FWSR4 FY20 Science Support Partnership and Quick Response Programs

The Southeast Regional Review Team is soliciting proposals for the Science Support Partnership (SSP) and Quick Response (QR) programs. These programs are a cooperative effort between USGS and the Service to address key scientific and information needs that will best help the Service make important conservation and management decisions.  We expect USGS will have approximately $236,000 available in FY 2020 for new SSP and QR starts in the Service’s Southeast Region. A wide range of research projects, biological studies, and other forms of technical assistance have been funded by these programs in the past, and composition for the funds generally is very high.  

Proposals should originate as a result of joint collaboration among Service Project Officers and USGS Principal Investigators, with an emphasis on key Service information needs. SSP projects can span several years. QR projects can be no longer than 18 months nor require more than $25,000. These projects also should address a priority issue, but tend to be smaller in scope and address more local needs than SSP.  The Southeast Region targets SSP funding to support projects that help FWS field staff prioritize and decide where, how much, and what kinds of conservation or management actions are needed to support sustainable populations of:

• threatened and endangered species,

• candidate species,

• other Federal trust species with declining population status,

• Southeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agency (SEAFWA)/FWS priority petitioned species,

• species that serve as a proxy for fish and wildlife service trust species, ecological communities, or habitat types.  

Cross-regional projects provide a great approach for expanding the geographic and topical relevance of a particular information need. The growing significance of climate change, the Southeast Region's interests in advancing capacities for strategic conservation, and the commitment to implement partner-based science priorities and represent important dimensions to regional research needs.  

Priority will be given to projects where results will benefit one or more focus species at a landscape scale, rather than being specific to the research site or one station. Projects must address FWS decision making related to the criteria listed in the call for proposals and must demonstrate a collaborative effort between USGS and FWS (i.e. the agency project manager or designee does more than just sign off on reports).