USAID and NSF seek proposals under the Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research program

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has consistently been engaged in exploring new opportunities so science and technology could be used to address the world’s development issues. USAID as part of its science and technology strategy is also developing mechanisms to leverage the investments that other U.S. government agencies make in scientific research and training. Following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between USAID and the National Science Foundation (NSF), the two agencies implemented a pilot program to assess the potential for USAID-funded collaborative research projects.

In this context, USAID and NSF have announced the launching of a new and broader program called Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER). This competitive grants program seeks proposals from scientists in developing countries to apply for funds to support research and capacity-building activities in partnership with their NSF-funded collaborators on topics of importance to USAID.

Areas of Interest

Areas in which both NSF and USAID have strong mutual interests include, but are not limited to, the following:

•        Food security topics such as agricultural development, fisheries, and plant genomics

•        Global health issues such as ecology of infectious disease, biomedical engineering, and natural/human system interactions

•        Climate change impacts such as water sustainability, hydrology, ocean acidification, climate process and modeling, and environmental engineering

•        Other development topics including disaster mitigation, biodiversity, water, and renewable energy

Proposals Guidelines and Eligible Countries

 When writing their proposals, developing country applicants should consider how their research will contribute to USAID’s development objectives. Additionally, collaborative projects involving multiple developing countries to explore regional issues related to these development projects are encouraged. Pending the availability of funds and the receipt of meritorious proposals, the majority of the PEER funding will be awarded to projects related to the USAID development areas of interest specified above. In addition to projects in these global areas of interest, which may be based in any eligible country (click here to see the list of eligibility countries), the program encourages projects in the following three specific countries:

Indonesia: research projects in any technical area supported under PEER. Projects should be consistent with the objectives of USAID/Indonesia and should also contribute to USAID/Indonesia’s higher education objectives by addressing one or more of the following:

-     Improving instructional delivery through better teaching methods and more relevant curricula in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) field;

-     Enhancing research skills and methods in a STEM field;

-     Building quality extension services that engage external stakeholders on topics related to STEM.

Lebanon: research projects in any technical area, particularly those that promote the participation of female scientists, involve large collaborations that include graduate students, and contribute to the strategic development objectives of Lebanon and the USAID mission.

Philippines: research projects that support biodiversity conservation and improved natural resource management while contributing to the development objectives of USAID/Philippines.

Last date for submission of proposals is November 30, 2011

For more information and details, you can visit this link.