Competitive Academic Agreement Program (CAAP)
General Grant Program Information
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) FY 2026 CAAP NOFO solicits research proposals from nonprofit institutions of higher education for the Pipeline Safety Research and Development (R&D) Program. This program is authorized by section 12 of the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-355) and 49 U.S.C. § 60117(l). The CAAP competitive research announcement will focus on the following objectives:
- Early corrosion prediction for pipelines and implementing appropriate mitigation measures.
- Economical and novel agents to mitigate internal or external pipeline corrosion due to microbial-induced corrosion.
- Artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted software package to assist with composite repair design.
- AI-assisted software tool for interpretation of standards/regulations and properly applying the requirements.
- Non-destructive inspection technology for cast iron pipeline inspection.
- AI-enhanced liquid pipeline leak detection methodologies.
Eligibility Information
Applicants must be nonprofit higher education institutions located in the United States or a U.S. territory. PHMSA encourages partnerships among institutions, as well as with the pipeline industry or private organizations, provided the industry or private organization doesn’t exceed the contribution of the applying college/university. PHMSA will only accept one application per topic from each applicant. This means one university can have multiple applications. However, one applicant (PI) can submit only one application per topic.
Funding Information
PHMSA plans to award up to $4 million in CAAP funding for FY 2026, with no more than $1 million in Federal funding per award. Applicants may submit multiple applications, but can submit only one application per topic, each capped at $1 million.
According to § 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.
Contact Information
NOFO-Related Questions:
Dwayne Cross
Agreements Officer
Acquisition Services Division
E-mail: Dwayne.Cross@dot.gov
Program Contact:
Nusnin Akter
CAAP Program Manager
E-mail: nusnin.akter2@dot.gov
Disclaimer:
The Dashboard provides users with a high-level overview of relevant Federal discretionary grant programs. The information in the Dashboard is maintained as a secondary resource and may not be updated with the most recent changes to each program's primary guidance materials. Accordingly, please refer to the Federal grant-making agency for the most comprehensive and up-to-date information on a grant opportunity in the Dashboard.