As part of an award from the National Sea Grant Office, we are announcing the release of a request for proposals (RFP) for a regional research competition focused on Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs).
This competition is open to researchers in the U.S. East Coast states (ME, NH, VT, MA, RI, CT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, VA, NC, SC, GA and FL) that are served by Sea Grant Programs. Proposals are encouraged for projects of up to 18 months duration requesting up to $150,000. The successful proposals will include some extension and education elements, and coordinate with state Sea Grant programs.
Letters of Intent are due by September 23, 2022 by 5 p.m. ET.
Full Proposals are due on October 25, 2022 by 11:59 p.m. ET.
Prospective New Hampshire applicants should reach out to Steve Jones with questions:
Steve Jones
Associate Director and Assistant Director for Research
NH Sea Grant
stephen.jones@unh.edu
Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) are increasingly detected in groundwater and surface waters including streams, rivers, estuaries and oceans, posing risks to the nation’s drinking waters and aquatic and terrestrial life. This broad class of chemicals and materials is characterized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for their perceived, potential, or demonstrated threat to human health and/or the environment but are often excluded from monitoring programs and are characterized by a lack of published health and/or water quality standards. CECs include, but are not limited to, personal care and pharmaceutical products (PPCP), brominated flame retardants (BFRs), household cleaning products, industrial chemicals (e.g., per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), nanomaterials, and lawn care and agricultural products.
This RFP is a result of a research project awarded by the National Sea Grant College Program. In September 2021, a partnership of the Connecticut, New Hampshire, and North Carolina Sea Grant programs and Lighthouse Consulting Group began a project on contaminants of emerging concern—the residues of commonly used products increasingly found in coastal and freshwater environments. This federally funded project will engage Sea Grant programs nationwide in developing a strategy to further knowledge about effective actions to understand and reduce impacts on humans and wildlife.
