Harmful Algal Bloom Control Technologies Incubator | NOAA NOS NCCOS 2022 2007023

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA NOS NCCOS 2022 2007023

The Harmful Algal Bloom Control Technologies Incubator (HCTI) funding opportunity is a NOAA-led effort to stand up and run a national incubator program focused on speeding up the development and real-world use of harmful algal bloom (HAB) control methods. The program sits under the National Ocean Service (NOS), within the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), through the Competitive Research Program (CRP), and specifically under the Prevention, Control and Mitigation of HAB Program (PCMHAB). Rather than funding one-off research studies about a particular local bloom, NOAA is looking to fund a single organization to administer a coordinated, nationwide incubator that can move promising control ideas from early testing toward future deployment and broader competitive funding pathways.

At its core, the incubator is expected to do two main things. First, it must create and manage a mechanism to fund external, proof-of-concept projects that test innovative HAB control technologies for feasibility. These would be early-stage, high-potential efforts meant to determine whether an approach is practical, effective, and safe enough to justify further investment. A key point is that the incubator award itself is not meant to directly serve as a long-term research grant for specific technologies; instead, it is meant to operate like a pipeline builder. Technologies that show strong results through incubator-supported proof-of-concept work are expected to be positioned to pursue follow-on support through future, separate PCMHAB competitive funding announcements (outside of the HCTI award).

Second, the incubator must provide practical guidance to end users and stakeholders on how to navigate licensing and permitting requirements that can determine whether a proven control method can actually be used during an active HAB response. NOAA explicitly highlights regulatory and compliance pathways such as National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review and Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) requirements, which are often major barriers between a lab-validated method and a field-deployable response tool. In other words, the incubator is expected not only to cultivate technology concepts, but also to help clarify the real-world governance, approval, and implementation steps that communities and responders must deal with when trying to apply control measures during ongoing bloom events. Proposals are required to spell out how they will deliver on both the proof-of-concept funding function and the permitting/licensing navigation function.

The opportunity is offered as a discretionary cooperative agreement (meaning NOAA expects substantial involvement and coordination during implementation), under CFDA 11.478, and is limited to proposals submitted through the Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Units (CESU) network (the listing notes “Others,” but clarifies eligibility in the text, with CESU explicitly identified as the applicant pool NOAA is soliciting). NOAA anticipates making one award, essentially selecting one lead entity to build and run the incubator as a national program rather than dispersing funds across many separate awards.

In terms of funding and duration, NOAA indicates an expected level of approximately $1.5 million per year for five years, capped at $7.5 million for the initial period of performance, contingent on the availability of FY 2022 appropriations. If the incubator performs well, NOAA notes the project may be eligible for an additional and final five-year period with up to another $7.5 million, for a potential total of 10 years of activity and up to $15 million in support across both periods. The anticipated project start date is September 1, 2022. The opportunity was posted September 15, 2021, with an original closing date of January 27, 2022, and is issued by the Department of Commerce through NOAA.

Overall, NOAA is seeking one national-scale administrator to run an incubator that (1) seeds and de-risks innovative HAB control technologies through structured proof-of-concept support and (2) helps end users understand and move through regulatory and permitting pathways so that, when a control method is ready, it is not stalled by unclear compliance requirements during a bloom response.

• 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 "Harmful Algal Bloom Control Technologies Incubator" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.478.
• This funding opportunity was created on Sep 15, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 27, 2022. (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 $1,500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for NOAA NOS NCCOS 2022 2007023

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