Opportunities available for research addressing water resources problems in Alabama
The Alabama Water Resources Research Institute (AWRRI) invites faculty members and affiliates from any Alabama-based university or college to submit proposals for research addressing water resources problems in Alabama.
The 2024 Statewide Competitive Grants Program through the AWRRI seeks projects that address at least one of the following water resources research priority areas in Alabama: climate change and resiliency; coastal water research and policy issues; groundwater resources and contamination; infrastructure water management; innovative technologies; and surface water quantity and quality. Researchers can request up to $35,000 in federal funding, and a 1:1 cost-share match with non-federal dollars is required.
Additionally, AWRRI invites doctoral students at Auburn University to submit proposals through the Auburn University Doctoral Student Grants Program. Two types of project proposals are invited: research projects that address unanswered questions in water supply reliability, water resources problems, and water sciences; and information transfer projects that explore and develop novel methods of communicating water resources information to the public. Examples include K-12 classroom teaching, informal science education and citizen-science projects.
Doctoral students can request up to $7,500 for one-year projects, and a 1:1 cost-share match with non-federal dollars is required.
AWRRI, housed at the Auburn University Water Resources Center, cooperates with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to support, coordinate and facilitate multi-disciplinary research and training responsive to water resources problems in Alabama and the Southeast.
The Water Resources Research Act Program is a Federal-State partnership that responds to identified water resources problems of the states through competitive grants. The AWRRI receives funding from the USGS Annual Base Grants Program to fund water resources-related research at Alabama colleges and universities.
Project proposals selected by AWRRI for fiscal year 2024 will be included as projects in AWRRI’s funding application to the Annual Base Grant and are subject to USGS approval.
The AWRRI is committed to funding proposals with the highest likelihood of delivering impactful results and demonstrating strong potential for securing future funding. It seeks to cooperate closely with and encourage collaboration among colleges and universities across Alabama. Proposals with multi-disciplinary collaboration between researchers at a single institution or across two or more institutions are encouraged. However, proposals submitted by a single researcher will receive the same consideration as those submitted by a team of researchers.
The deadline for submitting proposals is 4:45 p.m. CDT on Friday, March 15. The Request for Proposals and additional information can be found at aub.ie/awrri. For questions or assistance, contact Adam Newby at newbyaf@auburn.edu or 334-844-3993.
