The Great Ships Initiative (GSI) offers independent research
services at the bench, land- and ship-board scales to developers
of ballast water treatment systems designed to minimize the
presence of live organisms, including microbes and viruses,
in ballast water discharge from ships. The GSI partners with
the Maritime
Environmental Resource Center (MERC) in the
Chesapeake Bay to offer a highly comprehensive suite of research
services spanning fresh, brackish and salt source water systems.
Specifically, in 2010, GSI, in collaboration with MERC, offers:
General Research Services: These research services evaluate treatment effectiveness against a range of taxonomic and size categories of ambient organisms in fresh and brackish water at the bench, land-based and ship-board scales. They are applicable to candidate ballast treatment systems designed to surpass the standards contained in the IMO Convention and/or meet state or pending United States federal standards.
Qualified and interested applicants to GSI (or MERC) will be considered for research services at either or both GSI and MERC. The goal of this collaborative approach is to further the efficient and effective transition of treatments from concept and prototype to certification and routine operational use through combining and coordinating complementary resources and expertise at the respective research sites.
Application Materials
Submission Process
GSI and MERC will consider any complete applications that are
submitted electronically using the electronic application form
(see application materials above) during calendar year 2010.
All applications will receive an email confirming their receipt
within 48 hours of submission. Please email nmays@nemw.org
if you do not receive this confirmation email. Also, please
email nmays@nemw.org
if you have any questions or problems submitting the electronic
application form and/or supporting information and attachments.
Background Information
Award Information
In 2010, the GSI and MERC will award:
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Bench-scale testing services to up to eight (8) candidate treatment systems in fresh, brackish or full saltwater;
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Land-based testing services at the GSI land-based test facility (freshwater) and MERC ship-based test facility (brackish water) to up to five (5) candidate treatment systems; and
-
Active shipboard testing services to no more than two (2) candidate systems.
Candidate systems will be offered research services only if
technical and programmatic criteria for receiving testing services
are met, based on third party technical review and Advisory
Committee input.
Contact Information and Inquiries
Direct any questions regarding this solicitation or the application
process by e-mail only to Allegra Cangelosi (acangelo@nemw.org).
Please put "GSI and MERC Application Question" in
the subject line. Applicant inquiries will be consolidated weekly,
if applicable (without affiliation information) and responses
sent to all interested applicants. To receive digests of these
inquiries and our responses please contact Nicole Mays (nmays@nemw.org).
