Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Chesapeake Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit | G22AS00365

Opportunity Information: Apply for G22AS00365

The US Geological Survey (USGS), through its Eastern Ecological Science Center (EESC), issued a discretionary funding opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G22AS00365) in the form of a cooperative agreement to support research and development at the intersection of artificial intelligence and aquatic ecology. The project focus is on creating and testing deep convolutional neural network approaches for image-based recognition of individual fish, building baseline AI models for individual identification, and evaluating how well those models perform. The work is intended to strengthen ongoing USGS efforts that use AI to identify fish in freshwater streams and to support early detection of diseased fish, linking modern computer science methods with practical ecological monitoring and management needs.

This opportunity is part of the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program, specifically tied to the Chesapeake Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit. CESUs are formal partnerships designed to bring together federal agencies and affiliated partners to deliver applied research, technical assistance, and education. Because the award is issued under the CESU framework, eligibility is limited: applicants must be participating partners within the Chesapeake CESU network. In practical terms, the opportunity is aimed at universities, research institutions, and other eligible CESU-affiliated entities that can collaborate closely with USGS scientists, leveraging EESC expertise and data streams from active field and monitoring programs.

Administratively, the opportunity is categorized under Science and Technology and other Research and Development and is associated with CFDA number 15.808. The award ceiling is $495,000, indicating the maximum anticipated federal funding available under this announcement. The notice was created on May 18, 2022, with an original application closing date of June 17, 2022. As a cooperative agreement, the award structure signals substantial involvement by USGS in the funded work, meaning the recipient would be expected to coordinate closely with EESC researchers rather than operating as a fully independent grantee.

Overall, the grant is designed to accelerate development of reliable AI tools for recognizing individual fish from images, establish credible baseline models that can serve as reference points for future improvements, and produce performance assessments that show how accurately and consistently the models work under real-world conditions. The intended outcome is more effective, scalable fish identification and health surveillance in freshwater systems, supporting ecological research and resource management through improved automated or semi-automated monitoring methods.

• The Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Chesapeake Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.808.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-05-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-06-17. (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 $495,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for G22AS00365

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