Call for Proposals

Natural Resources Canada Enhancing Competitiveness in a Changing Climate Call for Proposals Issued 18 July 2012 Background Natural Resources Canada’s “Enhancing Competitiveness in a Changing Climate” program facilitates the development and sharing of knowledge, tools and practices which assist decision-makers in the analysis and implementation of adaptation measures. The Climate Change Impacts & Adaptation Division (CCIAD) works to advance the leading edge of adaptation to climate change in Canada.

In March 2012, CCIAD launched the Adaptation Platform to bring together the knowledge, capacity and financial resources of the public and private sectors to effectively and efficiently address adaptation priorities and to ensure that the results of its work - information, tools, and recommendations - are broadly accessible to end users. The Platform members include representatives from national industry associations, national professional organizations, and provincial, territorial and federal governments.

The Adaptation Platform consists of a Plenary Group and a series of Working Groups. The Plenary is a senior-level body, chaired by CCIAD, that coordinates activities under the Platform by identifying shared priorities and resources, establishing Working Groups to address these priorities, and sharing and disseminating results.

From May to July 2012, six of the Working Groups undertook a scoping exercise to define the current state of play in each topic and to identify objectives for their work until March 2016. They also identified activities that would be necessary to achieve their objectives. The resulting Working Group programs of work are pragmatic, with activities that will help expedite adaptation action.

CCIAD is now soliciting proposals for cost-shared projects that address NRCan’s priorities in five of the Working Groups: Coastal Management, Mining, the North, Measuring Progress in Adaptation and RAC Synthesis.

Scope of Work to be Funded See Annex 1 There will be a second call for proposals in 2013 that will focus on different activities in these and other topics.

Project Duration Projects should have a start date no earlier than November 1, 2012 and must be completed no later than the dates set in Annex 1. The duration of project should be based on the scope of the project.

Project Funding Natural Resources Canada will fund up to 50% of the total cost of a project. Projects are expected to provide matching support, either cash or well documented in-kind contributions from other non-federal

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sources. Letters of support from these non-federal sources that confirm the nature, amount and timing of matching contributions must be included with the proposal.

A full list of eligible expenditures can be found on the Proposal template. Costs that cannot be covered include those for capital items with a lifespan of one year or more, travel to conferences, and overhead in excess of 15% of project costs. Projects cannot include profit-making initiatives.

Successful proponents will be required to enter into a Contribution Agreement. A template is available on request.

Collaboration with the Adaptation Platform Working Groups These projects are being funded in support of the Programs of Work of the Adaptation Platform Working Groups. All successful proponents will be asked to create a small project advisory committee that will include 1 or 2 members from the relevant Working Group.

Intellectual Property All intellectual property developed in the project will remain the property of the proponent. CCIAD will receive copies of, and free use of, any/all of the intellectual property created with funds from Natural Resources Canada in order to further enhance availability of information about adaptation in Canada.

Eligible Recipients Eligible recipients include Canadian organizations such as: educational and academic organizations; provincial, territorial, regional and municipal government agencies, not-for-profit and non-governmental organizations; businesses and industries and professional associations, and First Nations and aboriginal organizations. Proponents must demonstrate that their organization has the expertise and financial capacity necessary to deliver the project Process Proponents are requested to submit a separate proposal for each project proposed and each project should address only one call topic.

Proposals must be submitted by email to adaptation@nrcan.gc.ca by midnight (Eastern time) on Friday September 14, 2012. All submissions will receive an automatic email acknowledging receipt of the submission.

The proposals will be evaluated by Natural Resources Canada. The criteria for this review will include:      

Objective and Outputs - alignment of the project objectives and outputs with the selected call topic.

Methodology – appropriate and adequate to achieve project objectives Capacity to deliver the project – both technical expertise and financial capacity Work plan – appropriate timing and steps Project budget – costs are eligible, reasonable, matching contribution is supported in letters of support Proposed partnering/stakeholder involvement – Appropriate partners or stakeholders are identified and involved in the work (as required by the activity addressed in the project). Letters of support may be required. Please see Annex 1 for details.

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All proponents will be notified of the status of their proposal by email within six weeks of the closing date for this call.

Format of Proposals Applicants are requested to use the attached Microsoft Word template (Annex 2). The proposal should be no longer than 8 pages in length not including short CVs for the proponent and letters of support. Please use 1 inch margins, single spacing, and a font no smaller than Times New Roman size 11 font.

Submission Deadline Completed proposals must be submitted to adaptation@nrcan.gc.ca by Friday September 14, 2012 at midnight Eastern time.

