Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Desert Southwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit | G23AS00440

Opportunity Information: Apply for G23AS00440

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is soliciting a cooperative agreement proposal from an eligible partner within the Desert Southwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) network to support research and applied product development focused on mapping biological activity across the United States. The central aim is to improve the production and delivery of map-based information showing historical patterns, current conditions in near real time, and forecasts of plant and animal activity (for example, seasonal timing and intensity of events). These map products are intended for direct use by natural resource managers who need actionable, science-based tools to anticipate and respond to ecological risks and opportunities on public and protected lands.

The work supported under this opportunity is framed around practical management needs in landscapes such as National Parks, National Wildlife Refuges, Bureau of Land Management lands, and other managed or conserved areas nationwide. The mapping and forecasting products are meant to help agencies and land managers predict and manage issues including invasive species spread, insect pest outbreaks (including forest insect pests), wildlife disease dynamics and the organisms that transmit disease (vectors), and nuisance organisms that can affect ecosystems and human use of public lands. The opportunity also highlights additional applications such as understanding and anticipating aeroallergens and supporting planning for recreational opportunities, as well as identifying and protecting critical habitats. In other words, the funded project is expected to translate ecological and phenological science into decision-support products that managers can use to time surveillance, mitigation, habitat protection, and public communication more effectively.

A major theme of the grant is advancing scientific understanding of the patterns and drivers behind seasonal organism activity, then turning that understanding into new operational or semi-operational data products. This implies a strong emphasis on both research (improving models and explanations of why and when organisms are active) and delivery (making outputs accessible and usable, particularly as mapped information products). The program description also underscores that forecasts are a key deliverable, not just retrospective mapping, and that the forecasts should be relevant to on-the-ground management actions related to invasive species, disease risk, and pest impacts.

Because this is issued as a cooperative agreement, substantial involvement and collaboration with the federal partner is typically expected as part of project execution, rather than a fully hands-off grant. The announcement specifically calls for building and maintaining collaborations with federal and other partners, with particular emphasis on Department of the Interior (DOI) bureaus that rely on science to guide land, water, species, and habitat management decisions. The intent is to ensure the work is closely aligned with agency operational needs and that the resulting tools and products are positioned for adoption and use across DOI-managed systems.

This funding opportunity is released under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program, which is a partnership framework designed to connect federal agencies with universities and other eligible organizations to provide research, technical assistance, and education. Eligibility is limited to participating partners of the Desert Southwest CESU. The opportunity is identified as a discretionary funding action in the Science and Technology/Research and Development category, offered through USGS under CFDA number 15.808, with a funding opportunity number of G23AS00440.

Key administrative details include an original closing date of July 28, 2023, and an award ceiling of $1,928,870. While the notice lists "ExpectedAwards:" without a value in the provided text, the ceiling indicates the upper bound of what could be awarded under the agreement. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a targeted solicitation to a Desert Southwest CESU partner to develop science-based, map-driven historical and predictive products describing biological activity, with the explicit purpose of strengthening real-world management decisions across U.S. public and protected lands.

• The Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Desert Southwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.808.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-06-28.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-07-28. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,928,870.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for G23AS00440

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: