This article describes one model for organizing and mobilizing scientific resources to address the highly complex and costly problem of soil erosion in the Pacific Northwest. With a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to the agricultural experiment stations in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, as well as supplementary state and federal funds, STEEP awards intermediate-term (15 year) grants for research in five areas: tillage and plant management, plant design, erosion and runoff predictions, pest management, and socioeconomics of erosion control. Most of the research projects require collaboration across disciplines and, in some instances, across state boundaries. After 6 years of effort the results obtained with STEEP indicate that the model might be applicable to other regions and problems.