Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit | G23AS00156

Opportunity Information: Apply for G23AS00156

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), through its Water Mission Area (WMA) and the Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS), released a discretionary funding opportunity to support research and development focused on two closely related technical areas: underwater swarming technology and wireless data transmission methods for aquatic vehicles. The basic idea behind the project is to advance the use of coordinated autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) operating as a fleet, where multiple units work together to collect measurements in ways that a single platform cannot. NGWOS is interested in these capabilities because swarm-based approaches can dramatically improve how water bodies are observed, especially when the goal is to capture fast-changing conditions or fine-scale spatial variability that matter for advanced modeling and decision support.

A central theme of the opportunity is improving the quality and usefulness of water observing data by increasing temporal and spatial sampling resolution. In practical terms, underwater swarming can allow simultaneous measurements at many locations or depths, enable adaptive sampling where vehicles respond to changing conditions, and support collecting new or hard-to-get measurements across a broader area within the same field window. The grant also emphasizes wireless data transmission because communication and data offload are major operational bottlenecks in underwater work. Better wireless links can make field operations more efficient by allowing quicker status updates, coordination among vehicles, and faster access to collected data, reducing downtime and improving responsiveness during deployments.

This award is offered as a cooperative agreement, meaning the USGS anticipates substantial involvement with the recipient during the project rather than a purely hands-off grant. The opportunity is issued under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program, which is a network of partnerships designed to support research, technical assistance, and education that benefit federal land and resource management and related science missions. Eligibility is limited to organizations that are official partners in the Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU). In other words, applicants must already be participating members of that specific CESU consortium to apply.

Key administrative details include the funding opportunity number G23AS00156 and the CFDA number 15.808. The agency is the Geological Survey (USGS). The opportunity category is discretionary, the activity category is science and technology and other research and development, and the funding instrument type is a cooperative agreement. The listed award ceiling is $240,000. The posting was created on January 12, 2023, with an original closing date of February 13, 2023.

• 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 2023-01-12.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-02-13. (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 $240,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for G23AS00156

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