Gulf of Mexico AllianceGulf Research Initiative

Gulf Research Initiative

• $500 million over ten years for independent scientific research by academic institutions based primarily in the Gulf Coast

• $50 million annually• Research in 5 key areas• Executive Board to govern process• Consortia to develop and published research

programs• Peer review

Role of Gulf of Mexico Alliance

• MOU with BP to define roles and responsibilities of the parties under development/close to completion

• GRI executive director and professional staff to manage back-office functions

• Third-party contractor to manage proposal process

Research Themes• Physical distribution and fate of contaminants • Chemical evolution and biological degradation of

contaminants• Environmental effects of the contaminates on the

Gulf of Mexico Ecosystems and science of ecosystem recovery

• Technology developments for improved detection, characterization, mitigation and remediation of offshore spills

• Integration of the other 4 themes in the context of human health

Executive Board• Members– 10 members appointed by the 5 governors of the Gulf

States– 10 members appointed by BP– Chaired by Dr. Rita Colwell, University of Maryland and

John’s Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

• Board met December 1-2 in Mobile to refine the RFP process

• Another meeting this month to complete the RFP• Panel approach to RFP and review process modeled

after NSF practices

Next Steps

• Late December or early January 2011-finalize RFP

• February 1, 2011-proposals due to Executive Board

• April 1, 2011-Research programs selected by Executive Board

• June 1, 2011-Research year begins