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Graduate Research Fellowship


V. Application Review Information

A. Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria at the indicated weights.

  1. Quality of research and applicability to program priorities (90 percent): This 90 percent will be broken down as follows:
    1. The quality of proposed research and its applicability to the NERRS research focus areas listed in Section Ib of this announcement (70%).
    2. The research's applicability to specific reserve research and resource management goals as they relate to Section I of this announcement (20%).
  2. Academic record and statement of career goals and objectives (5 percent)
  3. Recommendations/endorsements (5 percent)
  4. Additional relevant experience (0 percent)
  5. Financial need (0 percent)

B. Review and Selection Process

Once applications have been received by NOAA through www.Grants.gov, an initial administrative review is conducted to determine compliance with requirements and completeness of the application. Subsequently, all proposals will be evaluated for scientific merit by no less than three reviewers from the scientific community. The research coordinator and/or reserve manager or Estuarine Reserve Division Coordinator will oversee the review process. Efforts are taken to ensure that conflicts of interest are avoided. It is permissible for applicants to suggest those people whom they feel would have a conflict of interest and therefore are not appropriate to review their proposal. The merit reviewer's ratings are used to produce a rank order of the proposals. The Selecting Official shall award in the rank order unless the proposal is justified to be selected out of rank order based upon one of the selection factors identified below. The Selecting Official makes final recommendations for awards to the Grants Officer who is authorized to obligate the funds and execute awards.

C. Selection Factors

The Selecting Official may choose a proposal out of rank order based on the following:

  1. Balance/Distribution of funds:
    1. Across academic disciplines
    2. By types of institutions
    3. Geographically
  2. Availability of funds
  3. Program-specific objectives
  4. Degree in scientific area and type of degree sought

D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates

Funding recommendations are expected to be announced via email by the end of February 2010.




 For more information contact Alison Krepp.