Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit | G23AS00391

Opportunity Information: Apply for G23AS00391

This grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G23AS00391) is a discretionary U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) financial assistance announcement for a cooperative agreement under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) framework, specifically tied to the Gulf Coast CESU. The project sits within the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category (CFDA/Assistance Listing 15.808) and is intended to support applied research that USGS can collaborate on closely with an eligible CESU-affiliated partner.

The central research focus is on evaluating whether the electron transport system (ETS) assay can function as a practical physiological proxy for measuring thermal tolerance in freshwater fish. In plain terms, the work is aimed at determining whether ETS-based measurements, which relate to metabolic and respiratory capacity at the cellular level, can reliably indicate how well different fish can withstand heat stress. If ETS assays prove to be a strong proxy, they could offer a more efficient or scalable way to assess vulnerability to warming temperatures compared with more time-consuming whole-organism thermal performance tests, depending on how the research is designed and validated.

A second major motivation behind the funding is a recognized data gap: even though scientists and managers are very interested in the traits that make some species more vulnerable than others under thermal stress, there is limited information on how those physiological or performance-related traits vary across a species range. That gap is especially important for species whose distributions extend across multiple degrees of latitude, where fish populations may experience very different temperature regimes and may show local adaptation or acclimation differences. The opportunity is therefore framed around building knowledge not just across species, but also across geography within species, which is directly relevant for forecasting climate-related risk and informing conservation or management decisions.

The funding instrument is explicitly a cooperative agreement, which generally signals that USGS expects to have substantial involvement in the project beyond simply providing funds. In practice, that often means close coordination with USGS scientists on study design, data collection approaches, analysis plans, and deliverables. The notice also emphasizes that it is being issued under the CESU program model, where partnerships are used to provide research, technical assistance, and education in support of federal science needs.

Eligibility is narrow: applicants must be participating partners of the Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit. The opportunity lists eligible applicants as "Others," but that category is constrained by the CESU requirement, meaning only institutions that are formal Gulf Coast CESU partners can apply. This is typical of CESU opportunities, which are designed to channel work through established cooperative networks rather than through open competition among all entities.

Key administrative details include an original closing date of July 7, 2023, and a stated award ceiling of $350,000. The opportunity was created on June 7, 2023. While the listing shows "ExpectedAwards:" without a number provided in the source text you included, the ceiling indicates the maximum anticipated funding level for a single award under this announcement. Overall, the grant supports research aimed at improving the tools available to assess freshwater fish sensitivity to temperature, with an emphasis on whether ETS assays can help fill critical knowledge gaps across species and across latitudinal ranges.

• 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 Gulf Coast 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 2023-06-07.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-07-07. (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 $350,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for G23AS00391

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