FY21 Cooperative Research Program (CRP) | NOAA NMFS SE 2021 2006576

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA NMFS SE 2021 2006576

The FY21 Cooperative Research Program (CRP) is a discretionary federal funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Commerce, administered through NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), that supports cooperative agreements for fisheries research and data collection projects. Its central purpose is to strengthen working relationships among NMFS scientists, state fisheries agencies, universities, and the U.S. fishing industry by encouraging projects where commercial and recreational fishermen play a direct role in gathering the core information needed for fisheries science and management. Rather than treating fishermen only as stakeholders who comment on decisions, this program is built around involving them as active partners in collecting and improving fundamental fisheries data that can feed into management strategies and regulatory options.

Geographically, the program is focused on U.S. marine regions under NMFS Southeast oversight: the Gulf of Mexico (Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas), the South Atlantic (Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia), and the Caribbean (U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico). Projects are expected to be relevant to fisheries and management needs in these areas, and the cooperative nature of the awards signals that NMFS expects to remain meaningfully engaged during the project period, not simply provide pass-through funding.

In terms of scale and timing, the opportunity was created on June 24, 2020, with an original application deadline of September 25, 2020. The program anticipated making about eight awards, with an award ceiling of $250,000 per project. The funding instrument type is a cooperative agreement, and the activity area is categorized under environment, natural resources, science and technology, and other research and development. The listing is associated with CFDA number 11.454, and the opportunity number is NOAA NMFS SE 2021 2006576.

At a mission level, CRP is tied directly to NOAA's broader goal of protecting, restoring, and managing the use of coastal and ocean resources through an ecosystem approach to management. Practically, that means the program prioritizes projects that improve the real-world evidence base for fisheries decisions, especially where better collaboration and on-the-water participation can increase data quality, relevance, and trust between managers, researchers, and the fishing community. Eligibility is noted as "Others" with additional clarification referenced in the full announcement, indicating that applicants should consult the official eligibility language to confirm whether their organization type and partnership structure meet program requirements.

• The Department of Commerce in the environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY21 Cooperative Research Program (CRP)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.454.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 24, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 25, 2020. (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 $250,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 8 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for NOAA NMFS SE 2021 2006576

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