The Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science and Action at the Chicago Botanic Garden is now soliciting proposals for projects funded through its Synthesis Center in Conservation and Restoration (sCORE). Proposals for new one- or two-year synthesis projects that align with sCORE goals are due October 31, 2022 for full consideration and on a rolling basis afterward based on availability of funds.
The Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science and Action at the Chicago Botanic Garden is now soliciting proposals for projects funded through its synthesis center in conservation and restoration (sCORE). Proposals for new one- or two-year synthesis projects that align with sCORE goals are due October 31, 2022 for full consideration and on a rolling basis afterward based on availability of funds. Funded projects will have a rotating 2-year sCORE post-doctoral researcher to help support them beginning in mid to late 2023, with support for one or two in-person workshops beginning fall 2023. The number of projects funded, and at what level, will vary by year.
Address clear land and water stewardship challenges by improving the organization, analysis, and synthesis of data related to plant conservation or restoration in a manner useful to a wide range of partners and users, including but not limited to researchers, resource managers, policy makers, and other communities engaged in or impacted by these activities.
Strengthen research impact by promoting a culture of collaboration, data sharing, and synthesis.
Connect plant science and land and water stewardship communities, including indigenous communities with long histories of land stewardship, to develop innovative strategies to conserve, restore, and steward natural areas and maintain of biodiversity reflecting the values of diverse human communities.
Inform data collection and infrastructure required to address current and future questions in plant conservation and restoration science
Ensure inclusion of groups historically excluded from conservation and restoration science and land stewardship communities, especially Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.
Commit to archiving derived project data in a publicly accessible data depository.
Proposals will be evaluated for alignment with the six sCORE goals, as well as their potential to:
Produce and share products that address priority needs identified by different user communities (e.g., groups historically excluded from conservation and restoration research and practice, policy-makers, land stewards, etc.).
Increase accessibility and utility of data to inform current and future decision-making.
Broaden representation of perspectives and disciplines, and build bridges between diverse disciplines, subjects, and groups.
Develop new collaborations resulting in peer-reviewed papers, grant proposals, and joint research efforts.
Develop/update best management practices for conservation, restoration, and/or land and water stewardship.
Once submitted, proposals will be reviewed by the sCORE Advisory Board, which will make recommendations to sCORE Directors for approval. A review summary will be returned to principal investigators. Proposals that are clearly not appropriate for sCORE will be returned without review. The number of projects funded, and at what level, will vary by year and be determined by the number of proposals received and recommended by the Advisory Board.
We welcome scientists and land stewards at any stage of their career, from all disciplines, and from academic, non-profit, or government organizations anywhere in the world. We especially encourage PIs from groups traditionally underrepresented in conservation and restoration science and land and water stewardship communities, especially Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Each proposal can have up to four Principal Investigators. At least one Principal Investigator must be a Negaunee Institute staff member, at least one must have a PhD, and at least one must be in a role directly related to land and water stewardship, conservation, or restoration.
Dedicated time (at least 50%) of a post-doctoral researcher for up to 2 years.
Travel funds for one in-person workshop that brings PIs and/or additional participants together.
Page charges to support open access of published manuscripts.
Involve collecting new data.
Request funding for staff time (other than the post-doctoral researcher), new data collection (supplies and/or related travel costs), or travel to professional society meetings.
Andrea Kramer (Director of Restoration Ecology) – akramer@chicagobotanic.org
Kay Havens (Senior Director, Ecology and Conservation) – khavens@chicagobotanic.org
NOTE: Because reviewers will not necessarily be subject matter experts, proposals should be both compelling and understandable to non-specialists. All proposal pages should be numbered and include all information in the order listed below. Please send proposals as a single PDF document to Andrea Kramer (akramer@chicagobotanic.org) and Kay Havens (khavens@chicagobotanic.org).
Date Submitted
Title: up to 15 words that describe the project
Short Title: Two to three words (25 characters max) to use as a project name
Principal Investigator Name(s) and Contact Information (4 PIs max): At least one PI must be a Negaunee Institute employee, at least one must have a PhD, and at least one must have extensive land stewardship experience and be in a role directly related to land stewardship
Include full name, title, home institution, address, phone number, and email for each PI
Project Summary: Brief abstract (300 words max)
Proposed Start and End Dates: List project’s proposed start and end dates (month, year)
Number, Date, and Duration of Working Group Meetings at the Negaunee Institute:
Budget: list total budget requested, followed by budget for each year. (e.g.: Total Budget $15,000; Year 1 $5,000; Year 2 $10,000).
Resubmission: Y/N; If this is a resubmission, please provide date(s) of original submission
Keywords – Please choose 3 or 4 keywords to describe your project
Problem Statement: What is the identified conservation, restoration, or land stewardship challenge that this project will address? How do you propose to address it, why it is important, how will you accomplish it?
Proposed Activities: Briefly describe methodology and why it is appropriate to address the problem statement.
Participants: For each PI and participant, indicate whether they are confirmed and briefly (2-3 sentences each) describe their expertise and role in the project.
Commitment to EDIA: How does the team of participants assembled for this project contribute to strengthening the participation of underrepresented groups in the sciences and land stewardship, conservation, or restoration fields? This includes women, underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities (particularly Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), as well as early career individuals. How are you ensuring an equitable and inclusive environment for work across this team? How will the work of this team contribute to increasing diversity in these fields over time?
Timeline: Provide dates and brief descriptions of each project milestone
Anticipated Results and Sharing: Describe the primary product(s) produced, who the primary audience will be, and how results will be shared with them.
Broader Impacts: Provide information on how results may inform future research, land and water stewardship, conservation, restoration action and/or policy decisions.
Literature Cited
Curriculum Vitae: Please provide a 2 page CV for each PI
Budget: Most projects will have one workshop (possibly two) over one or two years. Proposals with different timelines and approaches will be considered, but must be discussed well in advance with sCORE Directors.
For the proposal, please provide a table summarizing all participants that indicates: 1) where they are based (institution, city, state, country), 2) whether they will need to have air travel covered by sCORE, 3) whether they are confirmed (ideally most or all participants will be confirmed prior to submission, but this is not required), and 4) how many days they will be present for workshops. Please also indicate whether page charges and open access fees are needed. If the project is funded, a finalized budget will be agreed prior to approval.
Data Management Plan: Provide a description of the data you plan to use and an overview of how that data will be synthesized
