North Carolina Sea Grant and the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership (APNEP) aim to support research and initiatives that improve the understanding, management, and conservation of the North Carolina portion of the APNEP management area. They focus on funding projects that advance knowledge in critical areas such as estuary spatial planning, submerged aquatic vegetation, coastal water quality, ecological flows, and wetlands. These organizations are particularly interested in supporting research by graduate students from historically underrepresented groups and institutions.
The fellowship provides funding for graduate students in North Carolina to conduct applied, hypothesis-based research within the North Carolina portion of the APNEP management area. Research must align with the focus areas identified in the North Carolina Sea Grant Strategic Plan and the APNEP Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan. These focus areas include: Environmental Literacy and Workforce Development, Healthy Coastal Ecosystems, Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture, and Resilient Communities and Economies