Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit | G26AS00134

FAQs: USGS Cooperative Agreement to Improve the INHABIT Tool (Opportunity G26AS00134)

What is this funding opportunity about?

This opportunity is a USGS cooperative agreement focused on improving the Invasive Species Habitat Tool (INHABIT), a web-based decision-support tool. The funded work is intended to translate practitioner feedback into concrete upgrades and new products that land and resource managers can use to anticipate where invasive plants are likely to occur and how to prioritize early detection and rapid response.

What is INHABIT?

INHABIT is a web-based tool built around habitat suitability modeling and related predictive products. Its purpose is to support practical invasive plant management decisions by helping users identify likely locations for invasive plant occurrence and guiding surveillance and response planning.

Who is offering the award?

The award is being offered by the USGS Fort Collins Science Center.

What type of award is this?

This is a discretionary cooperative agreement under the CESU Program. A cooperative agreement is designed for substantial collaboration between USGS and the recipient, rather than a more hands-off grant structure.

What is the main purpose of the funded work?

The core purpose is applied research and development that turns end-user (practitioner) feedback into operational tool upgrades and new, usable products inside INHABIT. The emphasis is on producing science-based outputs that are immediately useful for real-world invasive species prevention, early detection, and management planning.

Why does the notice emphasize early detection and search strategies?

The notice highlights that before treatment can happen, managers need effective search strategies to find infestations early. Early detection can lower costs, improve outcomes, and increase the chance of eradication compared with responding only after species become widespread and entrenched.

What kinds of products or modeling outputs does INHABIT support?

The opportunity describes several types of outputs and products tied to INHABIT, including habitat suitability models (to indicate likely locations of occurrence), invasive species watch lists (to prioritize which species to monitor), and phenology models (to help time surveys or treatments around life-cycle stages when detection and control may be most effective).

What are the specific research and development priorities in the notice?

The notice lists priorities that include: integrating new webtool features based on manager requests gathered through USGS-led virtual roundtables; refining how invasive species watch lists are created to make them more useful and defensible; improving how uncertainty is represented and communicated in modeled outputs; and producing a forward-looking plan for the next version of INHABIT.

What does it mean that this work should be "operationally embedded" in the tool?

It means the expected deliverables are not limited to academic or conceptual research outputs. The improvements and products should be integrated into INHABIT in a way that practitioners and partner agencies can use directly for decision making.

How is practitioner feedback expected to shape the project?

The notice indicates that USGS-led virtual roundtables captured manager requests. The funded project is expected to convert that practitioner feedback into tangible upgrades and products within the INHABIT webtool.

Who is eligible to apply?

The opportunity is restricted to eligible partners within the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) network.

How many awards does USGS expect to make?

USGS expects to make one award.

What is the maximum funding amount?

The award ceiling is $490,000.

What is the opportunity number and CFDA number?

The opportunity number is G26AS00134 and the CFDA number is 15.808.

What are the key dates listed in the posting?

The posting lists a creation date of June 5, 2026, and a closing date of July 5, 2026.

What kind of collaboration is expected with USGS?

Because this is a cooperative agreement, the recipient is expected to work closely with USGS as an active partner. The arrangement is described as substantial collaboration, rather than USGS simply providing funds and stepping back.

What skills or team capabilities does the notice suggest are needed?

The selected CESU partner is expected to assemble a team or collaborations that collectively cover invasion ecology, statistical programming, remote sensing, and web application development.

Is the project expected to build a standalone tool?

No. The effort is described as building within a larger existing USGS project focused on the geographic distribution of plants across the United States. That framing implies the work should integrate new research outputs into an established system rather than creating a separate, standalone product.

What does the notice say about uncertainty in model outputs?

One of the listed priorities is to develop clearer ways to represent and communicate uncertainty in modeled outputs so users can better understand confidence, limitations, and appropriate use in decision making.

How does this opportunity connect to broader management needs?

The notice frames the work as supporting stronger, "gold standard" science in decision making and aligning with management needs tied to wildfire risk, border-related spread pathways, and broader protection of US land and water resources.

What would a competitive proposal need to demonstrate, based on the notice?

Based on the posting, a competitive proposal would show it can translate end-user needs into scientifically credible and technically robust upgrades, deliver improvements that are embedded in INHABIT, and produce outputs that agencies can use immediately for invasive species prevention, detection, and management planning.