Accelerating development through science innovation and partnership

USAID The United States Agency for International Development is an independent U.S. government agency that works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential

USAID works in over 100 countries to:• Promote broadly shared economic prosperity;• Strengthen democracy and good governance;• Protect human rights;• Improve global health; • Advance food security and agriculture; • Improve environmental sustainability;• Further education;• Help societies prevent and recover from conflicts; and• Provide humanitarian assistance in the wake of natural and man-

made disasters.

The U.S. Global Development Lab

USAID is spearheading a bold, new approach to discover, test, and scale solutions to help people lift themselves out of poverty.

The U.S. Global Development Lab (The Lab) will accelerate the application of science, technology, innovation, and partnerships to solve some of the most complex development problems more cost-efficiently and effectively.

The ApproachCollaborate with host-country counterparts, entrepreneurs, world-class experts from corporations, NGOs, universities, and science and research institutions to solve development challenges more cost-efficiently and effectively

The Lab will:▪ Source, discover, and scale new technologies and innovations; ▪ Build partnerships to co-design new solutions and take them from

pilots to global impact; ▪ Inspire, strengthen, and link the brightest young minds in America

with those in our partner countries; and ▪ Improve USAID’s development impact by supporting scientific and

innovative approaches to strategic decision making, procurement, and program design

The Lab Focus Areas

▪ Food Security & Nutrition

▪ Modernizing Food Assistance

▪ Ending Preventable Child & Maternal Deaths

▪ Energy Access

▪ Water Solutions

▪ Child Literacy

▪ Financial Inclusion

▪ Rights, Participation, and Accountability

▪ Humanitarian Response

The Lab Builds on Success

The Lab builds on the work of the former offices of Science and Technology and Innovations and Development Alliances, which produced a record of success, including:

▪ Five Grand Challenges for Development▪ Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) program▪ PEER Program▪ Seven HESN Development Labs▪ Over 1,500 public-private partnerships with more than 3,000

unique partners▪ New partnership with U.S. government agencies – NASA,

National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of State, National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, U.S. Geological Survey, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture

PEER

▪ Launched in July 2011, PEER is a joint program between USAID and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), the Smithsonian Institution, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) administered by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS)

▪ PEER provides research funding to developing country scientists conducting development-oriented research in collaboration with U.S. Government-funded researchers

▪ Collaborations can be new or existing, but the U.S. Government-funded partner does need to have funding at the time the PEER proposal is submitted

Overlay of PEER collaborations on top of Bornmann, Mutz, Stefaner, and Moya data visualization available at: http://www.excellencemapping.net/about.html.

The PEER Model

PEER is a USAID-funded competitive grants program to support research and capacity-building activities for developing country scientists who are working in partnership with their U.S. Government-funded collaborators on topics of importance to USAID (e.g., water, climate, biodiversity, disaster mitigation, renewable energy).

PEER proposal reviewed for feasibility and

development impact

4

Developing country scientistapplies to PEER for support to

facilitate collaboration

3U.S. researcher receives eligible funding from a participating Federal

Agency

1

PEER award made to developing country scientists to address local and global development

challenges through outstanding science

5

2

U.S. and developing country scientist form collaboration based on

complementary interests

+

U.S. Government-funded Partner

PEER Awards to Date

PEER Science• Cycle 1

– 488 proposals from 63 countries

– 41 grants, $5.5 million to support projects in 25 countries

• Cycle 2– 237 proposals from 54

countries– 54 awards, $7.5 million to

support projects in 32 countries• Cycle 3

– 258 proposals from 50 countries

– 39 awards, $6.1 million to support projects in 23 countries

PEER Health• Cycle 1

– 186 proposals from 26 countries

– 16 grants, $6.4 million to support projects in 10 countries

• Cycle 2– 30 proposals from 2 countries– 5 grants, $2 million to support

projects in Indonesia and the Philippines

PEER Applicant Eligibility Summary  

• National of a developing country and working in a PEER-eligible country• Meets country specific eligibility criteria for focus area to which applying• Affiliated with and permanently based at an academic, non-profit,

government-managed research institution or relevant government ministry in a PEER-eligible country

