Oregon Sea Grant RFP Guidance on
Developing Outreach Plans and Effective Partner Engagement
In addition to supporting research projects that are scientifically excellent and societally relevant, Oregon
Sea Grant is committed to projects that inform and engage relevant communities. The goal is to ensure that
vital research results are informed by and shared with those who need it most and in ways that are timely,
relevant and meaningful.
Oregon Sea Grant recognizes that researchers do not always have experience in developing an outreach plan
or in engaging external/community/industry partner(s). We will provide an opportunity before the preproposal
stage for PIs to engage with Sea Grant’s Outreach & Engagement specialists through scheduled office hours.
The following definitions and framework will help guide development of effective outreach and identify
ways to best engage partners in OSG research projects. Please review in the context of your proposed
submission before meeting with OSG Outreach and Engagement personnel.
Definitions
Outreach: communicating about a proposed project and its results to an audience that is interested in or
affected by the research (i.e., coastal communities, industry).
Audience: stakeholder group that is directly affected by research (results or data). The outreach needs and
approach will vary depending upon the research and the audience(s).
Outreach Plan: document describing your approach to sharing information with the audience(s). A strong
proposal will likely include a specific outreach plan that includes pieces such as:
● identification of a target audience or audiences that will be affected by the results of the research.
● Specific methods to reach that audience.
● Goals for how the audience will be affected or changed by the information.
Partner Engagement: collaboration with project partners in the formation of the research question or in the
process of answering the research question (i.e., while doing the research).
Project Partners: the stakeholders (individuals or organizations) that will assist in the completion of the
project goals. A partner will materially participate in the research design, implementation, or lend expertise
that the PI(s) do not possess.
A strong proposal will likely engage stakeholders as partners in the development or implementation of the
process. These partners can:
● Play critical roles in helping to design or implement the project.
● Help the PI engage with local users.
● Leverage the PIs ability to implement the project.
If stakeholders are not truly playing these roles, they should be referred to as “interested stakeholders”.
Interested/Supportive Stakeholder: an individual or entity that is supportive of the research, but is not
directly involved in the research process or affected by the research results. These interested stakeholders
may write letters of support, but are not the target audience for outreach efforts and are not involved in
research design or implementation.
2018‐22 Oregon Sea Grant Guidance on Developing Outreach Plans and Effective Partner Engagement
Outreach
to
Affected
Audiences
What
is
the
goal
with
your
outreach?
Work
backwards
and
define steps that
you
feel
would
help
achieve
your
goal.
Note
junctions
where
Sea
Grant
may
offer
critical
assistance
in
the
process
or
where
you
have
significant
weaknesses.
Questions
to
consider
about
outreach:
What
is
the
goal
of
the
outreach?
Who
doesit
impact?
Who
are
the
audiences
that
will
benefit
from
this
information?
How
will
they
use
this
information?
Outreach
about
research
results
to
affected/interested
audience
What
OSG
is
looking
for
in
the
proposal:
How
OSG
evaluates
this:
Outreach
Plan
and
Goals
-Defining
clear
and
meaningful
goals
of
an
outreach
plan
-Adequate
time
and
funding
to
implement
the
outreach
-ls
there
an
outreach
plan
-Are
the
goals
stated
-What
is
the
anticipated
outcome
of
the
outreach
effort;
how
might
the
audience
change
with
this
information
-Does
the
budget
fit
the
project
Audiences
-Well-defined
audience
with
a
clear
connection
to
the
research
results
-Is
the
audience
defined
-ls
the
audience
affected
by
the
research?
-Letters
of
support
stating
the
need
for
this
research
[might
not
apply]
-Contact
names
Outreach
products
-The
approach
is
a
good
mechanism
to
reach
these
key
audiences
impacted
by
the
research
-ls
the
product
designed
to
reach
the
intended
audience(s)
(i.e.,
on
their
terms/timelines)?
-ls
there
an
evaluation plan
for
the
outreach?
Timeline
for
Outreach:
Typically
towards
the
end
of
project
2018-22
Oregon
Sea
Grant
Guidance
on
Developing
Outreach
Plans
and
Effective
Partner
Engagement
Partner
Engagement
[NOTE:
these
partners
are
generally
NOT
other
researchers
at
a
university,
these
are
community,
industry,
resource
managers,
NGO
partners]
How
would
they
help
to
strengthen
the
project?
Questions
to
consider
about
partners
involved
in
the
project:
Are
there
any
individuals/groups
that
could
help
you
design
or
implement
your
research?
What
is
the
goal
of
including
the
partner
in
the
project?
Whatconnections/expertise
do
they
bring
to
the
process?
How
do
they
benefit
from
being
involved
in
the
research
process?
What
is
the
partner’s
role
in
the
process?
How
might they
be
impacted
by
this
research,
and
how
can
you
mitigate
that?
Community
Partner
Engagement
in
Research
Design/Implementation
What
OSG
is
looking
for
in
the
proposal:
How
OSG
evaluates
this:
Partners
Identification
-Identify
the
partners
-Identify
the
partners’
role(s)
-Partners
show
support
-Letters
of
support
-in
proposal,
partners
are
incorporated
into
the
research
process
-roles
of
partners
outlined
in
proposal
-Clear
justification
for
why
&
how
partners
need
to
be
included
in
the
work
Typically
at
the
beginning
and
during
project
Goals
of
partner
engagement
-How
does
including
partners
strengthen
the
project?
Timeline
for
engaging
partners:
2018-22
Oregon
Sea
Grant
Guidance
on
Developing
Outreach
Plans
and
Effective
Partner
Engagement