Please submit questions concerning this call process by email to: adaptation@nrcan.gc.ca

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Annex 1: Scope of Work to be Funded Topic 1: Measuring Progress on Adaptation (up to $300K available in total) 1.1 - Analogues for Measurement in Adaptation to Climate Change (projects must be completed no later than December 31, 2013) Although the measurement of adaptation is in early days in Canada, there is experience in the measurement of progress in program implementation and effectiveness of actions in other related issues such as natural hazard management. These issues often face similar measurement challenges including: risks that change over time, success that is measured over a long time frame and successful actions result in avoided damages.

In order to provide insights for the development of measurement approaches for adaptation to climate change, proposals are sought for projects that will review approaches to measuring progress and effectiveness of actions in other issues (e.g. not climate change adaptation). The projects should include a review of: the action or program, the actors involved and their roles in measurement, description of the measurement(s) including frequency and cost, the process to evaluate the data. The projects should also identify lessons from the process of measurement that would be useful for the development of measurement approaches in the adaptation issue. The focus of the projects may be individual place-based actions (e.g. a flood management system) or programs that cover a wide geographic area.

Topic 2: Coastal Management (up to $1.3M available in total) This call addresses emerging climate change adaptation needs along Canada's marine coasts. Projects at regional and national scales are sought that will assist the identification of vulnerable elements of Canada's diverse coastal environments as well as develop common lessons learned that can help facilitate adaptation action more broadly. A clear focus on coastal areas of social, economic and / or ecological importance is required. Activity areas are: 2.1 - Understanding the role of coastal ecosystems in long-term coastal resilience (projects must be completed no later than March 31, 2015) Intact ecosystems provide natural resilience to many coasts, and can be important in reducing erosion, flooding and other climate-related impacts that affect communities, livelihoods, infrastructure, etc.

Maintaining or re-establishing these ecosystem services has been shown to be an effective adaptation measure in many parts of the world. This call is seeking projects that will:  Document, from existing information sources, changes in coastal ecosystems to identify areas at risk from the combined impacts of climate change and coastal development (current or anticipated development) at the regional to national scale; or  evaluate the effectiveness ecosystem-based adaptation options / measures in preserving and protecting coastal areas and reducing the risks of climate-related impacts.

2.2 - Targeted coastal risk assessments (projects must be completed no later than December 31, 2015) Risk assessments are undertaken to inform management decisions. They involve the rigorous estimation of likelihood and consequence, using either quantitative or qualitative approaches, and are typically 4

undertaken at a local or institutional scale. Risk assessment projects are sought that target specific coastal resources (e.g. aquifers, public infrastructure, etc) that will contribute to both informing specific adaptation actions and to developing lessons that are transferable to undertaking risk assessments in other locations in Canada. Project proposals must clearly identify the gap that the risk assessment is addressing, justify the importance of that gap in the context of competing adaptation issues, and demonstrate the broader applicability / transferability of the assessment findings. Organizations responsible for the management of the resource(s) being targeted must be involved (either as project lead or collaborator) throughout the project development and delivery. In cases of proposals being submitted by organizations other than those with responsibility for management of the resource(s) being targeted, letters or e-mails of support from the other organizations must accompany the proposal.

2.3 – Policy drivers and barriers (projects must be completed no later than December 31, 2013) Coastal management in Canada involves many departments and agencies across multiple orders of government, non-government organizations, and extends down to the property-owner scale. While many adaptation actions are implemented at the local level, policies and practices of all of the diverse players can serve to either facilitate, or serve as obstacles to, implementation of adaptation options. Projects are sought that will undertake analysis of existing policies and practices relevant to coastal management in Canada to identify enablers and barriers to adaptation, with a view to informing the development of future adaptive management approaches. Letters or e-mails of support from departments / agencies with responsibility for policies to be analyzed must accompany the proposal.

Topic 3 Mining (Up to $400,000 available in total) 3.1 - Policy Drivers and Barriers (projects must be completed no later than December 31, 2013) Adaptation to climate change will take place in the context of existing policies that have an influence over decisions and actions in the mining sector. They may be government policies or those of nongovernmental bodies which affect planning, operations, finance, or infrastructure. Proposals are sought for projects that examine how existing policies, other than environmental assessment policies, can act as drivers or barriers to effective adaptation action in the mining sector. Proposals should clearly identify the policy or suite of policies that will be studied. If the project proponent is not from the organization that manages the identified policy, a letter of support from that organization will be required with the proposal.

3.2 - Information from Environmental Assessments (projects must be completed no later than December 31, 2013) In order to learn about past actions that have been taken to address risks related to a changing climate, projects are sought that review completed environmental assessments for mining projects across Canada.

The reviews should identify the climate-related risks (e.g. permafrost thaw, water quality and quantity) that were considered in the assessments and the actions proposed to mitigate them. Projects may focus on an environmental assessment for an individual mining project or on several assessments that address similar risks.

