Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Californian Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit | G24AS00409

Opportunity Information: Apply for G24AS00409

This opportunity is a US Geological Survey (USGS) discretionary funding announcement for a cooperative agreement focused on strengthening and advancing the OpenET program toward operational readiness. OpenET is a software-and-data system that produces evapotranspiration (ET) estimates from remote sensing, and the core purpose of this award is to support continued development of the OpenET software system, ET data production workflows, and the assessment and improvement of data quality. The work is framed as applied science and technology and other research and development, with an emphasis on producing refined ET information that can be trusted and used in real-world water management decisions affecting both human water use and natural ecosystems.

A major theme of the award is building and applying technical capacity for OpenET at the system level, not just producing research results. The selected CESU partner is expected to contribute expertise in OpenET software system architecture, including development work needed to support robust, scalable, and maintainable operations. The description also highlights the need for expertise in multi-sensor data fusion frameworks, meaning approaches that combine observations from multiple satellite sensors and related data sources to produce more consistent, accurate, and spatially and temporally complete ET estimates. Alongside the technical development, the award anticipates substantial coordination and management responsibilities, including organizing and supporting the OpenET science team and aligning that work with other OpenET consortium activities so that technical decisions, scientific evaluation, and partner needs stay coordinated.

The intended outcomes are strongly tied to practical deliverables that improve how remote-sensing-based ET estimates are generated, evaluated, and delivered to users. In addition to producing ET data, the project is expected to support data assessments and quality improvements, which can include validation activities, uncertainty characterization, consistency checks across space and time, comparisons among models or sensors, and improvements to processing and quality assurance practices. These deliverables are positioned to support USGS water mission planning as well as external OpenET partners and broader user communities that rely on ET information for planning, allocation, conservation, habitat needs, and drought and irrigation management.

This funding is issued specifically through the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program, which is a network of partnerships used by federal agencies to obtain research, technical assistance, and education services. Eligibility is limited: applicants must be a participating partner in the Californian CESU. The listing identifies the agency as the Geological Survey (USGS) and provides the opportunity number G24AS00409 under CFDA (Assistance Listing) 15.808. The instrument type is a cooperative agreement, which typically means USGS expects substantial involvement during the project, such as collaboration on scope, methods, milestones, and deliverables rather than a hands-off grant relationship.

Key administrative details included in the announcement are an award ceiling of $440,000 and an original closing date of July 26, 2024, with the opportunity created on June 25, 2024. The opportunity description does not specify the number of expected awards in the provided text, but it makes clear the intent is to fund a CESU-affiliated partner that can combine software engineering leadership, remote sensing and ET science support, multi-sensor fusion development capability, and program coordination to help OpenET mature into an operationally viable, high-quality ET data system for water management applications.

• The Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Californian Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit" 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 2024-06-25.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-07-26. (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 $440,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for G24AS00409

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