Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU | G20AS00125

Opportunity Information: Apply for G20AS00125

The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU funding opportunity (Opportunity Number G20AS00125) is a discretionary research grant offered by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) within the Department of the Interior. It is structured as a cooperative agreement, which generally means the project is expected to involve substantial collaboration and involvement from the federal agency during the period of performance, rather than operating as a hands-off grant. The opportunity falls under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category and is associated with CFDA 15.808.

The core purpose of this opportunity is to fund a CESU partner to carry out research that strengthens the ability of USGS and the broader wildlife health community to analyze and interpret wildlife health study data in a rigorous, defensible way. In practical terms, the work is aimed at improving analytic capacity, which can include better statistical approaches, improved study design and interpretation practices, and stronger data analysis workflows that make findings more reliable and useful for decision-making. The emphasis is not simply on collecting more data, but on making sure the data that are gathered during wildlife health studies can be turned into high-quality evidence that supports clearer conclusions.

The research focus is framed around understanding and assessing risk drivers that affect health across multiple levels: individual organisms, populations, and ecosystems. It explicitly connects wildlife health to broader health concerns by including humans and domestic animals alongside wildlife, reflecting a One Health-style perspective where diseases and environmental stressors can move across species and sectors. The expected outputs should help clarify both current and future risks, meaning the work is intended to be relevant for present-day management challenges as well as emerging or changing threats tied to environmental conditions, disease dynamics, and other drivers.

Another major goal is to support evaluation of potential management actions that could protect and improve health outcomes. That includes building the analytic foundation needed to compare interventions, anticipate ecosystem-level effects, and understand tradeoffs or unintended consequences. The overall intent is to make wildlife health data more actionable by improving the methods used to interpret it, thereby strengthening the evidence base for policies and management strategies.

Eligibility is limited to CESU partners under the Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU, with the official listing indicating "Others" and pointing applicants to the additional eligibility details in the full announcement. The funding parameters indicate a single anticipated award, with an award ceiling of $235,000. The opportunity was created on June 30, 2020, and the original application closing date was July 22, 2020.

• The Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU" 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 Jun 30, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 22, 2020. (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 $235,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for G20AS00125

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