FY18 Bluefin Tuna Research Program | NOAA NMFS SE 2018 2005292

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA NMFS SE 2018 2005292

The FY18 Bluefin Tuna Research Program (BTRP) is a discretionary federal grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Commerce, administered through NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). It is designed to fund research projects that focus on northern Atlantic bluefin tuna and, just as importantly, to strengthen practical collaboration among the people who generate science and the people who rely on the fishery. The program emphasizes building and improving working relationships between NMFS scientists, state fisheries agencies, universities, other research organizations, and U.S. fishing interests on both the recreational and commercial sides. In other words, it is not only about producing research results, but also about creating effective partnerships that make the research more usable and grounded in real-world fishery conditions.

At its core, the program supports research that fills information gaps needed for stronger, science-based management of Atlantic bluefin tuna. The intention is to advance research objectives that directly inform management decisions, improve the quality of assessments and monitoring, and support better long-term stewardship of the species in the Atlantic Ocean. The opportunity is framed within NOAA's broader mission of protecting, restoring, and managing coastal and ocean resources using an ecosystem approach, meaning projects are expected to contribute to management in a way that reflects the broader ecological and fishery context rather than treating the species in isolation.

Funding is provided through a cooperative agreement, which generally signals that NOAA/NMFS expects to have substantial involvement during the project period compared with a more hands-off grant. The program falls under CFDA 11.472 and is categorized under environment, natural resources, and science and technology research and development. The opportunity number is NOAA NMFS SE 2018 2005292, and the original application closing date was September 1, 2017, following a posting/creation date of June 28, 2017.

In terms of scale, the program anticipated making about five awards, with a maximum (ceiling) amount of $300,000 per award. Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with further clarification expected in the full notice under an "Additional Information on Eligibility" section, which typically means a range of entity types may apply depending on the specific requirements NOAA set out in the full announcement (often including academic institutions, nonprofits, state agencies, and other qualified organizations or partnerships). Overall, the BTRP opportunity is geared toward applied, management-relevant research on Atlantic bluefin tuna that is carried out through active cooperation between scientists and fishery participants, with the explicit goal of improving the scientific foundation for fisheries management decisions.

• 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 "FY18 Bluefin Tuna Research Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.472.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 28, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 01, 2017. (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.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for NOAA NMFS SE 2018 2005292

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