Research Funding

Cooperative Research Award Funding Timeline

Announcement of the Request for Planning Letters	The Request for Planning Letters (RFP) provides information and instruction for writing planning letters.
	(7-8 weeks)
Investigators submit project planning letters	Investigators must submit 15 copies of the planning letter. Proposals may not be submitted electronically.
	(2-3 weeks)
Panel review of planning letters	Small groups of 6-8 people review a subset of the planning letters. For more information about what panelists do, see the Proposal Review page.
	(1-2 weeks)
Response letters sent to project leaders	Panel recommendations and comments are summarized in the response letter.

"Yes" response: participants may develop a full proposal		"No" response: participants may not develop a full proposal.
	(7-8 weeks)
Participants submit full proposals	Investigators must submit 15 copies of the full proposal. Proposals may not be submitted electronically.
	(2-3 weeks)
Panel review of full proposals	Small groups of 6-8 people review a subset of the full proposals. For more information about what panelists do, see the Proposal Review page.
	(1-2 weeks)
Panel review of project budgets recommended for funding	Proposed budgets are reviewed to ensure funding amounts and allocation are appropriate.
	(1 week)
Final response letters sent to project leaders	Projects which are accepted for funding need to pass a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NFMS) before money can be released. See the Proposal Review page for more information on what comes after a "Yes" response.