Special Research Grants Program - Aquaculture Research | USDA NIFA SRGP 007192

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NIFA SRGP 007192

The Special Research Grants Program - Aquaculture Research opportunity (USDA NIFA SRGP 007192) is a discretionary federal grant run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Its main goal is to strengthen the U.S. aquaculture sector by funding research, education, and extension work that helps build an aquaculture industry that is both environmentally responsible and economically viable. The program is explicitly aimed at producing practical, science-based knowledge and innovations that remove real-world bottlenecks holding back aquaculture producers in the United States.

In the bigger picture, NIFA frames this program as an investment that can generate broad national benefits if the funded projects succeed and their results are adopted. The agency highlights outcomes like improving the profitability and competitiveness of U.S. aquaculture businesses, reducing the U.S. seafood trade deficit by supporting more domestic production, and improving domestic food security through a stronger homegrown supply of aquatic products. It also emphasizes downstream economic development impacts, such as creating or sustaining jobs in rural and coastal communities, encouraging new private investment in aquaculture enterprises, and creating additional market demand for U.S.-produced grain products used in aquafeeds.

Projects are expected to focus on major constraints facing the U.S. aquaculture industry and align with at least one of four stated program priorities. First, the program supports work on the genetics of commercial aquaculture species, which can include efforts to improve traits like growth, feed efficiency, resilience, or product quality through selective breeding, genomic tools, or related approaches. Second, it prioritizes research on critical disease issues affecting aquaculture species, reflecting how disease outbreaks and chronic health challenges can quickly undermine farm productivity, animal welfare, and financial stability. Third, it funds the design of environmentally and economically sustainable production systems, which can involve engineering and management innovations that reduce waste, improve water quality outcomes, increase energy efficiency, or lower operating costs while maintaining performance. Fourth, it supports economic research aimed at increasing profitability, such as analyzing cost structures, market dynamics, risk management, adoption barriers, or business models that can make aquaculture operations more financially durable.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of applicants. Applications may be submitted by State agricultural experiment stations, colleges and universities, other research institutions and organizations, federal agencies, private organizations or corporations, and even individuals, as long as the proposed work involves research, extension, or education activities intended to advance promising breakthroughs in food and agricultural sciences relevant to the United States. NIFA notes that meeting eligibility requirements by the application deadline matters: failing to satisfy an eligibility criterion can lead to an application being removed from consideration or prevent an award even if the proposal is reviewed.

Key administrative details provided in the source listing include a CFDA number of 10.200, an award ceiling of $300,000, and an original closing date of April 29, 2020 (with a creation date of February 7, 2020). The funding instrument is a grant, and the activity category is agriculture. NIFA also points new applicants to training and orientation resources on its website, including a Grants 101 training series and a general grants overview, which are meant to help organizations and individuals understand federal award requirements and the application process.

• The National Institute of Food and Agriculture in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Special Research Grants Program - Aquaculture Research" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.200.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-02-07.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-04-29. (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 $300,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for USDA NIFA SRGP 007192

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