Understanding and Predicting the Multi-Scale Eco-Geomorphic Evolution and Ecosystem Service Benefits of Coastal Engineering With Nature® (EWN) Solutions | W81EWF 21 SOI 0011

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is this funding opportunity about?

This Department of Defense funding opportunity (through the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, ERDC) supports a multi-year effort to improve how coastal Engineering With Nature (EWN) solutions are understood, evaluated, and designed over time. The work centers on predicting how coastal systems change physically and biologically before, during, and after nature-based engineering approaches are implemented, and on quantifying the ecosystem service benefits those approaches provide.

2) What is meant by "Engineering With Nature (EWN)" in this opportunity?

Within the context provided, EWN refers to nature-based engineering approaches that intentionally align infrastructure and natural processes. The goal is to deliver practical performance (such as coastal risk reduction) while also generating public benefits like habitat creation and water quality improvements.

3) What does "eco-geomorphic evolution" mean here?

In this solicitation, eco-geomorphic evolution means the coupled physical and biological changes in coastal systems across multiple scales. Physical change includes landforms, sediments, and shoreline position. Biological change includes habitats, species interactions, and ecological function. The program aims to understand and predict how these dynamics evolve over time around EWN interventions.

4) What are the main goals of the project?

The opportunity highlights two core emphases: (1) understanding and predicting multi-scale eco-geomorphic evolution of coastal systems around EWN solutions, and (2) quantifying ecosystem service benefits provided by EWN, such as risk reduction, habitat creation, water quality improvements, and other public benefits.

5) How is the project structured across years?

The project is described as a multi-year effort where year 1 establishes the foundation and starts initial work. Years 2 and 3 (if funded) expand the research portfolio, deepen collaborations, and broaden field engagement.

6) What is the expected relationship with USACE/ERDC under this award?

This is a cooperative agreement, which means substantial government involvement is expected. The awardee team is expected to work closely with USACE and EWN researchers to build a coordinated research and development enterprise and to co-develop practical tools, transferable knowledge, and public-facing products.

7) What is Objective 1?

Objective 1 is to establish a collaborative EWN research and development enterprise aimed at understanding coastal systems in ways that directly inform sustainable, high-performing EWN design. The funded team is expected to help prioritize and initiate a suite of diverse, collaborative R&D projects that extend current EWN research.

8) What kinds of research questions are emphasized under Objective 1?

The solicitation highlights questions such as: how coastal systems evolve around an intervention over different timescales; how to explicitly integrate biological components (microbes, plants, animals) into monitoring and modeling; how resilient EWN solutions are under changing conditions (storms, sea level rise, water quality changes, ecosystem shifts); and how EWN performance depends on scale and context.

9) How many R&D projects are expected to start in year 1?

In year 1, the opportunity anticipates initiating roughly three to five collaborative R&D projects jointly with USACE.

10) What does "technology transfer" mean in this program?

Based on the description, technology transfer refers to creating methods, models, monitoring approaches, or decision-support practices that can be adopted more broadly beyond the immediate project team, strengthening real-world EWN practice.

11) What is Objective 2?

Objective 2 focuses on identifying and pursuing field-demonstration projects that validate and refine EWN approaches in real coastal settings. These demonstrations are framed as applied research efforts intended to test approaches under practical conditions and improve future EWN implementation.

12) What is the intent of the field demonstrations?

The demonstrations are intended to go beyond isolated studies by validating and refining monitoring-and-modeling systems and forecasting eco-geomorphic evolution of different EWN alternatives at real sites. They are also meant to broaden participation by bringing in additional collaborators and partners beyond the core team and USACE researchers.

13) How many field demonstration projects are expected in year 1?

The year 1 target is to identify and actively pursue two to three field demonstration projects.

14) What factors influence how field sites are selected and prioritized?

The solicitation describes selection as based on a system-level opportunity assessment and practical constraints. Factors include environmental conditions, partner coordination, suitability for monitoring and modeling, site access, the availability of informative existing datasets, feasibility of acquiring new data, public interest, and the presence of collaborative funding or in-kind support.

15) Can field demonstrations involve additional partners and funding sources?

Yes. The opportunity explicitly anticipates bringing in additional collaborators and partners for field demonstrations, reflecting that coastal projects often involve multiple agencies, local stakeholders, and complementary funding sources.

16) What is Objective 3?

Objective 3 requires launching and operating an EWN communication platform that delivers timely information products and engagement activities across the EWN network. The platform has a clear public communication and outreach purpose and is meant to integrate and optimize collaborators existing communication strengths.

17) What types of communication products are considered acceptable under Objective 3?

The opportunity lists examples including workshops, symposia, news articles, videos or documentaries, graphics, case study reporting, technical notes, and peer-reviewed journal articles.

18) What are the specific year 1 communication deliverable expectations?

For year 1, the opportunity specifies at least two workshops or symposia, one video, two to three technical notes, and two journal articles, along with a broader goal of generating ongoing education and outreach that expands awareness and adoption of EWN.

19) What kinds of benefits does the program expect EWN solutions to provide?

The solicitation highlights ecosystem service benefits such as risk reduction, habitat creation, water quality improvements, and other public benefits that arise when infrastructure and natural processes are intentionally aligned.

20) Who is this opportunity best suited for?

The opportunity signals that strong proposals will come from multidisciplinary teams spanning coastal physical processes, ecological dynamics, and engineering implementation, with both academic and applied experience aligned with EWN practice.

21) What disciplines and technical expertise are mentioned as relevant?

Relevant expertise areas listed include geomorphology, remote sensing, numerical modeling, water quality monitoring, marine and estuarine ecophysiology, coastal community ecology, ecosystem restoration, coastal engineering, estuarine morphodynamics, hydrodynamics and sediment transport, and environmental fluid dynamics.

22) What kinds of applied experience does the solicitation emphasize?

Examples named include designing and implementing nature-based strategies in coastal environments, conducting ecological monitoring and modeling for restoration projects, incorporating human-use benefits into infrastructure planning, using dredged sediment beneficially, quantifying benefits produced by restoration, and modeling coastal system behavior to inform decisions.

23) What award mechanism is being used?

The opportunity uses a cooperative agreement mechanism, indicating substantial involvement and collaboration with the government during the project rather than a hands-off grant.

24) How many awards are anticipated?

The solicitation anticipates one award.

25) What is the funding ceiling for the award?

The award ceiling is listed as $1,000,000.

26) When was the opportunity posted and when was it due?

It was posted March 8, 2021, originally due May 14, 2021.

27) What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?

The program is tied to CFDA 12.630.

28) What does it mean that the program is described as CESU-funded?

The solicitation notes it is CESU-funded and explains that this typically implies collaboration within the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) framework, emphasizing partnerships that connect federal agencies with academic and other research organizations.

29) What is the overall program approach?

The opportunity is designed to move beyond isolated studies and instead build a connected set of research activities and demonstrations. The intent is to strengthen EWN real-world performance by generating new understanding of coupled ecological and geomorphic change, validating approaches through field demonstrations, and packaging results into accessible products that support implementation, adoption, and public value.