3.3 - Case studies of Mining Sector Adaptation Actions (projects must be completed no later than December 31, 2013)

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Proposals are sought for projects that will prepare case studies of adaptation actions that have been undertaken by mining companies in Canada. The case studies should focus on material not covered elsewhere, such as case studies undertaken by the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy. The case studies should include analysis of the drivers of the action, the risks or opportunities addressed, the actions taken, lessons learned and measurements that are used to track success of the adaptation actions.

Topic 4: Advancing Climate Change Adaptation in Canada’s North (up to $200K available in total) This call seeks to fund an initial suite of activities that will contribute to a more comprehensive program of work focused on enhancing the resilience of existing and future infrastructure in Canada’s North to a changing climate. Proposed activities should help build a foundation and set the course for activities that could be carried out through 2015-2016. Activities are to be carried out, where appropriate, in collaboration with governments (Provinces, Territories, Aboriginal) as well as natural resource and/or other non-government stakeholders in Canada’s North, as confirmed through letters of support submitted with each proposal.

For this call, Canada’s North is to be understood to include the Territories as well as those regions of the Provinces which physically, socially and or culturally identify with being a part of northern Canada. This area is roughly approximated by the areas lying north of the southern extent of Canada’s discontinuous permafrost.

Activity areas for this call are: 4.1 - Review of hazard mapping and vulnerability assessments of the built environment in Canada’s North to inform climate change adaptation (project must be completed by March 31, 2013) A scoping exercise is to be completed that:  identifies vulnerability assessment and hazard mapping initiatives completed since 2007;  evaluates the consistency of these assessments and map with respect to methodology and final products;  identifies information gaps relevant to the built environment in Canada’s North that should be addressed in vulnerability assessments and mapping exercises in the future; and  makes recommendations on how these tools might be standardized in future to provide comparability across Canada’s North, improved accessibility, and be understandable to users of all levels.

4.2 - Enhancing the transfer to decision-makers of knowledge with respect to climate change impacts on the cryosphere (project must be completed no later than December 31, 2013) Increased understanding and awareness of climate change impacts on the cryosphere (permafrost, sea and freshwater ice, and snow cover) by the private sector operating in Canada’s North will help inform practical adaptation measures. Proposals are sought for a project that will:  assess existing knowledge, understanding and awareness with respect to climate change impacts on the cryopshere that is relevant, credible and useful for adaptation decision-making by the private sector operating in Canada’s North;  prepare communication material and a dissemination strategy based on the above assessment, targeted to the private sector operating in Canada’s North;

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 

makes recommendations regarding possible courses of action to enhance the transfer to decisionmakers of knowledge with respect to climate change impacts on the cryosphere; and presents, in collaboration with other northern stakeholders, results of the above at a currently planned workshop on permafrost and climate change in the fall of 2013,.

4.3 - Supporting sustainable resource development in a changing climate (projects must be completed

by March 2013) Two interrelated drivers are impacting Canada’s North: a changing climate and existing and planned natural resource development. To inform sustainable development of natural resources, there is a need to understand how climate change considerations are currently being considered and/ or incorporated into decision-making by natural resource development sectors.

Proposals are sought for projects that:  identify how existing natural resource companies operating in Canada’s North currently integrate adaptation to a changing climate in their operations;  identify how risks related to future climate change are being addressed in planned resource development in Canada’s North; and  recommends a course of action for future consideration to support sustainable resource development in a changing climate.

Topic 5: Synthesis of Products from the Regional Adaptation Collaboratives (RAC) and Tools Programs (up to $300K available in total) From 2010 to 2012, Natural Resources Canada supported the development of a wide range of products, including decision-support tools, through its RAC and Tools programs. The purpose of this call is to integrate related products and expand their applicability beyond the original target audience (usually a specific region or sector). Proposals under this topic must engage multiple regions and/or provinces/territories as well as relevant expert organizations, where appropriate. This engagement must be confirmed through letters or e-mails of support submitted with the proposal 5.1 - Community-related adaptation resources compendium and guidance based on RAC and Tools Program products (projects must be completed no later than December 31, 2013) Utilizing cases studies, workbooks, lessons-learned and related decision-making tools targeted local governments and communities and developed under the RAC and Tools programs, proposal are sought for projects that will add value to these products by developing: 

a compendium of community adaptation resources organized by target audience;

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guidance on the use of key tools and products developed (including vulnerability and risk assessment approaches). Guidance should include an overview of the resource/tool, its use, potential users, strengths and weaknesses.

An advisory committee including experts and users from across Canada will be established to provide advice on the approach and the related products.

