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.Apply for G23AS00440
- 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.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this USGS funding opportunity about?
This opportunity is a USGS solicitation for a cooperative agreement proposal to support research and applied product development that maps biological activity across the United States. The core goal is to improve the production and delivery of map-based information that shows historical patterns, current conditions in near real time, and forecasts of plant and animal activity (such as seasonal timing and event intensity).
What is the main purpose of the project?
The main purpose is to create actionable, science-based, map-driven decision-support products that natural resource managers can use to anticipate and respond to ecological risks and opportunities on public and protected lands.
Who is soliciting proposals?
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is soliciting the proposal.
What type of award is this?
This is a cooperative agreement, which typically means substantial federal involvement and collaboration is expected during the project rather than a fully hands-off grant.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is limited to participating partners within the Desert Southwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) network.
What is the CESU Program and why does it matter here?
This opportunity is released under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program, a partnership framework intended to connect federal agencies with universities and other eligible organizations to provide research, technical assistance, and education. For this specific solicitation, it matters because only Desert Southwest CESU partners are eligible.
What kinds of outputs or deliverables are expected?
The announcement emphasizes map-based information products that cover:
- Historical patterns of biological activity
- Current conditions in near real time
- Forecasts of plant and animal activity (including seasonal timing and intensity)
A key theme is translating ecological and phenological science into operational or semi-operational data products that managers can actually use.
Are forecasts required, or is retrospective mapping enough?
Forecasts are highlighted as a key deliverable. The description stresses that the work should go beyond retrospective mapping and produce forecasts relevant to on-the-ground management actions.
What does "mapping biological activity" mean in this context?
In this context, it refers to map-based products that describe where and when plants and animals are active, including seasonal timing and the intensity of events, shown historically, in near real time, and as forecasts.
What management decisions are these map products intended to support?
The map products are intended for direct use by natural resource managers who need tools to time and target actions such as surveillance, mitigation, habitat protection, and public communication across public and protected lands.
What kinds of lands or settings are specifically mentioned?
The opportunity references practical management needs in landscapes such as National Parks, National Wildlife Refuges, Bureau of Land Management lands, and other managed or conserved areas nationwide.
What ecological issues is the project expected to help address?
The funding description highlights support for predicting and managing issues including:
- Invasive species spread
- Insect pest outbreaks, including forest insect pests
- Wildlife disease dynamics and the organisms that transmit disease (vectors)
- Nuisance organisms that can affect ecosystems and human use of public lands
Are there additional applications beyond invasive species, pests, and disease?
Yes. Additional applications mentioned include understanding and anticipating aeroallergens, supporting planning for recreational opportunities, and identifying and protecting critical habitats.
What is the balance between research and applied product development?
The opportunity is framed around both. It calls for advancing scientific understanding of patterns and drivers behind seasonal organism activity (research), and then turning that understanding into operational or semi-operational mapped products that are accessible and usable (applied product development and delivery).
Who are the intended end users of the tools and products?
The intended end users are natural resource managers and agencies responsible for managing public and protected lands, especially those needing actionable, science-based tools to anticipate ecological risks and opportunities.
What kind of collaboration is expected under the cooperative agreement?
The announcement indicates that building and maintaining collaborations with federal and other partners is important, with particular emphasis on Department of the Interior (DOI) bureaus that rely on science to guide land, water, species, and habitat management decisions.
Why is the Department of the Interior (DOI) specifically emphasized?
The opportunity emphasizes DOI bureaus because the intent is to align the work with agency operational needs and position resulting tools and products for adoption and use across DOI-managed systems.
Is this opportunity national in scope or limited to the Desert Southwest?
The eligibility is tied to the Desert Southwest CESU partner network, but the work itself is described as mapping biological activity across the United States and supporting management needs nationwide.
What is the funding opportunity number?
The funding opportunity number is G23AS00440.
What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The CFDA number is 15.808.
What category is this funding listed under?
It is identified as a discretionary funding action in the Science and Technology/Research and Development category.
What is the award ceiling?
The award ceiling listed is $1,928,870, which indicates the upper bound of what could be awarded under the agreement.
How many awards are expected?
The notice includes an "ExpectedAwards:" field, but no value is provided in the information shared. Based on the provided text alone, the specific number of expected awards is not stated.
What was the original closing date for submissions?
The original closing date listed is July 28, 2023.
What makes this a "targeted solicitation"?
Based on the provided description, it is targeted because USGS is soliciting a cooperative agreement proposal from an eligible partner specifically within the Desert Southwest CESU network, rather than opening eligibility broadly to all organizations.
What does "operational or semi-operational data products" imply?
It implies the project is expected to move beyond purely academic research and produce outputs that can be used in real-world workflows, delivered as accessible mapped information products for management use.
What does "near real time" mean in the context of the map products?
The opportunity states that map-based information should include current conditions in near real time, meaning the products are intended to reflect current biological activity close to the time it is occurring (as described in the announcement), alongside historical views and forecasts.
What kinds of biological activity examples are provided?
The description gives examples related to plant and animal activity, including seasonal timing and the intensity of events.
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