Program Synopsis: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Sciences Foundation (NSF) are working together to support the third cycle of Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) Science. PEER Science is a competitive grants program that invites scientists in developing countries to apply for funds to support research and capacity-building activities on topics of importance to USAID and conducted in partnership with their NSF-funded collaborators.
Contact Information: PEER Science is being implemented by the National Academies, which will manage the proposal review process and disburse and monitor grants awarded. Beyond the current program cycle, it is expected that solicitations for PEER Science will be issued at least annually, with details to be posted at http://www.nationalacademies.org/peerscience. For further information, please contact the program staff atpeer@nas.edu.
Topics: 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
- 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
When writing their proposals, developing country applicants should consider how their proposed research and/or capacity building activities will contribute to USAID’s development objectives. Collaborative projects involving multiple developing countries that explore regional issues related to these development objectives are encouraged. Pending the availability of funds and the receipt of meritorious proposals, the majority of PEER Science funding will be awarded to projects related to the USAID development areas of interest specified above. Applicants are encouraged to consult the list of projects funded in Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 of PEER Science and in the special PEER-PIRE 2012 cycle for examples of the topics and types of projects supported. Proposals focused on basic science topics without clear relevance to USAID development objectives are strongly discouraged. In addition, no health-related research will be supported under PEER Science. Researchers working on health-related topics may wish to explore opportunities offered by the PEER Health Program.
For more information: http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/dsc/peerscience/PGA_071743