Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner of the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit | G24AS00137

Opportunity Information: Apply for G24AS00137

This funding opportunity (G24AS00137) is a US Geological Survey (USGS) cooperative agreement aimed at supporting applied research that improves how water-quality field sensors are checked and calibrated. It comes out of the USGS Water Mission Area (WMA) Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS) program and focuses on a very specific technical need: a laboratory evaluation of a newly patented multi-parameter standard solution for water-quality analysis (US Patent 11,768,160). The goal is to determine how well this standard solution works as a practical, stable, and easy-to-use reference material that can be used to verify and/or calibrate multiple types of field sensors efficiently.

The core technology behind the project is a standard solution composed of three key components: a xanthene dye, distyryl biphenyl (DSBP), and a pH buffer. Together, these ingredients are intended to produce a quick and reliable standard that can be used in routine sensor checks without the complexity and instability that can come with other calibration materials. The USGS is essentially asking a qualified partner to run controlled lab testing to evaluate performance characteristics of this mixture, such as how stable it is over time, how consistent its optical/fluorescent response is, and how well it serves as a calibration or verification reference across different sensor platforms or settings.

A notable feature of the patented solution is that it is designed to support multi-parameter calibration or verification, meaning it can help users validate more than one sensor measurement type with a single standard. The opportunity specifically notes applicability to sensors that measure fluorescent dissolved organic matter (fDOM), with an example optical configuration of excitation at 350 nm and emission at 450 nm, as well as chlorophyll-a fluorescence sensors, with an example configuration of excitation at 465 nm and emission at 665 nm. In practice, that means the work supports common real-world monitoring scenarios where field teams deploy fluorometers and similar instruments and need a fast way to confirm that readings remain accurate and comparable over time.

Administratively, this is a discretionary award using a cooperative agreement, which typically implies substantial involvement or collaboration with the federal agency during the project (more interaction and shared responsibility than a standard grant). The funding activity category is listed as Science and Technology and other Research and Development, and the CFDA (now commonly referred to under Assistance Listings) number is 15.808. The award ceiling is $75,000, indicating the maximum expected federal funding for a project under this announcement. The opportunity was created on October 30, 2023, and the original closing date was December 13, 2023.

Eligibility is limited to partners in the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program, meaning applicants must already be participating members of the CESU network. CESUs are established partnerships intended to streamline collaborative research, technical assistance, and education between federal agencies and affiliated institutions. In short, this opportunity is not open to the general public or all universities by default; it is specifically reserved for CESU-affiliated partners who can carry out the lab evaluation work in coordination with USGS objectives.

Overall, the opportunity is best understood as targeted support for a practical laboratory study that strengthens field sensor quality assurance. By validating a stable, multi-purpose standard solution, the work is meant to make sensor verification and calibration easier and more consistent, ultimately improving the reliability of water-quality monitoring data collected through NGWOS and related USGS observing efforts.

• 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 of the 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 2023-10-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-12-13. (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 $75,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for G24AS00137

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