
• Proposals involving substantial collaboration with the USGS are encouraged.
• Projects can be 1 to 3 years in duration and a 1:1 nonfederal match is required.
• Proposals must be filed by the university at which the Institute or Center is located.

Aquatic Invasive Species Competitive Grants (Upper Mississippi River Basin) [104(g)]

The objectives of this program are to promote aquatic invasive species research related to hydrodynamics, water quality, and/or social science in the Upper Mississippi River basin to address a critical need for this multistate research; promote the dissemination and application of the results of the research funded under this program; assist in the training of scientists in relevant water resource fields. Proposals that include a strong educational component (student support) and proposals early career faculty are encouraged.

Research Priorities

1. Improve our understanding of the impacts of aquatic invasive species on lakes and rivers in the Upper Mississippi River basin, including changes to water quantity, quality, and ecosystem dynamics.
2. Identify lake and river characteristics that infer resistance and resilience to the establishment and impacts of aquatic invasive species in the Upper Mississippi River basin. Research is needed to better understand these interactions and guide management decisions that will improve water resources at the regional scale.
3. Social and/or economic assessment of the spread, detection, impacts, solutions, and management of aquatic invasive species in the Upper Mississippi River basin.

• Four proposals will be funded under theses research priorities. The maximum award is $250,000.
• Any investigator at an institution of higher learning in the United States is eligible to apply for an award through a Water Research Institute or Center.
• Competitive grants under Section 104(g) are required to focus on water problems and issues of a regional or interstate nature beyond those of concern only to a single state.
• Proposals involving substantial collaboration with the USGS are encouraged.
• Projects can be 1 to 3 years in duration and a 1:1 nonfederal match is required.
• Proposals must be filed by the university at which the Institute or Center is located.

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) Substances Competitive Grants [104(g)]

The objectives of this program are to promote PFAS substances research related to the nation’s water quality, promote the dissemination and application of the results of the research funded under this program, and assist in the training of scientists in relevant water resource fields. Proposals that include a strong educational component (student support) and proposals from early career faculty are encouraged.

Research Priorities

1. Research on the fate, persistence, and transport of PFAS substances in water resources and their impacts on changes to water quality and/or ecosystem dynamics, including surface water and groundwater.
2. Social and/or economic assessment of the spread, detection, impacts, solutions, and management of PFAS in surface and/or groundwater.

• Four proposals will be funded under theses research priorities. The maximum award is $250,000.
• Any investigator at an institution of higher learning in the United States is eligible to apply for an award through a Water Research Institute or Center.
• Competitive grants under Section 104(g) are required to focus on water problems and issues of a regional or interstate nature beyond those of concern only to a single state.
• Proposals involving substantial collaboration with the USGS are encouraged.
• Projects can be 1 to 3 years in duration and a 1:1 nonfederal match is required.
• Proposals must be filed by the university at which the Institute or Center is located.