Collaborative Research
Generating new science to inform decisions
Collaborative research projects conduct new applied science through a user-driven, collaborative process grounded in reciprocal relationships that results in data, tools, or other products that will inform decision making related to a reserve management need. Collaborative research projects can use natural, social and/or physical science approaches and must have a well-defined research question that the project is designed to answer.
To learn more about prior projects, browse Collaborative Research Projects in our catalog.
The 2025 Request for Proposals is now closed
Proposals involving less than five reserves have two options:
- Request up to $200,000 per year for three years for a total of $600,000 or
- Request up to $150,000 per year for four years for a total of $600,000.
Proposals involving five or more reserves have two options:
- Request up to $250,000 per year for three years for a total of $750,000 or
- Request up to $250,000 per year for four years for a total of $1,000,000.
How do I get started?
To help focus your project’s purpose, get to know user needs, and scope your project, here are a few helpful resources:
- 2025 Reserve Management Needs (webpage and PDF)
- Understanding user needs. Map out the needs of potential users with a template designed to identify their challenges, interests, and needs related to the management issue. A single project cannot address all needs, but this tool should help you hone in on a smaller set of primary users and a closely related set of challenges that a project could address.
- Question prompts to guide your background research and conversations with potential users.
- Twelve example problem statements to promote thinking about how to envision and design a new project.
Additional questions about this funding opportunity can also be directed to:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: Maeghan Brass (734-763-0727) or Arianna Stokes (734-763-0056)