Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with the Californian Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit

Open Posted

Opportunity number
G27AS00090
Agency
Applications due
Award size
Up to $480,000

Opportunity facts

Funding instrument
Cooperative Agreement
Category
  • Science and Technology and other Research and Development
Eligible applicants
  • Other
Points of contact

Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .

About this opportunity

Written by GovTribe AI ·

The U.S. Geological Survey is soliciting applications for one cooperative agreement under the Californian Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) to fund research on carbon cycling in seabed mineral environments, with applications due December 23, 2026. Eligibility is restricted to participating partners of the Californian CESU. The $480,000 total covers five budget years, with one anticipated award, $200,560 for Budget Year 1, and Years 2 through 5 contingent on satisfactory progress and funding availability. No cost sharing is required, and budgets must apply a mandated 17.5% indirect cost rate. The period of performance runs January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2031. The G27AS00090 final NOFO summary lists a November 27, 2026, 11:59 PM ET closing date, which conflicts with the December 23, 2026 date in the opportunity record and the PKG00294496 NOFO; confirm against the NOFO before planning.

Research priorities include characterizing sedimentary organic carbon across manganese nodule fields in the abyssal Pacific Ocean and U.S. Exclusive Economic Zones, assessing how sediment organic geochemistry supports deep-sea organisms, and examining sediment-covered seafloor massive sulfide systems. The work supports Executive Orders 14241, 14285, and 14272 and Secretarial Orders 3417 and 3418. Expected deliverables are peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and data releases co-authored by USGS and the recipient.

Merit review weights Purpose, Objectives, and Relevance at 30 points, Technical Approach at 25, Budget Justification and Clarity at 20, and Qualifications, Experience, and Past Performance at 25. Applicants must hold active SAM.gov registration with a Unique Entity Identifier, complete preapplication coordination, and submit through Grants.gov on SF-424 forms. Required attachments include a Project Abstract Summary of one page (about 4,000 characters, 12-point Times New Roman), a Data Management Plan, and biographical sketches and current and pending support on the common form.

The opportunity is assigned to Assistance Listing 15.808, U.S. Geological Survey Research and Data Collection, and is governed by 2 CFR Parts 200 and 1402. No incumbent recipient is named.

Synopsis

The USGS is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research in carbon cycling in seabed mineral environments.

Seabed minerals may contain economically significant concentrations of valuable metals and rare earth elements which are essential to transportation, technological products, and defense and national security applications (i.e., critical minerals; Energy Act, 2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 2025; Hein et al., 2013, 2020). Of particular interest are manganese nodule fields throughout the abyssal Pacific Ocean, including in some U.S. EEZs, which have garnered attention over recent decades as potential areas for deep-sea mineral mining. Still, much more research is needed to understand the environmental settings where these minerals occur, how they form, and potential implications of extraction. This is crucial information for EO 14241, 14285, 14272 and SO 3417.

Carbon cycling is a key component of baseline environmental conditions within offshore resource systems. Sedimentary organic carbon is the primary food source at the base of deep sea food webs, and disturbance from marine mining could significantly alter carbon cycles and decrease benthic microbial and faunal activity. Benthic and midwater plumes generated by marine mining activities may further impact carbon cycling and biologic activity. From a mineral resource assessment perspective, sedimentary organic carbon plays a key role in manganese nodule formation and metal enrichment, though the carbon content, composition, and mechanisms to influence nodule formation remain unknown. The role of organic carbon in metal preservation for sediment covered seafloor massive sulfide systems is also a frontier science question. Sedimentary organic carbon can also be altered to oil or gas by high temperatures and/or pressures below the seafloor, sometimes co-occurring with seabed minerals at hydrothermal systems. Understanding these processes informs OCSLA 1953 & 1978, and SO 3418. Despite this importance, carbon cycling in marine mineral systems has received little attention, and fundamental science questions remain regarding how organic carbon cycling varies globally among nodule fields with differing sediment organic carbon content.

Eligibility

This financial assistance opportunity is being issued under a Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) Program. CESU"s are partnerships that provide research, technical assistance, and education. Eligible recipients must be a participating partner of the Californian Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit.

Files

File Type Posted
ATTACHMENT_D_-_Geospatial_Data_Instructions..docx DOCX document
ATTACHMENT_C_-_Project_Abstract_Summary_Requirement..docx DOCX document
ATTACHMENT_B_-_Common-form_current-and-pending-support-doi-omb-3145-0279_3..pdf PDF
ATTACHMENT_A_-_Biographical-sketch-common-form-doi-omb-3145-0279_3..pdf PDF
G27AS00090_Final.docx DOCX document
PKG00294496.pdf PDF

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