Commercial Fishing Occupational Safety Research Cooperative Agreement (U01) | RFA OH 22 005

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA OH 22 005

The Commercial Fishing Occupational Safety Research Cooperative Agreement (U01), opportunity number RFA OH 22 005 (CFDA 93.262), is a discretionary federal funding opportunity administered through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), via the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). It sits within the Fishing Safety Research Grant Program created by the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 and later updated by the Howard Coble Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2014. The basic purpose is to fund applied, safety-focused research that can measurably reduce injuries and fatalities among workers in the commercial fishing industry, one of the most hazardous occupations in the United States.

This program reflects a joint federal approach to commercial fishing safety. The U.S. Coast Guard, along with OSHA, provides regulatory oversight for safety and health in commercial fishing, while NIOSH (part of CDC) focuses on generating scientific evidence and translating that evidence into real-world prevention tools and practices. A Memorandum of Understanding signed on May 17, 2018 formalized coordination between the Coast Guard and NIOSH to support and administer this grant program. In practice, that means the funded work is expected to be grounded in strong science but also oriented toward implementation, adoption, and practical impact for fishing crews and vessel operators.

The research scope is broad but clearly targeted to occupational safety improvements on commercial fishing vessels and across fishing operations. Proposed projects can address engineering and design changes to make vessels safer, development or improvement of emergency and survival equipment, enhancements to vessel monitoring systems, and improvements to communication devices that support safer operations at sea. The opportunity also highlights technology and methods that help crews deal with harsh conditions, including de-icing technologies and severe weather detection, which can be critical for preventing disasters and improving decision-making during dangerous conditions.

NIOSH outlines research objectives that emphasize both understanding risk and testing solutions. Areas of interest include identifying and investigating how specific hazardous working conditions relate to injuries and fatalities, and developing more sensitive ways to evaluate hazards at worksites. The opportunity also supports methods to measure early markers or warning signs that precede injuries and fatalities, which can help shift safety efforts toward prevention before incidents occur. In addition, NIOSH is interested in developing new protective equipment and engineering controls that directly reduce risk, along with improved work practices that lower exposure to occupational hazards. A notable theme is feasibility and adoption: applicants can propose projects that evaluate whether a new or improved safety procedure, method, technique, or system can realistically be implemented in the fishing industry, including consideration of economic and other factors that influence whether solutions spread and are sustained in real workplaces.

The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement (U01), which generally indicates that the agency expects to have substantial involvement during the project period compared with a standard grant. While the specific collaboration details are not provided in the text here, cooperative agreements commonly involve ongoing coordination with NIOSH on project direction, milestones, data sharing, and translation of results into guidance or tools that can be used by industry and stakeholders.

Eligibility is intentionally broad to attract practical expertise as well as academic research capacity. Eligible applicants include state, county, city, township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those categories); for-profit organizations (including those other than small businesses); small businesses; and other applicants as further clarified in the full announcement. This wide eligibility aligns with the program goal of supporting research that is scientifically rigorous and directly connected to maritime and fishing operations.

From the funding details provided, the award ceiling is $975,000, and the agency anticipated approximately 20 awards under this announcement. The opportunity was created on July 8, 2022, with an original application due date of August 30, 2022, and electronic submissions due by 5:00 pm Eastern Time on the deadline date. Overall, the program is designed to generate practical, field-relevant evidence and technologies that can be translated into safer vessels, better equipment, improved operational practices, and ultimately fewer deaths and injuries in the commercial fishing workforce.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Commercial Fishing Occupational Safety Research Cooperative Agreement (U01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.262.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 08, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 30, 2022 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 500 pm ET on the listed application due date.. (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 $975,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 20 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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