Social, Behavioral, and Economic Research Needs in Aquaculture - 2019 | NOAA OAR SG 2019 2005953

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA OAR SG 2019 2005953

The Social, Behavioral, and Economic Research Needs in Aquaculture - 2019 opportunity (NOAA-OAR-SG-2019-2005953) is a competitive federal funding announcement from the U.S. Department of Commerce through NOAA's National Sea Grant College Program. Sea Grant, originally established by Congress in 1966 and later amended in 2008 (Public Law 110-394), is built around a federal-state partnership model that draws on universities and research institutions to tackle practical problems and create new opportunities for coastal and Great Lakes communities. In this particular call, NOAA Sea Grant is emphasizing that aquaculture is not only a biological or engineering enterprise, but also a social and economic one, and that progress depends on filling key knowledge gaps about people, institutions, markets, and community impacts.

The central purpose of the funding is to support research that addresses "critical gaps" in social, behavioral, and economic understanding related to U.S. aquaculture and the communities that are affected by it or served by it. In other words, projects are expected to generate applied, decision-relevant knowledge about how aquaculture interacts with communities, consumers, workers, regulators, and industries, and how those interactions can either enable or constrain responsible development. The announcement notes that the initiative is aligned with several guiding frameworks, including the National Strategic Plan for Federal Aquaculture Research and the Sea Grant 10-Year NOAA Sea Grant Aquaculture Vision, and it also builds on prior research conducted by federal, state, and university scientists. That framing signals that NOAA Sea Grant is looking for proposals that connect clearly to identified national needs rather than isolated academic questions.

From a funding standpoint, NOAA Sea Grant anticipated a total pool of about $3,000,000 for this competition, with roughly 13 awards expected. The listed award ceiling is $250,000 per project. Awards are made under either grants or cooperative agreements, which generally indicates that NOAA may have an ongoing programmatic interest in the work and, in the case of cooperative agreements, may expect more substantial interaction during the project period. The opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and sits within the broad activity areas of environment, natural resources, science and technology, and other research and development. The CFDA number associated with the program is 11.417, which is Sea Grant's longstanding federal assistance listing.

The target research areas are explicitly social, behavioral, and economic, meaning strong proposals would typically involve disciplines such as economics, sociology, anthropology, human dimensions of natural resources, public policy, risk communication, governance, community planning, consumer behavior, and related fields. While the announcement text provided does not list specific topic bullets, the intent is clear: NOAA Sea Grant wanted projects that can inform real-world aquaculture decisions, such as how communities perceive and accept aquaculture, how regulations and institutions shape industry outcomes, how markets and supply chains affect profitability and competitiveness, and how aquaculture development influences jobs, equity, and community well-being. The emphasis on "communities impacted and served" suggests attention not only to industry operators but also to residents, coastal users, and other stakeholders who experience benefits and tradeoffs.

Eligibility is described broadly as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)," which commonly means eligibility is not restricted to a narrow set of applicants, but applicants would need to verify the detailed eligibility rules in the full notice. In practice, Sea Grant competitions often involve universities, research institutions, nonprofit organizations, and sometimes state, local, or tribal entities, frequently working in partnerships that match the program's mission of translating research into usable outcomes. The announcement also points applicants to the Sea Grant General Application Guide, which typically provides practical instructions on how to structure a compliant and competitive application, including required proposal sections, budgets, and review criteria expectations.

Key administrative details include a creation date of February 25, 2019, and an original closing date of May 1, 2019. Those dates place the program firmly in the 2019 funding cycle, and they also indicate that applicants had a relatively short window to assemble proposals, reinforcing the importance of using Sea Grant's application guidance and aligning closely with NOAA's stated priorities. Overall, the opportunity reflects NOAA Sea Grant's broader strategy: support applied research that helps coastal communities and aquaculture stakeholders make better decisions, reduce conflict and uncertainty, strengthen economic outcomes, and ensure aquaculture development is socially understood and economically viable, not just technically feasible.

• The Department of Commerce in the environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Social, Behavioral, and Economic Research Needs in Aquaculture - 2019" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.417.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 25, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 01, 2019. (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 $250,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 13 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for NOAA OAR SG 2019 2005953

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