Cooperative Agreement with Partner of the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) | G21AS00280

Opportunity Information: Apply for G21AS00280

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is offering a discretionary funding opportunity through a cooperative agreement to support research on avian influenza. The project focus is to build a network-based risk model that evaluates how avian influenza viruses (IAV) could be dispersed between East Asia and North America by northern pintail ducks. In practical terms, the award is meant to fund a research effort that pulls together existing information on where northern pintails move and how often avian influenza is found in these birds, then uses that combined evidence to estimate and visualize intercontinental transmission risk.

The primary research objective is straightforward but technically demanding: develop a quantitative risk model for intercontinental IAV dispersal between East Asia and North America that synthesizes data on northern pintail movement and IAV prevalence. This implies the recipient will integrate movement ecology data (for example, tracking, banding, migration routes, stopover locations, and timing of travel) with disease surveillance data (prevalence or detection rates of IAV in northern pintails across seasons and regions). The intended product is a network model, meaning the analysis will likely represent key geographic locations as connected nodes and pathways, allowing the model to estimate where and when viral movement risk is highest based on bird connectivity and infection metrics.

This opportunity is issued under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program, which is a partnership framework used by federal agencies to obtain research, technical assistance, and education services from a network of cooperating organizations. Because it is a CESU award, eligibility is restricted: applicants must be an official participating partner of the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU). Organizations that are not members of that CESU partnership are not eligible to receive the award under this announcement.

Administratively, the opportunity is listed as "Cooperative Agreement with Partner of the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU)" with funding opportunity number G21AS00280. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement (rather than a standard grant), which generally indicates that the USGS expects to have substantial involvement during the project, such as collaborating on technical direction, coordination, or review of deliverables. The activity category is Science and Technology and other Research and Development, and the CFDA (assistance listing) number associated with it is 15.808. The award ceiling is $49,500, and the original closing date for applications was February 12, 2021.

• The Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Agreement with Partner of the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (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 2021-01-26.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-02-12. (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 $49,500.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for G21AS00280

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