Harmful Algal Bloom Field Validation Program: Aquatic Nuisance Species, Broad Agency Announcement Special Topic Area. | W81EWF 22 HAB BAA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81EWF 22 HAB BAA

The Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Field Validation Program is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers funding opportunity (Department of Defense) aimed at tackling freshwater harmful algal blooms, often driven by cyanobacteria, that disrupt waterways, infrastructure, and operations and create major economic and environmental costs. The core purpose is not basic research or small lab trials, but real-world field validation: taking prevention and management technologies that already have evidence from lab or pilot testing and proving how well they work at operationally relevant scales in actual freshwater environments. The program is looking for approaches that can be deployed broadly, perform reliably, and remain cost-effective across different waterbody types (for example, flowing rivers and streams versus still lakes and reservoirs) and across different climate and ecoregion conditions in the United States.

The announcement emphasizes practical HAB prevention and management outcomes tied to water resources development projects, meaning projects connected to Corps-related or similar engineered water systems and infrastructure. Proposed work is expected to focus on determining the causes of HABs and/or applying technologies to detect, prevent, manage, or eliminate HABs in those settings. A major expectation is that projects will produce decision-grade evidence, including detailed cost and performance data. That data is intended to guide future use, support technology transfer, and make it easier for other sites to adopt proven solutions. In other words, the deliverable is not just "it worked here," but "here is how well it worked, what it cost, what conditions mattered, and what it would take to scale or replicate elsewhere."

In terms of what the funder wants to see, proposals are expected to align with at least one of several stated objectives. Strong proposals will show clear potential to significantly reduce HAB frequency and impacts in water resources development contexts. They may also feature new or innovative methods, including technologies emerging from the Corps' Freshwater Harmful Algal Bloom Research and Development Initiative authorized under Section 1109 of WRDA 2018. Another priority is leveraging what already exists: using and integrating existing federal and state datasets and aligning with ongoing agency programs and activities, rather than duplicating monitoring or rebuilding data systems from scratch. There is also an explicit geographic preference: projects that address HAB problems associated with water resources development projects within certain focus areas are favored.

While projects can be located anywhere in the nation, preference is given to field validation efforts in six focus areas: the Great Lakes; tidal and inland waters of New Jersey; coastal and tidal waters of Louisiana; the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta waterways in California; the Allegheny Reservoir Watershed in New York; and Lake Okeechobee, Florida. Beyond those preference areas, the opportunity also signals an interest in producing results that can be applied more broadly, including across multiple water resources development projects or federally constructed reservoirs, with particular mention of the Upper Missouri River Basin and the North Platte River Basin. This reflects the program's emphasis on solutions that are scalable and transferrable, not one-off demonstrations that cannot be repeated.

There are also clear boundaries on what is and is not responsive. Proposals that focus extensively on general water quality issues, including drinking water impacts, are not needed under this topic at this time, which suggests the sponsor is trying to keep the scope centered on HAB prevention and management in operational water resource settings rather than broader public water supply treatment questions. In addition, proposals that use Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) for monitoring or surveying will not be considered, so applicants need to plan field validation and monitoring using other methods (for example, in-water sensors, fixed platforms, sampling programs, satellite products where applicable, or other non-UAS approaches).

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary funding opportunity under a Broad Agency Announcement special topic area, using a cooperative agreement mechanism, which typically implies substantial involvement or collaboration with the government during the project. The CFDA number listed is 12.630. Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning any type of entity may apply, subject to any additional requirements in the full announcement. The posted maximum award amount is up to $4,000,000, with an expectation of around five awards. The opportunity was originally posted May 23, 2022, with an original closing date of July 15, 2022, under funding opportunity number W81EWF 22 HAB BAA.

Overall, the program is best understood as a push to move promising HAB technologies from controlled trials into credible, field-proven tools that water resource managers can justify adopting. The strongest applications are likely to be those that (1) target a real HAB problem tied to water resources development infrastructure, (2) validate a technology or integrated technology suite that is already beyond the concept stage, (3) produce rigorous cost and performance evidence suitable for broader adoption and permitting, and (4) demonstrate coordination with existing governmental datasets and programs while avoiding excluded approaches like UAS-based monitoring.

• The Department of Defense, Dept. of the Army -- Corps of Engineers in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Harmful Algal Bloom Field Validation Program: Aquatic Nuisance Species, Broad Agency Announcement Special Topic Area." and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.630.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 23, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 15, 2022. (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 $4,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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