Overview

The National Estuarine Research Reserve System Science Collaborative supports science for estuarine and coastal decision-makers. Managed by the University of Michigan Water Center, through a cooperative agreement with NOAA, the Science Collaborative coordinates regular funding opportunities and supports user-driven collaborative research, assessment, and transfer activities that address critical coastal management needs identified by the reserves.

The NERRS Science Collaborative promotes science to support coastal decision-making about management problems important to the reserves. Our primary objectives:

1. Deliver a comprehensive collaborative research program that provides meaningful project opportunities and maximizes benefit to the NERRS and their end users;
2. Support the sharing and transfer of research outputs, monitoring information, and knowledge among the reserves, other stakeholders, the NERRS, and rest of the coastal community;
3. Build the capacity of the reserves to develop and participate in collaborative research projects; and
4. Iterate program processes and priorities deliberately based on an adaptive management process.