5.2 - Decision-makers’ guide to determining climate information requirements and dealing with uncertainty (project must be completed no later than December 31, 2013)

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Proposals are sought to develop guidance to assist decision-makers in strategically selecting and using climatic information / climate scenarios based on needs, capacity, variables in adaptation history, region etc., and on how best to deal with climate-related uncertainty in the context of adaptation decision-making.

The resulting product should include examples highlighting the good practices of using climate information and addressing uncertainty for adaptation planning. The project must include an advisory group of experts and users from across Canada.

5.3 - Adaptive policy assessment tool for evaluating program resiliency to climate change (project must be completed no later than December 31, 2013) An existing tool for evaluating program resiliency to climate change, initially piloted to focus on drought preparedness in the prairies, may be useful in a wider range of settings. Proposals are sought to enhance this policy assessment tool for application in other contexts and the additional testing that will be required to refine the tool. The resulting product should include examples illustrating use of the tool and contain guidance on its application. The project must include an advisory group of experts and users. Contact adaptation@nrcan.gc.ca for more information on the tool.

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Annex 2: Climate Change Impacts & Adaptation Division Proposal Template

1. Project Title 2. Project Lead  name and all contact information including phone and email for the person leading the project 3. Names, Affiliations and Roles of other key people working on the project (i.e. project team members, where applicable) 4. Purpose/Objective of the Project 5. Methodology 

must be sufficient detail to allow a detailed review of the approach

6. Work plan 

please break out your work plan by month and include major milestones

7. Outputs 

a statement of the expected products (or outputs) of the project;

8. Budget  Please include a proposed budget by type of expenditure (meeting costs, travel, salaries, etc) showing the total and NRCan contribution for each type of expenditure. Funding from all federal government departments is limited to 50% of the total.  Federal funding must be matched by other sources of funding (either cash or in-kind) You should indicate the potential amounts and sources in this section. In-kind can include time of participants, free use of meeting space etc.  All other sources of funding from outside the federal government should be documented in a letter of support or email from the supporting organization that clearly states the nature of the support, the amount and the period when support will be made available. For in-kind salary contributions, the number of hours or days per person will also have to be estimated  See annex 3 for budget template 9. CV/Resume of the Project Lead  a short CV of the project leader (2 pages);  please focus on providing information that demonstrates competency in the project topic 10. Capacity of the Organization to deliver the project  1 paragraphs about the organization and why it is well suited to leading/hosting this project.  1 paragraph about the organization’s experience in managing external funding for projects and the internal financial controls of the organization (e.g. accounting practices, audited financial statements)

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Annex 3: Sample Budget Year 1: Nov 1 2012- March 31 2013 Item

Requested from NRCan

From other Sources Cash

Total Cost

In-kind

Salaries (state role and time covered by salary) i) Project lead (5 weeks) ii) Assistant (20 weeks)

0 15,000

0 5,000

10,000 0

10,000 20,000

Professional, scientific, contracted services i) Survey company

10,000

10,000

0

20,000

Travel including meals and accomodation i) stakeholder meeting - Saskatoon - airfare for project team - accomodation - meals ii) transportation support for stakeholders

1,500 500 0 0

500 0 360 3,000

0 0 0 0

2,000 500 360 3,000

Printing Services i) Survey forms

1,000

0

0

1,000

0

1,000

0

1,000

500

0

0

500

Computer support & software i) specialty software licence (1 year)

0

0

1,000

1,000

Other Expenses i) administration/overhead (max 15%)*

0

0

0

0

28,500

19,860

11,000

59,360

Materials, supplies and equipment i) office supplies Meetings i) room rental

Year 1 Total Year 2: April 1 2013-March 31 2014 Item

Requested from NRCan

Report Preparation i) translation ii) printing Year 2 Total Project Total (year 1 & 2)

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Other Sources Cash

Total Cost

In-kind

0 500

0 0

2,000 0

2,000 500

500

0

2,000

2,500

29,000

19,860

13,000

61,860

Sources of Funding Requested from Natural Resources Canada: $29,000 Cash from other sources: i) Stakeholder X (cash to pay assistant): $5,000 ii) Provincial agency A (survey, travel): $13,860 iii) Stakholder Y (office supplies): $1,000 Total cash from other sources: $19,860 In-kind contributions from other sources: i) Agency staff (0.1 PY project leader time) Value: $10,000 ii) Company X (software) Value: $1,000 iii) Government agency (translation costs) Value: $2,000 Total in-kind from other sources: $13,000 Note to Proponents All sources of funding except for that from Natural Resources of Canada must be documented in a letter of support or an email from the supporting organization. The letter must include: source of support, the nature of the support (cash, time of staff, etc), period over which it will be supplied, and the amount ($).

The following items are not eligble for NRCan funding:  Hospitality (meals and beverages offered at meetings)  Purchase of capital equipment

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