ERW Field Data Partnership Grants | Nov 14, 2024

Agenda

Application walkthrough

2

Solicitation overview

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Review process

3

FAQ

4

Your questions

5

Solicitation Overview

Challenge

We need more high-quality measurements of biogeochemical processes in ERW deployments to constrain the net climate impact.

Partnership Model

We believe that a partnership model—in which researchers “piggyback” on existing deployments by carrying out measurements that go beyond what is already planned—will accelerate the collection of novel field datasets in ERW.

In these scientific partnerships, Deployment Partners agree to open up a deployment site for additional monitoring, and Researchers co-propose a study, collect and analyze the data, and publish the results.

Solicitation Overview – Datasets

Eligible Datasets and Priority Topic Areas

• Any dataset that builds upon what is typically collected in ERW commercial deployments.
• Topic areas of particular interest:
• Measurement of secondary phases in deep soil cores
• Measurement of the components of the carbonate system and/or cations in waters that drain from ERW deployments
• Measurement of greenhouse gas fluxes
• Cation sorption in deep soil cores
• Soil organic carbon stock monitoring

NOT in scope

• Direct funding of new ERW deployments or field trials (e.g. feedstock transport, logistics, spreading)
• Measurements that are generally required for commercial MRV

Solicitation Overview – Partnerships

Deployment Partner

• Commercial ERW project developers, non-profit organizations, or academic institutions who have set up an ERW field trial or deployment, and who are already funded to collect contextual data
• A single organization may be listed as a Deployment Partner on multiple proposal submissions

Researcher

• Includes Principal Investigators (PIs) or post-docs at academic institutions and researchers at non-profit or government labs.
• Graduate students may also directly apply as the Researcher with a budget of between $5,000 and $10,000. They must submit a letter of recommendation from their PI.

Application walkthrough

Proposals should address the following:

• Research question
• Approach
• Methods
• Data availability and data sharing
• Proposed budget

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No longer than 4-8 pages exclusive of supporting documentation. Add all the figures and citations you need!

In addition to the proposal PDF:

• When does the proposed study start and finish?
• When will sampling and measurement begin and end for this proposed study?
• When do you intend to submit a preprint of the study results to a public preprint server?

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Applications due Dec 20!

Review process

Primary criteria for Internal Review

• Dataset eligibility – above and beyond commercial MRV
• Advancing scientific knowledge of CDR quantification in ERW
• Special considerations include:
• Measurements in 2025
• Outside of Northern America and Europe
• Involve researchers who are new to the field of ERW, or who haven’t worked on ERW in the context of carbon removal before

Primary criteria for External Review

• Appropriate methods (e.g. collect data at sufficient spatial and/or temporal resolution to capture signal)
• Deployment site conditions well-matched to research question
• Research team (e.g. skills, expertise, and equipment)
• Budget demonstrates a credible and efficient resourcing plan

Frequently Asked Questions

• What if our project has already begun?
• For projects that have started before spring/fall 2025, we ask that applicants acknowledge that the project is already live, and specify how these funds will be used going forward.
• Does the researcher have to at an academic institution?
• No. They can be, or they can be at a non-profit or government lab.
• Does the deployment partner have to be a commercial entity?
• No. We also welcome non-profit organizations or academic institutions who have field sites.

• What are the data sharing requirements?
• The Deployment Partner must submit Contextual Data to the ERW Data Quarry.
• The RFP Study Data must be made public alongside the release of a preprint.
• See RFP solicitation for more details.
• Is our project in scope?
• We’re happy to answer this on a case-by-case basis! Email us grants@cascadeclimate.org
• When will decisions be made?
• Feb 6

Your questions!

Contextual Data and RFP Study Data

Contextual Data, examples:

• feedstock characterization
• initial site characterization
• baseline soil measurements
• feedstock application
• Quantifying dissolution of feedstock via solid-phase measurements of surface soils

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Typically collected as part of a commercial deployment, for VCM credit issuance

RFP Study Data, examples:

• Cation sorption from soil surface to 80 cm deep
• Nitrous oxide and methane gas flux measurements across a range of crop types
• Characterization and quantification of secondary phases (e.g., carbonates, silicates) > 30 cm depth
• Changes in quantity or type of soil organic carbon

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Collected to inform research, analysis, and publication related to a high priority scientific question in ERW