Iowa Water Center Announces Available Research Grants

Ames, Iowa – The Iowa Water Center Annual Competitive Grants Competition is open for faculty and graduate students at accredited institutions in the State of Iowa. This year, the Iowa Water Center is offering two funding opportunities: Graduate Student Supplemental Research Competition and a Targeted Seed Grant Research Competition.

The Graduate Student Supplemental Research Competition has funding of up to $5,000 for one-year projects for a maximum of three graduate students nearing completion of their program of study. This program allows for students to complete additional research objectives or products beyond the scope of their current water-related funded project. For this opportunity, proposals must address topics related to water resource management in Iowa. Iowa Water Center staff is available to assist students in the development of submissions.

The Targeted Seed Grant Research Competition is intended to address the most pressing water research needs in Iowa as determined by Iowa Water Center Advisory Board. The three focus areas for this opportunity are:

• Water related hazards and society: exploration of the intersections of land/water use, and water hazards, climate change, or drought response. Research emphasizing social and environmental justice regarding these topics is preferred.
• 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.
• Emerging contaminants: research on the fate, persistence, transport, and impacts of contaminants on water resources and ecosystem dynamics. Research can include social and/or economic assessment of the spread, detection, impacts, solutions, and management. Contaminants include per-and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances, E. coli, and other physical, chemical, and biological contaminants.

Research proposals must follow RFP guidelines and can be submitted to the Iowa Water Center via email (send to iowawatercenter@iastate.edu). All applicants must provide an intent to submit notice by Feb. 20, 5 p.m.

Proposals are due March 1, by 5 p.m. Late proposals will not be accepted. More information regarding this opportunity can be found at the Iowa Water Center website.

The Iowa Water Center: The Iowa Water Center is a federally funded organization, part of the National Institutes for Water Resources. Located on the Iowa State University campus, it is one of 54 institutes located throughout the United States and U.S territories. The purpose of the Iowa Water Center is to identify water-related research needs, provide outreach and education opportunities, and disseminate information about Iowa’s water resources to the public to form better policies and everyday practices.

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