Addressing Economic and Market Needs of the U.S. Aquaculture Industry | NOAA OAR SG 2020 2006331

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA OAR SG 2020 2006331

This grant opportunity, titled "Addressing Economic and Market Needs of the U.S. Aquaculture Industry" (Funding Opportunity Number NOAA-OAR-SG-2020-2006331), is a competitive Sea Grant funding program run under the U.S. Department of Commerce through NOAA. It is built on the broader mission of the National Sea Grant College Program, originally established by Congress in 1966 and later amended in 2008, which is designed to create strong federal-state partnerships that tap universities and research institutions to solve practical problems and create opportunities for coastal communities. In this particular competition, Sea Grant is aiming to strengthen the economic foundation of marine and Great Lakes aquaculture in the United States by funding work that improves how aquaculture businesses understand their costs, risks, markets, and overall business performance.

The core purpose of the opportunity is to fill major gaps in aquaculture economics and market information that limit the industrys ability to grow sustainably. Sea Grant anticipates about $5,000,000 total will be available, assuming funds are appropriated and released as expected. The program is structured to support research projects and broader programs that can significantly advance the understanding of U.S. aquaculture business economics while also generating useful, practical market intelligence. The emphasis is not just on producing academic findings, but on producing information that can be used directly by aquaculture businesses and by management agencies that influence permitting, oversight, and industry development.

A key theme is integration: successful proposals are expected to fully combine research, extension, and education rather than treating them as separate tracks. In practical terms, that means projects should not only study economic or market challenges, but also translate findings into tools, guidance, training, outreach products, decision-support resources, or other deliverables that producers and stakeholders can actually apply. The opportunity also favors proposals that address geographic needs (for example, region-specific constraints or opportunities) and/or topical needs (for example, particular business management bottlenecks or missing market data). Sea Grant explicitly prefers broad, non-proprietary efforts, meaning the funded work should generate outputs that are widely shareable and useful across the industry, not restricted to a single private firm or a narrow proprietary interest.

The program places heavy weight on building practical capacity within the Sea Grant network and among partners. Proposals are expected to strengthen the ability of Sea Grant and its collaborators, including aquaculture extension personnel and industry stakeholders, to support the sector over the long term. A specific requirement is that proposals must include funding, either federal dollars or match, to support Sea Grant extension personnel as collaborators on the project. This reflects the intent that extension is not optional or purely advisory, but a funded and active part of project execution and delivery.

Eligibility and submission are tightly defined. Applications must be submitted by a Sea Grant program. Organizations that are not Sea Grant programs, such as universities, nonprofits, tribes, local governments, or industry groups, cannot apply on their own; they must partner with and submit through an appropriate Sea Grant program. Sea Grant provides a directory of programs and contacts on its national website, and applicants are directed to coordinate with the relevant program early in the process. While industry involvement is not framed as a strict eligibility requirement, industry stakeholder participation and involvement is strongly encouraged, signaling that reviewers are likely to value proposals that are co-developed with producers, processors, buyers, or other commercial partners and that have clear pathways for adoption.

From an administrative standpoint, the award mechanism is a cooperative agreement, which generally indicates substantial involvement by the funding agency during the life of the project compared with a standard grant. The opportunity is categorized as discretionary and falls under research and development-related activities connected to environment, natural resources, and science and technology. The CFDA number associated with the program is 11.417. The expected number of awards is about 11, and the stated award ceiling is $1,000,000 per award, indicating Sea Grant is looking for projects that are large enough to have real impact but still distributed across multiple efforts rather than concentrated in one mega-project.

Finally, Sea Grant positions these investments within its larger strategic framework, particularly the Sea Grant focus area of Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture and the Sea Grant Networks 10-year Aquaculture Vision, both aligned with NOAA and Department of Commerce aquaculture goals. Applicants are pointed to the Sea Grant General Application Guide for detailed preparation and compliance instructions, and Sea Grant also indicates there may be a webinar and FAQs available on the national funding page to help applicants interpret requirements and assemble a strong submission. The original posting date for the opportunity was January 27, 2020, with an original closing date of April 22, 2020, so the notice is best understood as a time-specific competition from that period, even though the underlying Sea Grant priorities around aquaculture economics and market needs remain ongoing program interests.

• The Department of Commerce in the environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Addressing Economic and Market Needs of the U.S. Aquaculture Industry" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.417.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jan 27, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 22, 2020. (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.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 11 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for NOAA OAR SG 2020 2006331

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