FY19 Cooperative Research Program (CRP) | NOAA NMFS SE 2019 2005743

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA NMFS SE 2019 2005743

The FY19 Cooperative Research Program (CRP) is a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) competitive funding opportunity designed to support collaborative fisheries research that directly links scientists and the fishing community. The central idea is to strengthen working relationships among NMFS researchers, state fishery agencies, universities, and both commercial and recreational fishermen by funding projects where fishermen are meaningfully involved in collecting core fisheries information. By building these hands-on partnerships, the program aims to improve the quality, relevance, and trustworthiness of data used for fisheries management, and to ensure that management and regulatory options are informed by practical, on-the-water knowledge as well as scientific methods. This aligns with NOAA's broader mission to protect, restore, and manage coastal and ocean resources using an ecosystem approach.

The opportunity is offered by the U.S. Department of Commerce through NOAA NMFS as a discretionary award and uses a cooperative agreement as the funding instrument. A cooperative agreement typically signals that the agency expects to have substantial involvement during the project period, such as technical collaboration, coordination, or shared oversight, rather than simply issuing funds and stepping back. The program sits within research and development and natural resources focus areas, reflecting its emphasis on producing fisheries science that can be applied to management needs.

CRP targets projects in specific U.S. regions under NMFS Southeast jurisdiction: the Gulf of Mexico (Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas), the South Atlantic (Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia), and the Caribbean (U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico). Applicants are expected to propose work that is relevant to fisheries in these areas and that brings fishermen into the research process in a substantive way. The types of activities implied by the description include cooperative data collection efforts that support fundamental fisheries information needs, such as improving biological, ecological, or fishery-dependent datasets that are used in assessments, monitoring, and evaluation of management alternatives.

For FY19, the funding opportunity is identified as "FY19 Cooperative Research Program (CRP)" with the opportunity number NOAA NMFS SE 2019 2005743 and CFDA number 11.454. The posting indicates an anticipated total of about eight awards, with an award ceiling of $250,000 per project. The opportunity was created on July 18, 2018, and the original application deadline was September 21, 2018. Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with additional clarification expected in the full eligibility text of the notice, suggesting that a range of organizations may apply as long as they meet the program's specific requirements and can demonstrate strong cooperative partnerships among research institutions, management agencies, and the fishing industry.

Overall, the CRP opportunity is best understood as a partnership-driven research grant focused on improving fisheries science through direct collaboration with fishermen. Its value is not only in the data produced, but also in fostering durable relationships that make future research and management efforts more credible, more transparent, and more responsive to real-world conditions in the Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, and Caribbean fisheries.

• The Department of Commerce in the environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY19 Cooperative Research Program (CRP)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.454.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 18, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 21, 2018. (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 $250,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 8 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for NOAA NMFS SE 2019 2005743

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