The Southern Appalachian CESU is a virtual consortium of universities, research associations, and research labs that have joined in agreement to cooperate in interdisciplinary projects that address the cultural, social, and natural resource issues of the Southern Appalachian region. These projects are in the form of research projects, technical assistance projects, and/or educational projects.
How Projects Work
Step 1
A federal agency partner, such as the National Park Service or Department of Defense, will submit a project opportunity to us. Current project opportunities are then posted below.
Step 2
A non-federal partner, such as a university or non-profit organization, can apply to be a principal investigator (PI) on projects that match their specific interests and areas of expertise.
Step 3
The federal partner will choose a PI from our non-federal partner applicants. Then the project may begin, and the non-federal partner will receive funding for research and/or technical assistance.
Current Project Opportunities
- Bat Surveys Raystown Lake
Apply by July 21, 2023 - Monitoring Endangered Cave Spring Population at Redstone Arsenal, AL
Apply by August 12, 2023
Past Project Examples
| Project Information: | |
|---|---|
| Project Investigator | John T. Foster, Jr. |
| Federal Partner | National Park Service |
| Non-federal Partner | Florida A&M University |
| Project Cost | $6,000 |
| Project Location | Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve |
| Main Science | Cultural |
| Project Type | Technical Assistance |
| Project Information: | |
|---|---|
| Project Investigator | Manuel Pescador |
| Federal Partner | National Park Service |
| Non-federal Partner | Florida A&M University |
| Project Cost | $27,000 |
| Project Location | Congaree Swamp National Monument |
| Main Science | Biological |
| Project Type | Research |
| Project Information: | |
|---|---|
| Project Investigator | Cathleen Webb |
| Federal Partner | National Park Service |
| Non-federal Partner | Western Kentucky University |
| Project Cost | $32,950 |
| Project Location | Abraham Lincoln National Historic Site, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, Mammoth Cave National Park, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area |
| Main Science | Biological, Physical |
| Project Type | Research |
| Project Information: | |
|---|---|
| Project Investigator | Steve Lawson |
| Federal Partner | National Park Service |
| Non-federal Partner | Virginia Tech |
| Project Cost | $67,459 |
| Project Location | Yosemite National Park |
| Main Science | Social |
| Project Type | Research |
| Project Information: | |
|---|---|
| Project Investigator | Patricia Beaver, Connie Aiken |
| Federal Partner | National Park Service |
| Non-federal Partner | Appalachian State University |
| Project Cost | $3,910 |
| Project Location | Andrew Johnson National Historic Site |
| Main Science | Social |
| Project Type | Research |
| Project Information: | |
|---|---|
| Project Investigator | Sarah Sherwood |
| Federal Partner | National Park Service |
| Non-federal Partner | University of Tennessee, Knoxville |
| Project Cost | $207,600 |
| Project Location | Shiloh Indian Mounds National Historic Landmark |
| Main Science | Cultural |
| Project Type | Research |
Project Requests
The Southern Appalachian CESU is a virtual consortium of universities, research associations, and research labs that joined in agreement to provide research, technical assistance, and education to the federal partners in Unit. The federal partners fund the projects; the Unit itself does not fund projects.
How does someone find out about opportunities with the Southern Appalachian CESU?
- Contact the Unit director at the University of Tennessee.
- Contact the federal partner representatives for the Unit. The Southern Appalachian Unit’s federal representatives can help by either establishing contacts with a federal unit, facilitating discussion, or relaying research needs.
What if I have a good idea or solution to an agency problem?
A partner can propose a solution, fill a research void, or supply training or technical assistance without waiting on a request for funding. By establishing solid relationships with this Unit’s federal agency partners, a productive researcher is able to initiate change and sell a good idea if it can meet the resource demand of a federal agency.
The key to tapping into agency funding for projects is to become acquainted with the research needs of a federal agency. This cannot be overstated. Collaboration with a federal agency is the key. Before contacting a federal unit with your research idea, be aware that the federal unit will want to know how your idea will address their research needs before they will agree to collaborate with you.
How does a person become involved in a Southern Appalachian CESU?
Partners can get more involved by becoming more visible and actively communicating their interests. Here are some key tips.
- Keep a very detailed faculty webpage. It is common for principal investigators to be found by searching a partner website for specific research interests.
- Ensure that your research interests, skills, and capabilities are submitted to our expert database.
