Special Research Grants Program for Aquaculture Research (USDA-NIFA-SRGP-011856)

Special Research Grants Program for Aquaculture Research (USDA-NIFA-SRGP-011856)

Historical status

This page is a historical reference for the FY2026 Special Research Grants Program for Aquaculture Research. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) posted that cycle on May 14, 2026, with an application deadline of June 15, 2026. The official Grants.gov record now shows the opportunity as archived on July 15, 2026. The NIFA opportunity page and program page checked for this update do not announce a FY2027 application window or deadline.

The date in the front matter remains the real FY2026 deadline so the archive preserves what applicants were asked to meet. It should not be read as an open deadline. There is no confirmed current cycle to apply to from this page. Anyone planning a future submission should monitor NIFA’s aquaculture program page and the Grants.gov listing for a new notice rather than reuse the FY2026 deadline or assume that the same requirements will carry forward.

FY2026 facts at a glance

The FY2026 NOFO describes the available amount as approximately $1,813,000 in its executive summary, while the NIFA opportunity page and the Grants.gov record report estimated total program funding of $1,813,840. The award range is consistent across the NIFA listing and the NOFO: individual requests were expected to fall between $50,000 and $300,000. The maximum award was $300,000, and the NOFO described a standard two-year project period.

Purpose and research priorities

NIFA established this program to support a vibrant, robust, and profitable aquaculture industry in the United States. The FY2026 notice focused on applied research that generates science-based information or technology addressing actual constraints on domestic aquaculture. The intended benefits included better industry profitability, a smaller seafood trade deficit, stronger domestic food security, expanded markets for U.S.-produced products, and more jobs in rural and coastal communities.

The FY2026 application had to directly address a major constraint to the U.S. aquaculture industry and focus on at least one of four program area priorities:

1. Genetics and genomics of commercial aquaculture species.
2. Critical pest and disease issues affecting commercial aquaculture species.
3. Farmer profitability through novel technologies, improved production systems, or more effective management strategies for commercial aquaculture species.
4. Economic research aimed at increasing commercial aquaculture profitability.

The notice limited the program to applied research. A proposal therefore needed more than a scientifically interesting question. It had to explain the industry problem, identify the intended users of the results, describe a credible route from research to use, and show how the work could increase U.S. aquaculture production or profitability in the short or medium term. The NOFO specifically asked applicants to describe expected progress one to five years after the grant ended.

U.S. aquaculture industry involvement was also required. NIFA gave examples such as a U.S. aquaculture producer serving as a co-project director or partner, or an industry advisory committee that could include producers, producer organizations, feed manufacturers, or the animal health industry. The application had to budget for timely release of results and explain how the findings or technology would reach end users beyond direct scientific peers.

The disease priority had an important boundary: proposals centered on pathogens that pose a risk to humans or human food safety, rather than pathogens affecting aquaculture species, were outside the program’s scope and would not be accepted for review. The FY2026 notice also called for statistical power analyses when appropriate and required applicants to explain experimental design, experimental units, replication, and sample size for each experimental group.

Eligibility

The official NIFA program page and FY2026 NOFO identified these eligible applicant categories:

• State Agricultural Experiment Stations.
• Colleges and universities, including junior colleges offering associate degrees or higher.
• University research foundations.
• Other research institutions and organizations.
• Federal agencies.
• National laboratories.
• Private organizations or corporations.
• Individuals who are U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents.
• A group consisting of two or more entities from the categories above.

Foreign and international organizations were not eligible institutions. The FY2026 notice also stated that USDA would not accept competitive applications for dangerous gain-of-function research as defined in Section 8 of Executive Order 14292. Duplicate or multiple submissions were prohibited; NIFA said it would disqualify both applications if a project director submitted duplicate or multiple applications.

Eligibility alone did not establish program fit. A qualifying organization still needed a project that addressed U.S. aquaculture, satisfied at least one listed priority, included industry involvement, and met the applied-research and knowledge-transfer requirements. A broad agricultural technology proposal without a clear commercial aquaculture connection would not have met the FY2026 program framing.

Award structure and budget considerations

The FY2026 program offered grants rather than a continuing application arrangement. NIFA listed an award range of $50,000 to $300,000 and no matching requirement. The NOFO described an anticipated six to seven awards and a 24-month grant duration. The notice also said a two-year project funded from FY2026 appropriations had to start before October 1, 2026. A no-cost extension could be possible for a third year, but the notice did not permit a project to continue beyond three years from its start date.

