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PURPOSE OF PROGRAM
To promote partnerships through the communication of information about Great Lakes ecosystems and their fish communities, sea lamprey control, and emerging ecological concepts and technologies to fishery researchers and managers, to governments, and to the public. The program provides a dedicated source of funding to support the objectives and activities described in A Joint Strategic Plan for Management of Great Lakes Fisheries and the commission’s partnership vision statement.
TYPES OF PROJECTS
Science transfer projects include all forms of commission-sponsored communication related to scientific and technical information. Types of activities used to disseminate information include science-transfer and training workshops, other workshops and symposia, management objective setting, development and maintenance of lake-wide databases, development of scientific reviews, and publication of research in print, CD, and web-based media. A list of the types of projects elligible for funding through the Science Transfer Program is provided below.
Science transfer and training workshops – These projects are aimed specifically at transferring the latest technologies and analytic techniques to scientists and managers. Projects funded include workshops on the use of fish otoliths as a data source, radio telemetry, and hydroacoustics.
Symposia – Scientific symposia, conferences, and workshops have a long tradition of commission support and began with Salmonid Communities in Oligotrophic Lakes (SCOL) held in 1971. Such symposia provided major syntheses of knowledge in topical areas such as salmonid ecology, sea lamprey biology, genetic stock structure, production and yield predictions, fishery economics, and lake trout ecology and management. Major scientific symposia that the commission has funded recently include SCOL II (an updated synthesis of recent changes in Great Lakes fish-community structure and function). Symposium findings are typically published as special issues of peer-reviewed scientific journals. Scientific guidance for symposia is provided by the Board of Technical Experts and by the Sea Lamprey Research Board.
Management planning – The development, review, and revision of fish community and environmental objectives represents the transfer or translation of scientific information into targets to help focus the actions of natural-resources management agencies. This type of project is a high priority for funding by the commission.
Database development and maintenance – Databases that enhance information sharing among fishery management agencies and scientists are a high priority and are an important form of information transfer. Database-development projects are often part of a larger initiative, such as a modeling exercise. Recently, the commission funded the development of a database that spatially organizes Lake Erie fisheries data. Project proposals in this category address issues regarding responsibility for database maintenance, web-serving, updating, and quality control.
Scientific review papers – Scientific reviews that provide a synthesis of current knowledge about topics of special Great Lakes interest are an important communication activity. The commission recently funded a review of scientific literature and data related to marking salmonines, with special reference to oxytetracycline marking.
Publication projects – The commission funds the publishing of scientific information in journals (e.g., Journal of Great Lakes Research), books, CDs (such as the Lake Superior Fish Aging Manual), and web-based formats (such as the Technical Report Series and A Guide to Integrated Fish Health Management in the Great Lakes Basin).
Other projects – The commission will fund other types of projects that facilitate the description, summary, exchange, and use of information among individuals and organizations concerned about Great Lakes fishery management (projects such as development and maintenance of web sites and construction of a digital-image library). The commission secretariat should be contacted to discuss projects that are not easily placed in the categories listed above. PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION
Secretariat staff and the commission’s Board of Technical Experts (BOTE) administer research funded under this category.
PROJECT RANKING CRITERIA
The Board will consider the criteria listed below when developing recommendations for the Science Transfer Program. Project proposals relevant to the Council of Lake Committees, Fish Health Committee, and Law Enforcement Committee will be forwarded to the chairs of these groups for their review, comment, and ranking.
Fishery agency and commission programs – Ideal projects will be responsive to the issues and needs identified by lake committees, the Joint Strategic Plan, and the commission’s Strategic Vision.
Conservation/rehabilitation – Projects increase in priority when they address species of special conservation or rehabilitation concern and are important to fisheries and the Great Lakes ecosystem.
Information transfer – Projects will be evaluated for their potential to accelerate the use of new information or the development of policies that will improve fishery management.
Basin-wide importance – Highest priority will be given to those projects that address basin-wide issues.
Technical or organizational merit – Projects must be organized so as to enlist the appropriate agency partners for the task. Excellent projects will be those that have clear objectives, are designed appropriately, include appropriate partnerships, and have defined products (e.g., a database, web site, publication, and workshop recommendation and summary).
P ast performance – Project leaders should be able to demonstrate technical expertise to complete the project or have co-investigators or appropriate partnerships with other organizations to meet all of the requirements of the project. Projects must be non-duplicative. Project and co-project leaders should possess the expertise to complete the project and have had successes with similar projects.
P eer review – Some proposals will be externally peer reviewed. For example, model development workshops may require peer review.
SCHEDULE FOR SCIENCE TRANSFER PROJECTS – The Board evaluates science transfer projects via a five-step process: 1) request for proposals, 2) proposal submission, 3) optional peer review, 4) Board review and recommendation, and 5) commission approval. The time frame for these steps is as follows:
| Any time discuss potential project submissions with commission Science Director, chair of BOTE, or relevant committee members. |
| March |
Request for proposals issued |
| Late July |
Proposals due |
| August – September |
Some proposals are peer reviewed |
| September |
Projects are ranked by the Council of Lake Committees |
| October |
BOTE develops recommendations for funding by the commission |
| Early December |
Commission decides on projects to fund |
| Mid December |
Investigators notified |
Questions regarding proposal submission should be directed to the STP program administrator. Full Proposals should be submitted electronically to stp@glfc.org. Additionally, one hard copy should be mailed to the Great Lakes Fishery Commision, ATTN: Science Transfer Program. Further information about submitting proposals can be found here.
2008 Call for Proposals available here. [Deadline: July 17, 2008] 2009 Call for Proposals will be released March 2008
PROPOSAL FORMAT
Full proposal format
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