Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with the Californian Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit
Geological Survey · U.S. Geological Survey Research and Data Collection (15.808)
Posted 2 Nov 2026 · 51 days left
In plain terms
The USGS is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research in carbon cycling in seabed mineral environments.
Summary from the donor's own text; the full wording is below.
Summary
The USGS is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research in carbon cycling in seabed mineral environments.
Seabed minerals may contain economically significant concentrations of valuable metals and rare earth elements which are essential to transportation, technological products, and defense and national security applications (i.e., critical minerals; Energy Act, 2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 2025; Hein et al., 2013, 2020). Of particular interest are manganese nodule fields throughout the abyssal Pacific Ocean, including in some U.S. EEZs, which have garnered attention over recent decades as potential areas for deep-sea mineral mining. Still, much more research is needed to understand the environmental settings where these minerals occur, how they form, and potential implications of extraction. This is crucial information for EO 14241, 14285, 14272 and SO 3417.
Carbon cycling is a key component of baseline environmental conditions within offshore resource systems. Sedimentary organic carbon is the primary food source at the base of deep sea food webs, and disturbance from marine mining could significantly alter carbon cycles and decrease benthic microbial and…
Excerpt from the donor's page. The full text, annexes and forms are on the original call.
Who can apply
- Social enterprise or cooperative
Eligibility and conditions
Show the eligibility text from the source
Applicant types: Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
This financial assistance opportunity is being issued under a Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) Program. CESU"s are partnerships that provide research, technical assistance, and education. Eligible recipients must be a participating partner of the Californian Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit.