Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU | G19AS00068

Opportunity Information: Apply for G19AS00068

The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU funding opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G19AS00068) was released by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), within the Department of the Interior, as a discretionary award to support science and technology research and development. It is structured as a cooperative agreement rather than a standard grant, which typically signals that USGS expects to have substantial involvement during the project, such as collaborating on technical decisions, data sources, methods, deliverables, and review of products as the work progresses. The opportunity was created on May 28, 2019, with an original closing date of June 11, 2019, indicating a relatively short application window.

The core purpose of the project is to improve understanding and prediction of invasive species distributions, with an emphasis on what are described as priority species. The work is centered on building species distribution models, which are analytical tools used to estimate where species are likely to occur now (and sometimes under future scenarios) based on relationships between known occurrences and environmental or landscape variables. In practice, this kind of modeling can support early detection and rapid response planning, guide surveillance and monitoring, inform risk assessments, and help agencies target limited management resources more effectively by identifying high-likelihood areas for invasion or spread.

A key technical theme in the description is evaluating whether the models need "regionalization" and "iteration." Regionalization generally refers to tailoring models to different geographic areas rather than assuming one model performs equally well everywhere. Invasive species often behave differently across regions because climate, elevation, land use, disturbance regimes, biotic interactions, and sampling intensity can vary widely; a single national or broad-scale model may underperform in places where the drivers of occurrence differ. Iteration points to an adaptive modeling approach where models are updated and refined as new occurrence data, improved environmental layers, or better methodological choices become available. This iterative process can include re-running models after data cleaning, addressing sampling bias, testing alternative predictor sets, comparing algorithm performance, and incorporating feedback from field validation or expert review to steadily improve reliability and usefulness.

The total available funding is up to an award ceiling of $150,000, and USGS anticipated making one award. Because it is offered through the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) network, eligibility is limited to CESU partners, reflected in the listing of eligible applicants as "Others" with clarification in the eligibility text field. CESUs are partnerships among federal agencies, universities, tribal nations, and other organizations intended to facilitate collaborative research, technical assistance, and education, often by streamlining agreements and fostering applied science that meets management needs. The relevant CFDA number listed for this opportunity is 15.808, which corresponds to USGS research and cooperative activities.

In short, this opportunity funded a single CESU partner to conduct applied research aimed at producing and refining species distribution models for priority invasive species, with particular attention to whether modeling approaches should be customized by region and improved through repeated cycles of development and evaluation, all under a cooperative framework with active USGS involvement.

• The Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain 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 May 28, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 11, 2019. (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 $150,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for G19AS00068

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: