Regional Aquaculture Center Program

To carry out research, to facilitate or expand promising breakthroughs in areas of the food and agricultural sciences of importance to the Nation and to facilitate or expand ongoing State-Federal food and agricultural research programs.

Not Applicable

NIFA will evaluate applications using the evaluation criteria described in the Notice of Funding Opportunity. In general, NIFA evaluates applications using a two-part process. First, NIFA screens each application to ensure that it meets the administrative requirements set forth in the Notice of Funding Opportunity. All administrative requirements must be met in order for the application to proceed to the next level of review. Second, a scientific peer-review process is used to technically evaluate applications that have met the administrative requirements using a review panel.

This program has no statutory formula. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Fiscal Year2026: Funding will be provided to the 5 regional aquaculture centers that over the past decades have solved critical issues for U.S. aquaculture and drastically expanded the scope of U.S. aquaculture by developing new species, like sturgeon in the U.S., creating industries and jobs in rural and coastal areas.