- Contact the federal partner representatives and make them aware of your skills and abilities. Ask to be included on mailing lists of requests for proposals (RFPs) or related CESU information.
- Actively communicate interest by contacting agency resource managers, and make them aware of your skills and abilities. Tell the resource manager that your organization is part of the Southern Appalachian CESU.
- Networking is crucial! Many projects begin when agency representatives or resource managers recommend someone they know.
- Develop a statement of work that contains at minimum the following information:
- Project title
- Key officials (federal unit representative and contracting officer and the non-federal partner’s contact information)
- Simple budget that shows amount not to be exceeded and 17.5% overhead to cooperating non-federal Southern Appalachian CESU partner
- Tasks to be performed with outcomes and schedules
- Project start date and end date
- Statement of substantial involvement, which can be accomplished by:
- Federal agency and non-federal partner jointly participating in reviewing and/or modifying proposals, data, and/or reports
- Federal agency and non-federal partner jointly participate in accomplishing the project
- Considerable federal involvement is anticipated prior to project implementation to insure legal compliance with environmental protection (NEPA) as well as obtaining any necessary permits
- Extensive collaboration anticipated to incorporate findings or product into federal unit operations
- Joint participation is anticipated in the development of interpretive messages presented in various interpretive media (videos, waysides, brochures, etc.)
- Check with the appropriate federal representative for other agency specific information (see our partner directory). A generic statement of work is available. There are no Unit forms that must be filled out and submitted.
- Verify that your project is appropriate for the Southern Appalachian CESU agreement. The federal representative (see our partner directory) can give approval for appropriateness. If the project meets a cultural science, social science, biological science, and/or physical science need, or benefits the non-federal partner, the project is usually appropriate for the CESU agreement. A generic review of appropriateness is available.
- Inform your agency’s contracting officer that your will be using the Southern Appalachian CESU agreement for an upcoming project. If you are cooperating with another federal agency, an interagency agreement is required instead of the Southern Appalachian CESU agreement. Agency specific paperwork may be required at this step.
- A purchase request must be developed for the project. This process varies across agencies, so consult the federal representative or agency contracting officer for the correct process.
- The non-federal partner must also approve the project. For a university, this typically involves submitting the project description developed in #1 above as a proposal through the university’s approval channels. This is typically a grants and research office. The non-federal partner must initiate and follow through with this process. A signed proposal must be sent by the university to your agency contracting officer. Non-university partners have an equivalent approval process that varies by the organization. The partner’s employer should acknowledge and approve participation in the project.
- Contracting protocols stipulate that the technical merit of the proposal is verified for appropriate expertise, methodology, and cost. This is done by the federal representative or the agency contracting officer. Some agencies do not require this technical review of the proposal. A generic technical review is available.
- Your agency may require additional federal forms with the proposal from the non-federal partner, such as an SF-424. Ask your CESU federal representative or agency contracting officer for the correct forms needed and supply them to your partner.
- Your contracting officer then processes a task order or modification to the Southern Appalachian Unit agreement using the purchase request and the signed proposal. The contracting officer awards the partner, obligates the funding, and distributes the task order. A COTR is designated as well.
- Once the non-federal partner receives official documentation of the award, the project can begin.
Because the Southern Appalachian Unit was established through a formal competitive process, there is no requirement to use a competitive selection process in finding a principal investigator (PI) for a project.
The Southern Appalachian Unit’s cooperative agreement allows a federal partner to select any non-federal partner(s) from among the non-federal partners.
If you already know the PI, and the PI is agreeable to cooperate, then you can proceed with developing the project. If the PI is unknown, and one needs to be found, then there are three ways to find one:
- Search our expert database.
- Ask your federal representative (see our federal partner directory) for assistance in finding a PI.
- Conduct your own search to find a PI within the Southern Appalachian Unit’s network.
Many federal agencies have joined multiple CESUs, and some have joined all 17 Units. This allows the federal agency to look outside the Southern Appalachian Unit for a PI and still enjoy the benefits of the CESU cooperative agreement. Searching outside the Southern Appalachian Unit requires visiting the CESU websites for their list of partners and expert databases, if present. Contact your Southern Appalachian Unit’s federal representative to help locate an external PI.
If you know or find a PI in an organization that is not a partner in this Unit, you cannot use the CESU cooperative agreement as the contract bridge for the project. The organization may approach this Unit for membership, but realize that acceptance into the Southern Appalachian Unit is not automatic and requires nine months to a year to be formalized.