NPS Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Units (CESU) Master Cooperative Agreements

The National Park Service (NPS) is seeking applications for Master Cooperative Agreements from CESU network participants to support research, technical assistance, education, and capacity building that is responsive to long-standing and contemporary science and resource management priorities. The CESU network is a national consortium of Federal agencies, tribes, academic institutions, state and local governments, nongovernmental conservation organizations, and other partners working together to support informed public trust resource stewardship. The NPS plans to create Master Cooperative Agreements with CESU partners to carry out the CFDA program 15.945, Cooperative Research and Training Programs – Resources of the National Park System. • The objectives of the CESU program are to provide usable knowledge to support informed decision making, ensure the independence and objectivity of research, create and maintain effective partnerships among Federal agencies and universities, take full advantage of university resources, encourage professional development of current and future Federal scientists, resource managers, and environmental leaders, and manage Federal resources effectively. • The NPS is required under the "Research Mandate" to ensure the management of NPS units is enhanced by the availability and utilization of a broad program of the highest quality science and information. • Annually, the NPS obligates between $30M and $40M in CESU cooperative agreements agency-wide, with individual projects typically lasting up to five years and averaging approximately $60,000 per agreement. • The NPS plans to award Master Cooperative Agreements to support various projects, including research, technical assistance, education, and capacity building, with a focus on addressing natural and cultural heritage resource issues at multiple scales and in an ecosystem context.