Federal grant programs / Department of Transportation

Pipeline Safety Research Competitive Academic Agreement Program (CAAP) (20.724)

Also known as Competitive Academic Agreement Program (CAAP)

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$15.1 million
• Grant awards21
• Typical award$735,723
• Awarded in FY 2025$2.6 million
• Size rank1,391 of 1,823
• Type of assistanceProject grants

Key findings

• Annual funding rose from $1.8 million in fiscal 2021 to $2.6 million in fiscal 2025.
• It is the 1391st largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 17 largest recipients received 101% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 11 states and territories.

What the program funds

The CAAP initiative is intended to spur innovation by enabling an academic research focus on high-risk and high pay-off solutions for the many pipeline safety challenges. It will potentially deliver solutions that can be “hand-offs” to PHMSA’s core research program of demonstration and deployment. The goal would be to validate proof of concept of a thesis or theory all the way to commercial introduction into the market. Further, the pipeline industry and federal/state regulators are experiencing low numbers of applicants to entry level positions that are technically focused. As such, another goal of the CAAP program is to expose graduate and PhD research students to subject matter that is common to pipeline safety challenges and to illustrate how their engineering or technical disciplines are highly needed in the field. The ultimate benefit would be to cultivate new talent in all aspects of pipelines, similar to how programs at other Federal Agencies and non-profit organizations have encouraged talent to consider a career in a certain field.

From the federal Assistance Listing. Read the full listing on SAM.gov.

Open opportunities

No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.

Rules from the program listing

Who can apply

Applicants must be non-profit institutions of higher education located in the United States or a U.S. territory or possession.

What the money can and cannot pay for

Awards will be made in the form of cooperative agreements, which will play a role in finding the solutions to national, regional and local pipeline operational safety and environmental challenges. Some of these challenges involve having the best technology to efficiently and effectively meet or exceed Federal and State regulatory requirements. Other challenges are in keeping critical industry consensus standards fresh with the latest knowledge and know-how so that people, property and the environment are protected. The following are minimum requirements that all applicants must meet in order to be considered. Failure to meet these requirements at any time pre- or post-award will result in either removing an application from further consideration or grounds for termination of the agreement. The application must include a letter on the submitting institution’s letterhead that certifies these minimum requirements are understood and will be met. The letter must be signed by the Dean or equivalent level of that college, department or program and inserted as Appendix A to the technical application. 1) Eligible applicants are non-profit institutions of higher education located in the United States or a U.S. territory or possession. 2) The academic research agreement will be with the institution and not with individual students. 3) The research scope must be executed by undergraduate, graduate and/or PhD research students.

Continue reading on SAM.gov

Matching requirements

This program has no statutory formula. Pursuant to section 22(b)(2)(C)(ii) of the PIPES Act of 2016 (Pub. L. 114–183), there is a mandatory minimum 20 percent cost-sharing requirement for CAAP agreements. The Federal government cost share shall not exceed 80 percent of the total cost, capped at $1 million. Firm commitment letters for cost sharing must accompany applications, or proposals will not be reviewed.MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Award range and average, in the agency's words

The current program level is $2,000,000. The number of projects awarded depends on the cost and technical strength of the proposals.

Examples of funded projects

Fiscal Year2025: In FY 2025, PHMSA awarded projects within five topics as solicited by the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) # 693JK325NF0003 : 1) Risk Evaluation of Vehicle Strikes on Aboveground Pipeline Equipment and Facilities; 2) Technology, Equipment, or Procedures to Prevent Human Error; 3) Testing, Modeling, and Verifying Strain Capacity in Vintage Pipelines; 4) Non-Metallic Pipe Inspection Technology; and 5) Acceptable Methods for Modeling Shrouding or Obstructions for Pressurized Liquid Releases

Quoted from the program's federal Assistance Listing. The notice of funding opportunity is the official source for each competition's rules.

Who usually wins

Colleges and universities received 92% of the money, nonprofits 8.2%.

By state

7 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.

Award amounts are federal obligations reported to USAspending.gov for fiscal 2021 to 2025; see how our data works.