The MWRRC invites proposals from Principal Investigators (PIs) at institutions of higher education in Maryland to be considered for support under the FY 2023 104(b)  Water Resources Research Act program (US Geological Survey).

The FY23 USGS WRRA 104b Annual Base Grant funding announcement (#G23AS00486) was posted April 4 (USGS WRRI website ). Only Water Resources Institutes and Centers may submit proposals to the USGS. Investigators at any institution of higher education in Maryland may submit proposals to the MWRRC.

Proposals should be submitted to the MWRRC by 11:59 p.m., Friday, April 28, 2023 Friday, May 5, following the guidelines in the Maryland 2023 RFP

The following documents are provided for use in preparing proposals:

• • Budget spreadsheet (instructions are in the first tab): 104b-budget-project_maryland
  • Fillable MS Word budget justification: budget-justification

We expect that funding will be awarded Sept. 1, 2023. Projects will be funded for at most one year.

Note that the matching requirement for the 104(b) program is now 1:1 — one non-federal dollar offered as match for each federal dollar requested. Under this program, federal funds may not be used to pay indirect costs. Matching funds may include the forgone indirect costs, as well as non-federal salaries and benefits. Investigators may contact the Center Director if they have questions about matching funds.

Proposals may address any water resources topic important to Maryland and to the education of water scientists, engineers, and other professionals in Maryland. The Center particularly invites proposals on the following topics:

• Climate change mitigation and/or adaptation in the context of water resources
• Justice and equity in water resources
• Building a diverse water resources workforce for Maryland
• Public and preK-12 education about water, watersheds, and water resources

The Center also welcomes proposals for Summer 2024 Graduate Student Fellowships (see https://blog.umd.edu/mwrrc/grad-fellowships/ ). The timing of this year’s awards does not allow us to support summer fellowships in 2023.