2025 Call for Consortium Project Ideas

The Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center‘s mission is to develop and deliver scientific knowledge, synthesis, and tools needed to help fish, wildlife, plants, and ecosystems adapt to a changing climate. The SE CASC Consortium is soliciting project ideas for syntheses or working groups or other convenings, or products that respond to one or more of the following priority tracks, listed below. 

SE CASC is committed to co-developing science with partners to produce knowledge that is useful and used by resource managers. We intend to support projects that are aimed at: 1) the beginning of the co-produced actionable science cycle – developing and enhancing collaborations and information sharing around a specific topic of relevance to natural or cultural resource managers that can lead to co-produced research questions and project plans, or 2) at the end of the cycle – developing output(s) from existing research that make the science accessible and applicable to partners’ decision-making contexts, such as online tools, technical reports, fact sheets, other communication products.

Projects should be 6 months to 2 years. All projects should clearly outline their co-production process and engagement plan (see Guidelines for Project Ideas submission).

Project ideas can include convenings, Working Groups, the production of rapid syntheses, visualizations, or tools. Below are descriptions of the priorities for proposed projects that can be implemented beginning in August 2025.

1. Extreme Events track. Extreme events, such as storm severity, flooding, and high heat are increasing with climate change. However, there is not clear consensus on how to promote climate adaptation for species or ecosystems following extreme events given they can magnify climate change effects. Moreover, extreme events are often not isolated. Multiple extreme events may have compounding effects, which may make adaptation actions for resilience difficult to design. Project ideas submitted to this track can focus on climate adaptation actions that help prepare for future extreme scenarios.

2. Species track: Understanding threats of climate change to or climate adaptation for species of significance for recreational hunting and fishing.

3. Inland Western Region track: The SE CASC has a broad footprint that spans from Arkansas to the US Caribbean. The availability of partnerships to inform climate adaptation science planning needs varies across the SE CASC footprint. In this track, we are particularly interested in receiving project ideas that would support convenings with state, federal, Tribal Nation, and NGO partners in Arkansas, western Tennessee, and inland Alabama and Mississippi to identify climate science priorities and strengthen partnerships to address these information needs.

4. Tribal Climate Adaptation track:  Project ideas submitted to this track should be important to and identified by a Tribal Nation within the SE CASC footprint and address management of fish, wildlife, ecosystems, or cultural resources under a changing climate. If the proposer is not from a Tribal Nation, they must include a Tribal member as a full investigator on their project. Proposers must also outline their plan to ensure Tribal sovereign management of resources and data and proposed framework of co-production with Tribal membership. Proposers are encouraged to contact the regional Tribal Climate Liaison for SE CASC, (Dr. Steph Courtney), as they develop their proposal.

5. Innovation track:  Climate adaptation requires looking into the future to make decisions about today. Our priorities are often based on the needs identified by managers today but may miss future issues that have not come down the pipeline just yet. The Innovation track is an opportunity to apply for funding for science development, synthesis, tools, or convenings for ideas that may not yet have come across managers’ radars. It is incumbent upon proposers applying to this track to clearly outline their co-production model.

Proposals are limited to researchers at SE CASC Consortium institutions: Auburn University [AU], Duke University [DU], NC State University [NCSU], Savannah State University [SSU], University of Arkansas-Monticello [UAM], University of Florida [UF], University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras [UPR], University of South Carolina [USC], University of Tennessee-Knoxville [UTK], University of the Virgin Islands [UVI], and representatives of a Tribal Nation affiliated with United South and Eastern Tribes [USET] in the Southeast.  

Investigators must be current SE CASC Research Affiliates. Learn more and apply.

Guidelines and file template required for submitting your project ideas can be found here: SECASC Consortium Project Ideas Template 2025

The deadline for submissions is January 24, 2025. Decisions will be released by March 15, 2025.