September 17, 2021

NOAA Announces FY22 Notice of Funding Opportunity to Expedite Harmful Algal Bloom Control Technologies

Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-NOS-NCCOS-2022-2007023 

Deadline for Letters of Intent – 15 October 2021 

Deadline for Full Proposals – 27 January 2022 

NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) is pleased to announce a Fiscal Year 2022 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for a project that will expedite the development and implementation of harmful algal bloom (HAB) control strategies. 

NCCOS is soliciting proposals from one or more Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Units to establish a HAB Control Technologies Incubator (HCTI). The HCTI will fast track the assessment of innovative control strategies for feasibility, and facilitate deployment and implementation of the strategies proven to be cost-effective, scalable, and environmentally acceptable. NOAA anticipates making up to $7.5 M available to fund one project for five years. 

This effort is part of NCCOS’s Competitive Research Program Prevention, Control, and Mitigation of Harmful Algal Blooms (PCMHAB) program. The marine and fresh waters of the United States are increasingly impacted by the growing environmental problem HABs, known to occur in all 50 states. While PCMHAB has advanced several technologies to control and mitigate blooms, progress in this arena has not kept pace with an expanding societal desire to have access to a variety of safe and effective bloom control options. This is due to a number of factors including a need to stimulate greater awareness and new thinking within the scientific community, the need to complete studies of the social, economic and environmental costs and benefits of each technology, and challenges in navigating multi-level permitting and compliance processes. 

NCCOS will host an overview and Q&A webinar for potential applicants on September 30, 2021 from 2:00-3:00 PM EST. Register for the webinar here. 

A letter of intent is required. The deadline for letters of intent is October 15, 2021; full applications are due January 27, 2022. The full NOFO and detailed instructions are available on Grants.gov at the following link:  https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=335726 

For more information, contact Dr. Felix Martinez, Program Manager, NCCOS Competitive Research Program, felix.martinez@noaa.gov