Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit
🏛 Geological Survey (DOI-USGS1)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Nov 13, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for CESU partners conducting wildlife disease research. Applicants must be an active partner institution of the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit. Research must focus on improving RT-QuIC assay data analysis and standardization for Chronic Wasting Disease surveillance and management.
Eligible activities include developing analytical pipelines, improving data repeatability, and enhancing inter-laboratory consistency for disease detection. The grant supports technical innovation in wildlife disease monitoring tools.
Geographic focus is the Rocky Mountain region and affiliated partner areas. Only organizations with established CESU partnership agreements may apply.
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Program description
The USGS is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research focused on improving the efficiency and standardization of Real-Time Quaking Induced Conversion (RT-QuIC) assay data analysis for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) surveillance, research, and management.
CWD continues to expand geographically and intensify in prevalence, placing growing strain on wildlife management agencies. RT-QuIC is among the most promising tools for the detection of low-level CWD prions, but current analytical approaches lack standardization and rely heavily on subjective interpretation. This opportunity supports development of a robust, automated, and reproducible analytical pipeline that improves efficiency, repeatability, and inter-laboratory consistency.
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- Proposal narrative describing RT-QuIC analytical methods
- Budget and budget justification
- Organizational capacity and qualifications
- Timeline and deliverables
- CESU partnership documentation or verification
Program contact
- 👤 Geological Survey
- 📧 katherine_calder@ios.doi.gov
- 📞 916-278-9331
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 15.808 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
-
$240,000,000
-
$11,148,115
-
$10,533,234
-
$10,055,533
-
$8,476,627
-
$8,454,102
-
$7,659,261
-
$6,894,612
-
$6,800,079
-
$6,644,228
Top States by Funding
- CO 9 awards $247.6M
- CA 24 awards $73.6M
- AK 17 awards $35.1M
- FL 7 awards $23.2M
- WA 4 awards $16.6M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 15.808). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2021 | $35,000,000 | |
| 2022 | $157,201,151 | |
| 2023 | $263,107,440 | |
| 2024 | $125,066,719 | |
| 2025 est. | $110,000,000 | |
| 2026 est. | $60,000,000 |
FAQ
Who can apply for this grant?
Only current partner organizations of the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit. You must have an existing CESU partnership agreement to be eligible.
What is the deadline?
The deadline is December 7, 2026. This is a fixed deadline; applications submitted after this date will not be accepted.
What types of activities does this grant fund?
The grant supports research on RT-QuIC assay standardization and automation for Chronic Wasting Disease detection. Focus areas include improving analytical efficiency, repeatability, and inter-laboratory consistency.
How competitive is this funding?
This is a targeted opportunity for CESU partners. Awards range from $1 to $145,220. Competition depends on the number of qualified CESU partners submitting proposals in this focus area.
Is cost-sharing required?
No. This grant does not require matching funds or cost-sharing from applicants.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Emphasize your institution's expertise in RT-QuIC methodology and wildlife disease diagnostics. USGS values technical depth.
- Detail how your proposed pipeline will improve inter-laboratory consistency and reduce subjective interpretation. Standardization is a key priority.
- Connect your work to broader CWD management challenges across the Rocky Mountain region. Show relevance to wildlife agencies.
- Clarify your CESU partnership status early and confirm your eligibility before investing significant proposal development time.
- Address data quality, automation, and reproducibility explicitly. These are central to the funding opportunity's goals.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Applying without confirming active CESU partner status; most rejections stem from ineligibility. Proposing general CWD research instead of focusing specifically on RT-QuIC assay standardization. Failing to demonstrate how the analytical pipeline improves inter-laboratory consistency and reduces subjectivity in data interpretation.
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