Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NIFA SRGP 006738
The Special Research Grants Program (SRGP) Aquaculture Research opportunity, offered by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), is a discretionary grant program designed to strengthen the U.S. aquaculture sector by funding practical, science-based work that tackles the industrys most pressing barriers. The core aim is to support research and related activities that help build an aquaculture industry that can grow while remaining both environmentally responsible and economically viable. In other words, the program is looking for projects that do not just add knowledge in the abstract, but generate usable innovations and data that can move the industry forward.
The program frames aquaculture as a strategic national interest with long-term economic and food-system benefits. NIFA highlights outcomes such as improved profitability for domestic producers, a reduced seafood trade deficit, stronger domestic food security, and new demand for U.S.-grown feed grains. It also points to broader community impacts, including increased investment opportunities in aquaculture businesses and job creation, particularly in rural and coastal regions where aquaculture can be an important driver of local economies. The overall message is that successful projects should have a clear pathway to real-world impact on production, efficiency, sustainability, or market performance.
Funded work must directly address major constraints facing U.S. aquaculture and align with at least one of four stated priorities. The first priority is genetics of commercial aquaculture species, which can include efforts such as improving growth rates, feed conversion, resilience to environmental stressors, or other heritable traits that affect production performance. The second priority targets critical disease issues impacting aquaculture species, supporting approaches that reduce disease-related losses through better understanding of pathogens, prevention strategies, diagnostics, management practices, or other disease-control innovations. The third priority focuses on the design of environmentally and economically sustainable aquaculture production systems, which can span engineering and system design, water and waste management, energy use, and production models that reduce environmental impacts while remaining cost-effective. The fourth priority is economic research aimed at increasing aquaculture profitability, which can include analyses of production costs, market barriers, risk management, adoption of new technologies, or other factors that influence whether aquaculture ventures succeed financially.
Eligibility is broad and includes 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 supports research, extension, or education activities tied to breakthroughs in food and agricultural sciences relevant to the United States. This wide eligibility suggests NIFA is open to proposals coming from academic, public-sector, and private-sector perspectives, including partnerships that can move results from lab or pilot settings into industry use.
Key administrative details from the listing include the funding opportunity title Special Research Grants Program - Aquaculture Research, funding opportunity number USDA NIFA SRGP 006738, CFDA 10.200, and an award ceiling of $300,000. The original closing date shown is May 28, 2019, and the opportunity was created March 29, 2019. Overall, the grant is positioned to support targeted, solution-oriented aquaculture projects that can demonstrate relevance to industry constraints and deliver measurable benefits to the sustainability and competitiveness of U.S. aquaculture.Apply for USDA NIFA SRGP 006738
- 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 2019-03-29.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-05-28. (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.
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Special Research Grants Program (SRGP) Aquaculture Research (USDA NIFA) - FAQs
What is this funding opportunity?
The Special Research Grants Program (SRGP) Aquaculture Research opportunity is a discretionary grant program offered by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). It is intended to strengthen the U.S. aquaculture sector by supporting practical, science-based research and related activities that address major barriers facing the industry.
What is the main goal of the SRGP Aquaculture Research program?
The core aim is to fund work that helps the aquaculture industry grow in ways that are both environmentally responsible and economically viable. The emphasis is on projects that produce usable innovations, data, or approaches that can move the industry forward, not just research for research's sake.
What types of outcomes is NIFA looking for?
The program messaging highlights real-world impact on areas like production, efficiency, sustainability, and market performance. It also frames aquaculture as a strategic national interest, pointing to potential outcomes such as improved profitability for domestic producers, reduced seafood trade deficit, stronger domestic food security, and new demand for U.S.-grown feed grains.
How could funded projects affect communities and local economies?
NIFA points to broader impacts including increased investment opportunities in aquaculture businesses and job creation, especially in rural and coastal regions where aquaculture can be an important driver of local economic activity.
What must a project do to be considered responsive to the program?
Funded work must directly address major constraints facing U.S. aquaculture and align with at least one of the program's four stated priorities.
What are the four priority areas for this opportunity?
The four priorities are: (1) genetics of commercial aquaculture species, (2) critical disease issues impacting aquaculture species, (3) design of environmentally and economically sustainable aquaculture production systems, and (4) economic research aimed at increasing aquaculture profitability.
What kinds of projects fit under the genetics priority?
Genetics-focused projects can include efforts to improve heritable traits that affect production performance, such as growth rates, feed conversion, resilience to environmental stressors, or other traits relevant to commercial aquaculture species.
What kinds of projects fit under the disease priority?
This priority supports work targeting critical disease issues that impact aquaculture species. Examples described include improving understanding of pathogens, developing or refining prevention strategies, diagnostics, management practices, or other innovations intended to reduce disease-related losses.
What kinds of projects fit under sustainable production systems?
This priority includes the design of aquaculture production systems that are environmentally and economically sustainable. It can span engineering and system design, water and waste management, energy use, and production models that reduce environmental impacts while remaining cost-effective.
What kinds of projects fit under economic research for profitability?
Economic research can include analyses of production costs, market barriers, risk management, factors that influence adoption of new technologies, and other issues that affect whether aquaculture ventures succeed financially.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad. The listing includes state agricultural experiment stations, colleges and universities, other research institutions and organizations, federal agencies, private organizations or corporations, and individuals.
Are projects required to be research-only, or can they include extension and education?
The eligibility description indicates the proposed work must support research, extension, or education activities tied to breakthroughs in food and agricultural sciences relevant to the United States.
Are partnerships between universities, government, and industry allowed?
The program description suggests openness to proposals from academic, public-sector, and private-sector perspectives, including partnerships that can help move results from lab or pilot settings into industry use.
How much funding is available per award?
The award ceiling listed for this opportunity is $300,000.
What is the official funding opportunity title?
The funding opportunity title is "Special Research Grants Program - Aquaculture Research."
What is the funding opportunity number?
The funding opportunity number is USDA NIFA SRGP 006738.
What is the CFDA number for this program?
The CFDA number provided in the listing is 10.200.
When was this opportunity created, and what is the closing date shown?
The listing shows a created date of March 29, 2019, and an original closing date of May 28, 2019.
What kinds of benefits to the U.S. food system does the program highlight?
The program frames aquaculture as a strategic national interest with long-term economic and food-system benefits, including stronger domestic food security and reduced reliance on imported seafood (reflected in a reduced seafood trade deficit).
Does the program emphasize environmental responsibility?
Yes. A central theme is supporting growth in aquaculture that remains environmentally responsible, including funding for sustainable production system designs that reduce environmental impacts while staying economically viable.
Does the program emphasize economic viability and competitiveness?
Yes. The opportunity repeatedly emphasizes economic viability, profitability for domestic producers, and measurable benefits to the sustainability and competitiveness of U.S. aquaculture.
Is the program focused on U.S. relevance?
Yes. The description ties supported work to U.S. aquaculture constraints and to breakthroughs in food and agricultural sciences relevant to the United States.
What is the overall theme of a strong proposal based on the listing?
A strong proposal, as described, is targeted and solution-oriented, aligns with at least one priority area, addresses a major constraint in U.S. aquaculture, and shows a clear path to practical, measurable impact on industry performance, sustainability, or profitability.
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