Research for Developing Strategies to Manage Invasive Aquatic Plants and Harmful Algal Blooms in Public Waters of the US | W81EWF 24 SOI 0040

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81EWF 24 SOI 0040

This grant opportunity, issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineer Research and Development Center (USACE ERDC), focuses on applied research to improve how the United States manages aquatic invasive plants (AIP) and harmful algal blooms (HAB) in public freshwater systems. The core rationale is that freshwater ecosystems underpin major public benefits such as drinking water supply, irrigation for food and fiber production, fish and wildlife habitat, flood risk reduction, navigation, industrial water use, and broader economic and social uses. ERDC frames AIP and HAB as rapidly expanding threats that can degrade or collapse these ecosystem services, so the program is aimed at developing more innovative, holistic, and faster-to-implement management strategies that can work at large scales and across regions.

A major driver for the work is the continued spread of specific high-impact species in different parts of the country, including hydrilla biotypes in the Eastern U.S., giant salvinia along the Gulf Coast, and flowering rush in the Pacific Northwest. ERDC is looking to expand its geographic footprint, technical capacity, and partnerships to respond to these infestations with science-based, species-selective approaches that can be used to protect major waterways. The agency is seeking a partner academic institution to help identify where research should be conducted, gather new field data, and evaluate management tools and integrated strategies across multiple spatial scales (from site-specific tactics to watershed-scale planning).

The project is structured as a multi-year effort, with year one establishing the foundation and later years (years two through five, if funded) scaling up the scope and building a broader portfolio of collaborative research. In year one, the work centers on two primary objectives. Objective 1 is about selecting, verifying, and documenting specific project locations and evaluation sites, then initiating data-driven assessments that support management decision-making. This includes on-the-ground characterization of sites through quantitative vegetation surveys for both invasive and non-target plant communities, checking for the presence of listed species that could influence permitting and operational constraints, documenting basic physical site features (such as acreage, average water depth, and water exchange processes), and measuring key water quality parameters like temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and turbidity. The geographic emphasis for initial site selection requires at least one primary site in the Eastern U.S., with secondary sites in the Gulf Coast and the Pacific Northwest.

Objective 2 moves from site characterization into experimentation designed to close practical data gaps and produce results that managers can use. The grant calls for forming interdisciplinary teams that work jointly with ERDC scientists to design and conduct empirical studies beginning in year one. The management approaches under evaluation are meant to be environmentally compatible and selectively target AIP, and they include chemical herbicides, bio-suppression techniques, mechanical or physical control methods, and integrated approaches that combine multiple tools. A significant program expectation is that the work will not just remain in technical reports; it must be actively transferred to practitioners and stakeholders through structured technology transfer and outreach at the conclusion of each study. The opportunity explicitly lists outreach formats such as webinars, workshops, training sessions, field tours, formal reports, peer-reviewed journal articles, sponsor briefings, and presentations at professional meetings. Audiences are broad and include the general public, government agencies, legislators, industry, media, and other stakeholders who influence or carry out aquatic plant management.

The primary deliverable after completing Objectives 1 and 2 is a comprehensive report produced by the selected academic institution. That report must document the chosen project locations and provide a clear summary of the management strategies that were identified, evaluated, and potentially recommended. It is also expected to explain the practical limits of those strategies and the likely effects of implementing them, with an emphasis on outcomes related to restoring, managing, and preserving sites in major watersheds. While the initial regional focus is the Eastern U.S., Gulf Coast, and Pacific Northwest, the program leaves room to expand to other regions if additional opportunities emerge.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement instrument, meaning ERDC expects substantial involvement and collaboration during the work rather than a hands-off pass-through award. The funding opportunity number is W81EWF 24 SOI 0040, the assistance listing (CFDA) number is 12.630, and the opportunity is categorized under science and technology and other research and development. The anticipated award is a single award with a ceiling of $500,000. The original closing date listed is 2024-09-16, and eligibility is restricted to non-federal partners of the Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU), which effectively narrows applicants to institutions that are part of that specific CESU network.

• The Engineer Research and Development Center in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research for Developing Strategies to Manage Invasive Aquatic Plants and Harmful Algal Blooms in Public Waters of the US" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.630.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-07-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-09-16. (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 $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for W81EWF 24 SOI 0040

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