January 29, 2019

USACE Funding Opportunity: USCRP Research Topic 2: Coastal Structure Design and Rehabilitation

REQUEST FOR STATEMENTS OF INTEREST
W912HZ-19-SOI-0009

Project Title: USCRP Research Topic 2: Coastal Structure Design and Rehabilitation Incorporating Stochastic Risk and Uncertainty

The full announcement with instructions for applying is available here: W912HZ-19-SOI-0009_Topic 02.

Responses to this Request for Statements of Interest will be used to identify potential investigators for studies to be sponsored by the U.S. Army of Engineer (USACE) Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL). The intent of this request is seek researchers interested in performing applied research to develop and implement stochastic methods into the design and rehabilitation of coastal structures with emphasis on the risk and uncertainty in coastal forcing and structural stability. In applying their research findings to develop and implement stochastic methods into coastal structural design, the researcher should examine and quantify aspects of coastal structure performance, such as 1) structural capacity, that is, can the structure sustain significant damage and still perform reasonably well, 2) the transition from minor damage to catastrophic structural failure, which can be gradual or abrupt and 3) the risk in not repairing a minimally-damaged structure because the cost differential between repairing one with minor damage and waiting until it is a catastrophically-damaged structure can often be orders of magnitude.

Estimated award amounts for individual proposals of $50,000 to $400,000 may be accepted. Multiple awards may be funded. Possibly no awards will be made if the submitted proposals do not meet the objectives outlined in this RSOI.

Background:
The U.S. Coastal Research Program (USCRP) is a partnership of the coastal research community to coordinate Federal activities, strengthen academic programs, and build a strong workforce. Three primary research needs identified by the USCRP’s nearshore coastal community are to improve understanding of: 1) long-term coastal evolution due to natural and anthropogenic processes; 2) extreme events, including flooding, erosion, and the subsequent recovery; and 3) the physical, biological and chemical processes impacting human and ecosystem health. As identified by the USCRPs plan, the USCRP addresses societal needs along the coast through a coordinated effort backed by researchers from Federal agencies, academia, industry, and nongovernmental organizations. Awards will be made with the intent of assisting academic institutions in funding coastal and nearshore processes graduate students to address critical research needs within the coastal community, advancing the state of knowledge, and building the future U.S. workforce.

Review of Statements of Interest will begin after the SOI has been posted to all units on the CESU website for 10 working days.

Posted 1/29/2019.