OpportunityTitle: NOAA Sea Grant 2017 Aquaculture Initiative: Addressing Impediments to Aquaculture Opportunities
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: The following entities are eligible to apply to this funding opportunity: Sea Grant College Programs, Sea Grant Institutional Programs, Sea Grant Coherent Area Programs, the National Sea Grant Law Center, and the National Sea Grant Library.  Each entity can submit up to three separate proposals.  Other interested parties are encouraged to work with the Sea Grant Programs in their region or topic of interest to explore opportunities for partnering. Contact information for all eligible state Sea Grant programs can be found at http://seagrant.noaa.gov/WhoWeAre/Leadership/SeaGrantDirectors.aspx or may also be obtained by contacting the Agency Contact listed in Section VII.  Federal agencies and their personnel are not permitted to receive federal funding under this competition; however, federal scientists and other employees can serve as uncompensated partners or co-Principal Investigators on applications. Federal labs and offices can also make available specialized expertise, facilities or equipment to applicants but cannot be compensated under this competition for their use, nor can the value of such assets be used as match.
Description: Depending on appropriations, NOAA Sea Grant expects to have available a total of $3,000,000 between fiscal years 2017 and 2018 for a national initiative focused on answering key questions impeding the development and expansion of sustainable United States marine, coastal, and Great Lakes aquaculture. Successful applications must outline small scale projects, business plans, workshops, etc. that seek to address key questions, barriers, or hurdles impeding the advancement of new or developing aquaculture initiatives that will contribute to the continuing growth of United States aquaculture production. This Federal Funding Opportunity includes information needed to apply, and the criteria for applications requesting up to $150,000 in total federal funding for a six-month to two-year period. Non-Federal matching funds of at least 50% are required (for example, a project receiving $100,000 in federal funding must include at least $50,000 in matching funds, for a total project budget of $150,000). Applications are requested that meet all of the following program objectives: (1) supports aquaculture of ocean, coastal, or Great Lakes species (including state- and federally-managed species) and related production of such efforts occurring in the coastal zone (as defined by the Coastal Zone Management Act &#8211; to include the Great Lakes Region), including state waters and the terrestrial coastal zone, and federal waters; (2) directly addresses key questions, barriers, or hurdles of domestic aquaculture development that currently limit the development of new or developing aquaculture initiatives (these can include research, extension, technology transfer, legal activities, small scale projects, business plans, and workshops, for example); (3) utilizes a team approach that fully integrates at least one Sea Grant program, and at least one end-user or public-private partnership in the effort; Awards are anticipated to start no later than September 1, 2017. Additional applications from this competition may be selected for funding in fiscal year 2018.
GrantorContactEmailDescription: Work
GrantorContactText: For information regarding the NOAA Sea Grant 2017 Marine, Coastal and Great Lakes National Aquaculture Initiative, please e-mail oar.hq.sg.aquaculture@noaa.gov; Mailing Address: Attention: Aquaculture, NOAA Sea Grant; 1315 East-West Highway, SSMC3, R/SG; Silver Spring, MD 20910. Questions about this funding opportunity may be sent to oar.hq.sg.aquaculture@noaa.gov.