Great Ships Initiative

The Department of Transportation Maritime Administration funds research and technology evaluation supporting the Great Waters Research Collaborative's objective to eliminate ship-mediated invasive species in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System through CFDA 20.818 (Great Ships Initiative), with the most recent grant award made on July 26, 2021.

The program has operated sparsely: two cooperative agreements totaling $2.1 million in federal obligations since 2017, with award frequency of one per year in 2017 and 2021. The July 2021 award reached completion in October 2024 and encompassed land-based testing of ballast water management system technologies, a laker study, development of a harbor condition database to define Great Lakes-relevant challenge conditions, laboratory-scale testing of promising treatments, and implementation of Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway Collaborative Initiative ballast water research and development plan deliverables. The 2017 award, obligating $2.085 million and completed in December 2019, supported evaluation and verification of ballast water treatment technologies. All funding under the program has come from the Maritime Administration; all awards have been structured as Cooperative Agreements.

No recent grant opportunities are currently posted. The 2021 award closeout and the five-year gap since suggest the program cycle may be dormant or irregular. Organizations pursuing this line should verify current solicitation status with the Maritime Administration directly, as the public posting record shows no open or recently announced opportunities. The sparsity of awards and extended completion timelines indicate this is a specialized, low-volume funding line appropriate for recipients with direct expertise in ballast water management, invasive species prevention, or Great Lakes environmental research.