Partners

The Hawaiʻi-Pacific Islands CESU comprises almost 30 partner organizations, including 11 federal departments and agencies such as the Department of Defense and the National Park Service and 17 nonfederal organizations and institutions. The host institution for the HPI-CESU is the University of Hawaiʻi. (Note that this page needs to be updated with our new partners, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, American Bird Conservation, Huliauapaʻa, and Koʻihonua!)

On this page:

Federal Agency Partners

Non-Federal Partners

CESU National Network and Partnering

The CESU Network incorporates 16 federal agency partners, more than 335 academic institutions, and over 135 other nonfederal partners (e.g., tribal, state, and local government agencies; museums, aquariums, zoos, and arboretums; nongovernmental organizations). The CESU Council welcomes the addition of new partners to the network. Periodic announcements may be issued to enhance program awareness and direct interested agencies and organizations to additional information. In accordance with the CESU Network interagency Memorandum of Understanding, the CESU Council shall establish policies and standard operating procedures guiding the activities of the network. This memo establishes a standard process for new partner application, approval, and enrollment for all CESUs. Each CESU is expected to implement these steps from this date forward.

Please see the 2020 New Partner Memo on how to apply to become a partner within the National CESU Network.

Additional guidelines for the new member application and approval process are also located on the National CESU website

Step 1: Acquiring the New Member Application

Interested federal agencies should contact the CESU Network National Office with inquiries. For each individual CESU, the CESU Director shall set the deadline(s) for soliciting and accepting applications (e.g., accepts new partner applications on a rolling basis throughout the year or on a semi-annual or annual basis). Additionally, the CESU Director may invite an applicant to attend their annual CESU partner meeting for an in-person or virtual presentation and interview as part of the application process. The following outlines required elements for the application for enrollment in a particular CESU.

Step 2: New Member Application Review

After submission of an application for enrollment, the CESU Director will distribute the application package to all existing federal and nonfederal partner representatives. The CESU Director shall determine the timeline and method for comments and review.

Step 3: New Member Approval for Non-Federal Applicants

Once existing partners have reviewed the new partner application, the CESU Director solicits a vote in favor/not in favor of selection of the applicant for enrollment. The CESU Director shall determine the timeline and method of voting (e.g., via email or in person at the annual meeting). Approval is determined by a super majority (i.e., two thirds or greater) of votes from existing partners in favor of selection for enrollment. The CESU Director informs the applicant of the outcome of the review and approval process.

Please contact the HPI-CESU director if your organization is interested in joining the HPI-CESU.

Step 4: Alterations for Cooperative and Joing Venture Agreements

Upon enrollment of a new federal partner or approval of a new nonfederal partner applicant for enrollment, the CESU Director sends notification and new partner application materials to the CESU Network National Coordinator with request to prepare an amendment to the CESU agreement. The CESU Network National Office prepares an amendment to the CESU agreement, officially adding the new partner(s). The amendment shall be prepared within four weeks of receipt of materials from the CESU Director.

Step 5: Amendments and the Review Process

The CESU Network National Office distributes the amendment to the new partner(s) and Host University for review and signature. The new partner(s) and Host University process the amendment, returning their respective completed signature pages by email to the CESU Network National Office. The amendment must be signed by an appropriate official, with authority to commit institutional resources in a binding multi-year federal cooperative and joint venture agreement (e.g., for federal partners – agency administrator, regional director, division or branch chief; for nonfederal partners – president, executive director, chief financial officer, vice president for research, authorized organizational representative, director of sponsored programs).

The amendment is fully effective upon receipt of the new partner and Host University signature pages. Once the amendment is in effect, the CESU Network National Office works with the CESU Director to distribute a digital copy of the fully executed amendment to all existing partners for their files and posts the amendment to the CESU Network national website.

Step 6: The Shift As An Active Member

Once the amendment is in effect, the new partner is expected to actively participate in the CESU and CESU Network activities, in fulfillment of the roles and responsibilities of a nonfederal or federal partner as described in the CESU agreement.

Additional Information

Guiding Documents and Materials

• Fact Sheet: Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units - describes the CESU program
• Fact Sheet: Cooperative and Joint Venture Agreements - describes how cooperative and joint venture agreements are utilized to conduct collaborative research among partners of the CESUs.

CESU Projects Criteria

• The objectives of the project must be consistent with the scientific objectives found in the HPI CESU Cooperative Agreement (CA) and its Mission Statement. All projects must follow the criteria described in the "CESU Project Criteria" memorandum.
• • All projects funded via the HPI-CESU must be in concordance with our current cooperative and joint venture agreement between HPI-CESU and the federal government Cooperative and Joint Venture Agreement 2019-2024

• Decide whether a cooperative agreement under the HPI-CESU is the correct funding instrument (project must meet CESU Project Criteria).

• Work with the federal agency’s technical representative to decide upon the project’s scope of work, project deliverables, timeline, and budget.

• Submit to your organization's grants office a completed application for federal assistance (form SF424), an SF424A budget information form (non-construction), and an SF424B non-construction assurances form. These forms are available on the National CESU website under Nonfederal Partner Standard Forms.

• Along with the federal forms you should submit a scope of work or a draft of the federal cooperative agreement to your grants office. In the case of the University of Hawaii, all forms and scopes of work must be submitted via the online grant submission system (myGRANT system). More information on myGRANT system.

• The maximum indirect cost rate (overhead) that can be charged on a cooperative agreement falling under the Hawaii-Pacific Islands Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (HPI-CESU) and all other units in the national CESU network is 17.5%. University of Hawaii has determined that the IDC base is Total Direct Costs.

• Notify your grants office where and to whom the signed SF424 forms should be emailed within the sponsoring agency. Once a final copy of the cooperative agreement has been signed by both the partner university and the sponsoring agency, please send a copy of that agreement to HPI-CESU Director: Sharon Ziegler-Chong .

• Project work can begin once your institution has set up an account for the project expenses.