Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Desert Southwest CESU | G20AS00089

Opportunity Information: Apply for G20AS00089

The Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), through its Powell Center, announced a discretionary research funding opportunity under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) network, specifically the Desert Southwest CESU. The opportunity is issued as a cooperative agreement, meaning the project is expected to involve substantial involvement or collaboration with USGS during the period of performance rather than operating as a completely independent grant. The program sits within the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category and is associated with CFDA number 15.808. The funding opportunity number is G20AS00089, and it was originally posted on June 15, 2020, with an original application closing date of July 27, 2020. USGS anticipated making a single award, with a maximum (award ceiling) of $125,000.

The scientific focus of the project is "Forecasting Mosquito Phenology in a Shifting Climate: Synthesizing Continental-scale Monitoring Data." In practical terms, the USGS is seeking work that improves understanding and prediction of mosquito seasonality (phenology) across broad geographic areas of the United States, particularly as climate conditions change. The project is designed to move beyond isolated local studies by pulling together monitoring information from many sources, turning it into standardized metrics that describe mosquito seasonal patterns, and then using those metrics to build models that can forecast mosquito activity in near-real time and under future climate scenarios.

The opportunity lays out four main goals. First, the funded team is expected to assemble multiple mosquito datasets from across the United States into a single, national-scale data resource. This implies tasks like locating and obtaining disparate monitoring datasets, harmonizing formats and metadata, reconciling differences in collection methods where possible, and creating a consolidated dataset that can support continental-scale analyses. Second, the project aims to develop "mosquito phenometrics" from periodic count data. These phenometrics are essentially standardized, quantitative descriptors of seasonal activity such as estimated emergence timing (when mosquitoes begin appearing), peak timing (when abundance is highest), and duration (how long the activity season persists). Because many mosquito surveillance programs collect counts at regular intervals rather than continuously, a key technical need is deriving robust phenology estimates from intermittent observations.

Third, the project calls for developing predictive models of mosquito seasonality for species that represent different life-history strategies. That framing suggests the work is not limited to a single mosquito species, but instead should include a set of representative species that capture meaningful variation in how mosquitoes develop, reproduce, and respond to environmental conditions. The intention is to create models that can generalize across ecological strategies, improving the ability to forecast patterns for different types of mosquitoes and potentially providing a stronger basis for anticipating changes as conditions shift. Fourth, the models should be implemented in a way that produces actionable outputs: real-time and short-term forecasts of mosquito activity (useful for current-season awareness and planning) and longer-term predictions of how seasonal patterns may change in the future (useful for anticipating climate-driven shifts in timing, intensity, or length of mosquito seasons).

Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with additional clarification referenced in the full announcement text. In general, CESU opportunities often involve participation by CESU member institutions or partners, and the "Others" category indicates that applicants should carefully confirm eligibility details in the specific notice language. Overall, the grant is structured to produce an integrated national data foundation, defensible seasonal metrics, and forecasting tools that can support public health, natural resource management, and scientific understanding of how mosquito activity responds to a changing climate.

• The Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Desert Southwest CESU" 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 Jun 15, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 27, 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 $125,000.00 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).

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