Desalination and Water Purification Research Program: Research Projects FY25 | R24AS00421

Opportunity Information: Apply for R24AS00421

The Desalination and Water Purification Research Program: Research Projects FY25 (Funding Opportunity Number R24AS00421) is a Bureau of Reclamation funding opportunity that supports water treatment research aimed at making desalination, water purification, and reuse safer, cheaper, more energy-efficient, and less environmentally damaging. Awards are made as cooperative agreements, meaning recipients should expect active involvement from Reclamation during the project rather than a hands-off grant. The program is oriented toward practical research and development that can improve how impaired or nontraditional water sources (such as brackish groundwater, recycled water, or other challenging supplies) are treated to meet standards for a clearly defined beneficial use.

The technical scope is intentionally broad, but it is organized around clear priority objectives. Projects can focus on reducing the cost, energy use, and environmental footprint of treating impaired waters; improving membrane and pretreatment systems (including reverse osmosis, electrodialysis, nanofiltration, and related filtration methods); and advancing next-generation desalination approaches such as better energy recovery and systems powered by renewable energy. Another major emphasis is on concentrate (brine) management, with an interest in approaches that are feasible at scale and that reduce cost and environmental impacts. The opportunity also encourages research on selective removal of nutrients and other target contaminants, recovery of valuable byproducts generated during desalination (to offset treatment costs and reduce waste impacts), and improved intake and outfall methods for coastal facilities to reduce harm to marine ecosystems, including reducing impingement and entrainment and limiting impacts to benthic communities.

Beyond the core desalination process, the NOFO highlights water reuse and emerging-contaminant challenges. Applicants are invited to study pathogen removal performance and variability across treatment trains used for reuse, with the goal of strengthening confidence in treatment reliability. There is also interest in better real-time monitoring: identifying improved indicators or surrogates that correlate with process performance in desalination and reuse scenarios, and developing online or near-real-time analytical techniques to measure them. Another priority area is understanding and controlling hazardous transformation products that can form during treatment for reuse, including methods to minimize their formation or remove them once formed. Finally, the NOFO places explicit attention on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other contaminants of concern, supporting work to improve detection, characterization, monitoring, and separation, as well as entirely new technologies or processes to destroy PFAS and related problem compounds.

Applicants may be able to use Bureau of Reclamation research infrastructure if testing space is needed. The notice specifically mentions the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility (BGNDRF) in Alamogordo, New Mexico, and the Water Quality Improvement Center (WQIC) in Yuma, Arizona, as potential locations to support experimental work, piloting, or validation. This can be especially relevant for teams that need specialized desalination equipment, brackish source waters, or a controlled setting to compare treatment configurations.

Eligibility is wide and includes state, county, and local governments; special districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)); individuals; and for-profit organizations, including small businesses. The activity area is categorized as science and technology and other research and development under CFDA 15.506. The application deadline listed is November 13, 2024. The award ceiling is $800,000, with an expected 10 awards, indicating a competitive program designed to fund a set of focused, research-driven projects with clear technical outcomes and potential for real-world adoption in desalination, purification, and water reuse.

• The Bureau of Reclamation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Desalination and Water Purification Research Program: Research Projects FY25" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.506.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-09-11.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-11-13. (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 $800,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Individuals, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.

Apply for R24AS00421

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