Research and Development for Cuban Bulrush Management | W81EWF 24 SOI 0017

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81EWF 24 SOI 0017

The grant opportunity titled Research and Development for Cuban Bulrush Management (Funding Opportunity Number W81EWF 24 SOI 0017) is a targeted research effort led by the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) to improve how managers control Cuban bulrush in aquatic systems, especially across the southeastern United States where the plant has become a persistent problem. The award is offered as a discretionary cooperative agreement in the Science and Technology / Research and Development category (CFDA 12.630), with a single anticipated award up to $125,000. Applications were due April 26, 2024, and the opportunity is limited to non-federal partners within the Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU), meaning only organizations that qualify under that CESU partnership framework are eligible to compete.

The work is organized around four linked objectives that move from gathering real-world management experience to controlled testing and then back into field validation. Objective 1 focuses on outreach to practitioners, emphasizing direct engagement with resource managers and aquatic plant professionals who are actively dealing with Cuban bulrush. This includes attending or participating in regional aquatic plant management meetings and stakeholder gatherings to document what strategies have been tried, what seems to be working or failing, and how much managers currently understand about the species. A key point is that the information collected here is not just descriptive; it is intended to shape and improve the design of later research, specifically the protocols used in mesocosm studies and the selection of treatments to test in field trials.

Objective 2 turns to field monitoring of ongoing management operations. Rather than starting from scratch, the project tracks real management activities already happening on the ground to evaluate operational effectiveness. The goal is to identify practical improvement points by learning from both successes and failures in current practices. In other words, it is meant to capture what happens under real constraints such as timing, access, infestation density, environmental conditions, and application practices, and then use those observations to refine recommendations.

Objective 3 is the main controlled research component and evaluates chemical and integrated pest management (IPM) approaches for both biotypes of Cuban bulrush using mesocosm experiments (tank-based, semi-controlled conditions). The project specifically calls for testing foliar-applied herbicide treatments on well-established Cuban bulrush mats and includes evaluation of tank mixes involving 2,4-D, diquat, flumioxazin, triclopyr, florpyrauxifen-benzyl, and glyphosate. The mesocosm setting is intended to provide clearer cause-and-effect evidence for which active ingredients or combinations perform best, and under what conditions, before investing in broader field applications.

Objective 4 builds directly on the mesocosm findings by taking the most promising treatments into field studies. The emphasis here is efficacy against well-established populations, including larger growth forms described as tussocks. This objective is also framed around producing usable outputs: the recipients are expected to generate peer-reviewed publications documenting the performance of herbicides as well as any mechanical control methods and IPM technologies evaluated under Objectives 3 and 4. Beyond publications, the program expects practical best management practice recommendations that resource managers can apply, translating experimental results into guidance for real-world Cuban bulrush control programs.

Several administrative and compliance notes are highlighted in the opportunity. Eligibility is restricted to non-federal Gulf Coast CESU partners, so organizations outside that network cannot receive the award. The announcement also stresses that disclosures of current and pending support are important; failing to disclose, or having disclosures that raise conflicts or other concerns, may make an applicant ineligible. ERDC may request updated support information both before an award and throughout the project period, and those updates can affect whether funding continues. Finally, the notice reiterates that religious organizations may compete on equal footing with secular organizations for federal financial assistance, consistent with Executive Order 13798 on free speech and religious liberty.

• The Engineer Research and Development Center in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research and Development for Cuban Bulrush Management" 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 2024-02-27.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-04-26. (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 $125,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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