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Proposal Process

See a technical problem or challenge for water and power management that could be addressed through research and development?

Any Reclamation employee is invited to submit a proposal to the Science and Technology (S&T) Program, so please submit your ideas or contact us to work with a Reclamation employee.

Review Process

The flowchart shows how activities are selected, evaluated, and implemented.

Review Schedule

• April: The Research Office issues a call for proposals to explain our research priorities and how to submit an S&T proposal.
  
  
• April to June: Reclamation researchers submitted pre-proposals for in May. Full proposals are due in June.
  
  
• July to August: Reclamation offices review proposals for their relevance to our overall mission and current priorities. Technical experts outside of Reclamation, such as private-sector and non-profit subject matter experts and university scientists, also review proposals. This review focuses on technical soundness, contribution to the field of investigation, and the reasonableness of the budget.
  
  
• September: Members of the Science and Technology Committee from various disciplines across Reclamation meet over four days to review all proposals in concert with the relevancy and technical reviews to make funding decisions. Some proposals are fully funded immediately, while others may be conditionally funded (i.e., they must first be revised to address an identified weakness or an administrative requirement).

Technical experts, subject matter experts outside of Reclamation, review each proposal for technical adequance. These technical experts will typically. Relevancy reviewers, Reclamation subject matter experts who are managers in regional offices, area offices, and/or other program office, review each proposal for its relevance to Reclamation's needs and priorities.

Other factors that will influence proposal selection are steering team priorities, administration priorities, contribution toward Reclamation and Science and Technology Program mission goals, and demonstrated progress and accomplishments (for ongoing proposals). See our research needs and priorities.

The Director of Research will also rely on the priorities established by Congressional appropriations language, administration initiatives, and current knowledge of Reclamation priorities to make final funding decisions.

This information was last updated on May 16, 2013
Contact the Research and Development Office with questions or comments about this page