CESU means Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit.
A CESU is a network of federal agencies, universities, research
associations, state agencies, NGOs, and tribes that share several
science-based goals in the 21st Century: high-quality science,
usable knowledge for resource managers, responsive technical assistance,
continuing education, and cost-effective research programs. A
network of 17 CESUs organized around large bioregions have been
established across the nation to achieve these goals. The
objectives of the CESU Network
are to:
- provide resource managers with high-quality
scientific research, technical assistance, and education;
- deliver research and technical assistance
that is timely, relevant to resource managers, and needed to develop
and implement sound adaptive management approaches;
- ensure the independence and objectivity of
research;
- create and maintain effective partnerships
among Federal agencies and universities to share resources and
expertise;
- take full advantage of university resources
while benefiting faculty and students;
- encourage professional development of Federal
scientists; and
- manage Federal science resources efficiently
Each CESU has a "host" university. The host
university has the responsibility, with some funding from the federal
agencies, to organize agency and university partners into a network that
will work together to provide better research, technical assistance, and
educational programs for the region. The host university, its
university partners, and agency partners are members of a cooperative
agreement. The agreements provide a mechanism through which the
agencies and universities can cooperate to do research, technical
assistance, and educational projects. Participating federal
agencies can use the CESU agreement when appropriate to fund university
faculty to do work without having to issue an RFP. University
faculty can be funded to do work without having to write a proposal that
may or may not be funded. To learn more about starting a project
in the GP-CESU, please visit Start a Project.
Funds for a project that will be done at your university do not flow
through the host institution, but come directly to your institution.
There has been a standard indirect cost rate of 17.5% agreed to by all
partners of the CESU Network (except for the US Forest Service and
Natural Resources Conservation Service, which are limited to zero and
10% indirect respectively).
The CESU Network is coordinated and provided support by the CESU
Council. The Council
includes representatives of participating Federal agencies
operating under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the CESU
Network. A CESU
Council Coordinator is elected by the members.
Interim CESU
Network Coordinator
Dr. Mary Foley
Chief Scientist, Natural
Resources and Science, Northeast Region (Boston Office
Mary_Foley@nps.gov
617-223-5024
For more detailed information about CESUs, please
visit the National CESU Website.
**This page includes information modified from the
Southern Appalachian & Great Basin CESU web sites. |