The lack of a matching requirement did not remove the need for a credible budget. The requested amount had to support the proposed experiments, industry participation, data work, reporting, and transfer of results. The NOFO limited indirect costs to the lesser of the institution’s applicable negotiated calculation or 30 percent of total federal funds awarded, subject to the detailed rules in the notice. A future round could change these limits, so archived FY2026 budget guidance should not be copied into a later application without checking the replacement NOFO.

FY2026 application process

The following steps describe the closed FY2026 process and are retained for applicants who need to understand the archive or prepare for a comparable future NIFA notice:

1. Register early with Grants.gov. The NOFO required electronic submission and directed new users to complete Grants.gov registration before submitting. NIFA recommended that applicants contact their organization’s authorized representative before beginning to assess readiness for electronic submission.
2. Locate the correct package. Applicants searched Grants.gov using funding opportunity number USDA-NIFA-SRGP-011856, then used the application package and the version of the NIFA Grants Application Guide included with that package.
3. Assemble the federal forms. The package included the SF-424 R&R Cover Sheet, Project/Performance Site Location(s), Other Project Information Form, Senior/Key Person Profile, budget materials, and the Supplemental Information Form. The program name and code had to be entered accurately as Special Research Grants Program for Aquaculture Research and AQUA.
4. Write the project summary and narrative. The project summary had to connect the project goals to the AQUA program goals. The project narrative was limited to fifteen pages of 1.5-spaced text, with specified font requirements, and could include directly relevant appendices such as letters of support.
5. Add required attachments. A data management plan was required for every project. A mentoring plan was required when the project involved student or participant training or mentoring, and a logic model was required for all projects. Applicants also needed the applicable senior-personnel, budget, conflict-of-interest, and other attachments listed in the NOFO and application guide.
6. Run an administrative review. Attachments had to be in PDF format, and applicants were instructed to check the submitted-file manifest, follow the Grants.gov instructions, verify the designated email address on the SF-424 R&R, and review the full package before submission. Partial or noncompliant applications risked exclusion before scientific review.
7. Submit electronically by the deadline. FY2026 applications were due by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on June 15, 2026. Grants.gov handled technical support, while NIFA listed grantapplicationquestions@usda.gov for electronic access and application questions. These contacts and instructions may change in a future cycle.

Required project narrative content

The FY2026 NOFO gave the narrative a defined structure. The introduction needed a long-term goal, supporting knowledge, relevant preliminary data or information, and references for cited work. The rationale and significance section needed to explain why the work should be performed by the proposing institution, identify the primary program area priority, document expected improvement in aquaculture profitability or productivity, estimate the problem’s importance to stakeholders, and describe industry participation in problem identification, planning, implementation, and evaluation.

The objectives section needed clear project objectives and an explanation of dependencies and potential pitfalls. The approach section needed the activity sequence, methods, feasibility, partner roles and qualifications, expected outcomes, analysis methods, intended use of products or results, communications and technology-transfer plans, near- or medium-term production impact, impact evaluation and reporting, student engagement where applicable, anticipated pitfalls, and safety procedures for hazardous materials or activities. A project timeline had to show how the objectives fit within the requested duration.

The package also required a data management plan explaining how the project director and co-project directors would manage and disseminate generated data. A mentoring plan, when applicable, was limited to two pages and needed to describe mentors, trainees, activities, and expected outcomes. The required logic model could be narrative or chart form, but it had to connect activities to outputs and outcomes. These requirements make the archived NOFO useful as a checklist for a future proposal, while the future notice remains the controlling document.

How to use this historical entry

Do not submit against the June 15, 2026 deadline: that competition is closed and the listing is archived. Do not treat the $50,000 to $300,000 range, 24-month duration, required attachments, or eligibility rules as guaranteed for a later cycle. They are documented FY2026 facts. If NIFA announces a new AQUA NOFO, compare its funding year, deadline, priorities, applicant rules, forms, page limits, and attachment requirements with this archive before updating a proposal or this page.

For future monitoring, start with the official NIFA aquaculture program page and its Special Research Grants link. The NIFA opportunity page remains the source for the archived FY2026 posting, while the FY2026 NOFO preserves the detailed application instructions. The program page also identifies previously funded AQUA projects and the aquaculture input contact, which can help a prospective applicant understand the program’s subject area without implying that a new competition is open.

Official records

• NIFA FY2026 opportunity page
• NIFA Special Research Grants for Aquaculture Research program page
• FY2026 AQUA Notice of Funding Opportunity (PDF)

The official records support the FY2026 purpose, priorities, award range, eligibility, no-match rule, application method, and deadline recorded above. As of this review, they do not provide a confirmed FY2027 deadline.