Cooperative Research Units Program | G22AS00040

Opportunity Information: Apply for G22AS00040

The Cooperative Research Units Program is a federal grant opportunity administered by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that supports collaborative, applied research in fish and wildlife science. The program is built around a long-standing partnership model that links State natural resource agencies, universities, the federal government, and a non-profit partner to address real-world conservation and management needs. It operates through a national network of 40 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units located on university campuses across 38 states. These units trace back to the 1930s, when the first nine units were created, and the network later expanded as Congress established additional units at specific universities.

This opportunity is offered as a discretionary cooperative agreement, meaning the federal agency expects to have substantial involvement in the work rather than simply issuing a pass-through grant. The funded activities fall under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category, reflecting the program focus on research, technical innovation, and generating science that can be used directly by resource managers. The assistance listing associated with the program is CFDA (now commonly referred to as Assistance Listing) 15.812.

A key feature of this program is its jointly supported structure. The 40 units are supported through combined contributions and coordination among USGS, the host universities, State natural resource agencies, the Wildlife Management Institute, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This shared investment is central to the program design: research priorities typically align with management challenges identified by State and federal partners, while universities provide the academic base, students, and research capacity that make long-term applied science possible.

Eligibility is narrow and defined by statute. Only universities that are official Cooperating Universities within the Cooperative Research Units (CRU) network are eligible to apply for the RWO component of the program, as authorized by the Cooperative Research Unit Act (Public Law 86-686). In practical terms, this means the opportunity is not open to the general public, most institutions of higher education, or other organizations unless they are part of the CRU system as a cooperating university.

Administrative details from the notice include the funding opportunity title "Cooperative Research Units Program" and the funding opportunity number G22AS00040. The agency is listed as the Geological Survey. The original posting date (creation date) is September 29, 2021, and the original closing date is September 21, 2022. The listed award ceiling is $1,000,000. The notice indicates expected awards but does not provide a specific number in the provided source text.

• The Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Research Units Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.812.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-09-29.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-09-21. (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 $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for G22AS00040

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