Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with North Atlantic Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit | G23AS00435

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What agency is offering this funding opportunity?

This opportunity is offered by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), within the U.S. Department of the Interior.

2) What is the funding opportunity number?

The funding opportunity number is G23AS00435.

3) What program is this opportunity issued under?

This opportunity is issued under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) Program, specifically through the North Atlantic Coast CESU.

4) What type of award is being offered?

The award mechanism is a discretionary cooperative agreement. This typically means USGS expects substantial involvement in the project, such as collaboration on study design, coordination, data sharing, or other scientific involvement (as opposed to a more hands-off grant).

5) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is limited to participating partners within the North Atlantic Coast CESU.

6) What is the main scientific focus of the project?

The project focuses on tick-borne disease ecology, with an emphasis on how tick-borne pathogens interact with the broader tick microbiome and how environmental conditions and host communities shape those interactions.

7) What is the overall goal of the work?

The overall goal is to improve scientific understanding of the biological and ecological drivers that influence pathogen presence and prevalence in ticks, with an emphasis on integrating molecular "omics" approaches with field-based comparisons.

8) What is the central technical approach mentioned in the opportunity?

A central technical component is the use of shotgun metatranscriptomics, along with other omics methods as appropriate, to characterize active biological signals within ticks and evaluate interactions among members of the tick-associated microbial community.

9) Does the project require a multi-domain microbiome perspective?

Yes. The opportunity explicitly calls for a multi-domain approach that considers prokaryotes (bacteria and archaea), eukaryotes (such as protozoa or fungi where relevant), and viruses, rather than focusing on a single group.

10) What kinds of microbiome or pathogen relationships is the study intended to clarify?

By examining microbiota composition and activity, the study aims to clarify how microbial community composition and function may facilitate, inhibit, or otherwise influence tick-borne pathogens.

11) What is the second major component of the work besides omics?

The second major component is field-based comparative research designed to test how environmental factors and potential host animals affect both microbiome composition and tick-borne pathogen prevalence.

12) What does "field-based comparative research" imply for study design?

It implies sampling ticks across contrasting environmental settings and host contexts, then linking ecological variables to measured differences in microbial communities and pathogen detection. Applicants would be expected to build a study design that supports comparisons across sites, conditions, or host assemblages.

13) What kinds of environmental variables are referenced in the opportunity?

Examples listed include habitat type, climate-related conditions, seasonality, land use, and host availability.

14) Does the opportunity emphasize real-world conditions or laboratory-only studies?

The opportunity is framed around understanding relationships in real-world conditions, not only in laboratory settings, indicating that field sampling and ecological context are a key expectation.

15) What is the activity category for this funding opportunity?

The activity category is Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

16) What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The CFDA number listed is 15.808.

17) What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?

The award ceiling is $199,880.

18) When was the opportunity created?

The opportunity was created on 2023-06-28.

19) What was the original closing date for proposals?

The original closing date was 2023-07-28.

20) How many awards are expected?

Expected awards are not specified in the provided information.

21) What is meant by integrating "omics" approaches with field-based comparisons?

Based on the description, the work is expected to combine molecular profiling methods (especially shotgun metatranscriptomics and other omics methods as appropriate) with comparisons across different environmental settings and host contexts to understand how ecology and microbial activity relate to pathogen presence and prevalence in ticks.

22) Is the scope limited to a single type of pathogen or microbial group?

No. The description emphasizes tick-borne pathogens in the context of the broader tick microbiome and explicitly calls for a multi-domain view (bacteria/archaea, eukaryotes, and viruses) rather than focusing on a single group.

23) What role does the CESU Program play in this opportunity?

The CESU Program is described as a network of partnerships intended to support collaborative research, technical assistance, and education connected to natural and cultural resource science. This opportunity is issued under that partnership framework, and eligibility is limited to North Atlantic Coast CESU partners.

24) Why does it matter that this is a cooperative agreement rather than a traditional grant?

The description indicates that a cooperative agreement typically involves substantial involvement by the federal agency (USGS) in the project, potentially including collaboration on study design, coordination, and data sharing, rather than a purely recipient-led project with minimal agency participation.