U.S. Government-Supported Partner Eligibility Summary

• PI or Co-PI of an active research award from U.S.-Government agency participating in the PEER program; U.S. Government-funded partner awards must be active for twelve months prior to completion of the PEER award

• PI or Co-PI meets agency specific eligibility criteria• U.S. Government-funded partner’s expertise aligns with and contributes

to the PEER proposal.• U.S.-Government funded partners not eligible to receive PEER funding

Features of RFP:General Eligibility

Open Call: All Research Areas  

• Topics in line with USAID development objectives• Mission objectives• Proposals that include multi-disciplinary research teams, multi-country

collaboration, and/or engagement with policy actors and other development stakeholders are highly desired but not required

• Projects that develop or test new solutions, study barriers of scaling proven interventions, or research how a proven intervention can be adapted to a new setting are of particular interest

Water Resource Management

• USAID Water Strategy• Capacity building and evidence-based decision making for sustainable

utilization of water resources for competing needs, i.e., people, agriculture, industrialization, and ecosystems

• S&T to address local and global development challenges in water resource management

Features of RFP:Research Topics - Jordan Eligibility

Application Timeline  

• January 9, 2015 - Pre-proposal due for first round review• February 13, 2015 - Selected applicants invited to submit full proposal• March 30, 2015 - Full proposals due for scientific merit and development

impact review• July 2015 - PEER awardees announced

Budget

• 1 - 3 years• Single institution: $40,000 - 80,000 per year• Multiple institutions: $80,000 - 120,000 per year• No funding support for U.S. partner

Features of RFP:Application Process

PEER Review Process

U.S. Government Agency verifies the good standing of the linked award or researcher

Pre-proposals are reviewed by USAID Missions and Operating Units for assessment of specific country relevance on development topic proposed

Eligible PEER proposals reviewed by panel of technical experts with development experience or knowledge

With above information and consideration of PEER portfolio, final PEER award decisions will be made by USAID, with grants disbursed by NAS

To learn more

• http://www.nationalacademies.org/peer

• For more information: peer@nas.edu; usaidpeer@usaid.gov; peer-nsf@nsf.gov

After coffee break

• How to identify a U.S. partner

• How to write a successful proposal

PEER Partners

Convince potential partner that your project will enhance her/his research

Benefits to U.S. Partner

▪ Increases global scope and fosters international collaborations

▪ Bolsters research effectiveness

▪ Accesses local knowledge▪ Accesses resources

▪ Facilities▪ Unique ecosystems▪ Geological formations▪ Hydrological regimes

Benefits to PEER Partner

▪ Funds research towards scientific innovation

▪ Links into international research community

▪ Develops science diplomacy▪ Realizes development

objectives▪ Informs policy and practices▪ Provides data for evidence-

based programs▪ Incorporates new technologies

Various Collaborations

Existing collaboration with U.S. partner

http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/PEER/PGA_069368

U.S. researcher already working in Jordan without collaboration

U.S. researcher working in similar field but not in Jordan

http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/PEER/PEERscience/PGA_084064

U.S. researcher working in different but complementary field

Finding an NSF partner - Demo

water AND irrigation AND drought

Title includes Jordan or Middle East

Partial list can be provided

Audience examples

Tips for a successful proposal

• Is your research question well articulated?

• Are the objectives clear?• Is your project feasible?• Have you conducted a

literature review of previous work?

• Is your expertise appropriate to carry out the work? What about your US partner?

• Is the timeline appropriate?

• Are there clear development impacts?

• Do they fit USAID priorities in your country?

• Does the project have broader impacts?

• Is there a training component? How many students? How many female participants?

• Are local communities engaged?

• Is there an outreach/dissemination component?

To learn more

• http://www.nationalacademies.org/peer

• For more information: peer@nas.edu; usaidpeer@usaid.gov; peer-nsf@nsf.gov