The NCCOS Competitive Research Program (CRP) is pleased to announce a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to develop and transition technologies and strategies for preventing, controlling, or mitigating harmful algal blooms (HABs) and their impacts. This funding opportunity seeks to develop and commercialize promising technologies and their field application by end users to reduce the incidence and severity of HABs, control their spread, and lessen ecological and socio-economic impacts related to HABs.
The Prevention, Control and Mitigation of Harmful Algal Bloom (PCMHAB) program is soliciting proposals focused on the comprehensive testing of HAB control technologies that fit one of the two following focal areas: (1) promising control technologies that are in need of further testing to prove feasibility; and (2) proven control technologies that are still in need of large-scale field testing or that have been approved for other situations (e.g. oil spills) that could be transferable to control HABs in the marine environment.
The marine and fresh waters of the United States are increasingly impacted by the growing environmental problem of HABs. Costs from a single HAB event can range from millions to billions of dollars due to broad economic and societal impacts. The toxins produced by some HAB species accumulate in organisms such as marine mammals and shellfish, finfish and other seafood, and directly impact human health. The need for effective, economically feasible HAB control technologies has increasingly been identified by both the public and private sectors.
Funding is contingent upon the availability of Federal appropriations. NCCOS CRP PCMHAB expects to fund three to five projects for three to five years each, with an approximate annual budget of $500,000 – $1,000,000 for each project, depending on the focal area. Proposals may request up to $500,000 per year for up to 3 years (focal area 1) or up to $1,000,000 per year for up to 5 years.
Letters of intent are due April 14, 2026. Full applications are due July 9, 2026. View the full NOFO here.
This work is authorized under the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act (33 U.S.C. §§ 4001 et seq.).