Deadline: 04-Jun-21
The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Consulate in Karachi is pleased to announce an open competition seeking proposals for a grant, contingent on funding, to establish a university partnership between one or more accredited U.S. four-year universities and the University of Sindh and/or Shah Abdul Latif University.
Pakistan’s educational development suffers recurrent setbacks as a result of limited research capacity and poor-quality academic publishing among university faculty and scholars. According to the Pakistan Higher Education Commission (HEC), only 21 percent of full-time faculty at Pakistani universities holds a PhD, while some universities do not have any professors with doctoral qualifications. Meanwhile, the research produced by academics and scholars in recent years have been the focus of allegations of plagiarism or fabricated research brought on by the push among public sector universities to increase their standings in international rankings. This has resulted in the closing of more than 100 doctoral programs.
Project Goal
This funding opportunity seeks to strengthen the research capacity of institutions in Pakistan (University of Sindh and/or Shah Abdul Latif University), develop stronger U.S. – Pakistan educational ties, and promote support for students fromminority groups.
Project Objectives
This program seeks to strengthen the research culture and capacity of institutions in Pakistan and to enhance the academic, research, and knowledge exchange environment for faculty in Pakistani universities. The program will also promote understanding of American history and culture through exposure to the success of U.S. institutes of higher education in addressing the needs of minority students.
Program proposals may address but are not limited to the development and implementation of faculty and student exchange programs, research and academic collaboration, virtual teaching of research methods, exchange of resource materials and publications of mutual interest, raising professional development for faculty, and curriculum development and/or revision.
Funding Information
- The award floor is $30,000; the award ceiling is $100,000.
- The duration of the award will be up to 18 months starting from August 2021 to February 2023.
Audiences
The primary audience for this project will be 20-30 administrators and faculty at the selected public sector universities in Pakistan. Indirectly, more than 40,000 students will benefit from improved research capacity and publishing and improved inclusion of minorities.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligibility is open to international non-profit organizations.
- Organizations may sub-award or subcontract with other entities, but only one non-profit organization can be the prime recipient of the award.
- Pakistan government entities are not eligible to apply.
- For-profit entitles are not eligible to be the prime recipient of an award under this NOFO.
- When sub-awarding or subcontracting with other entities, the responsibilities of each entity must be clearly defined in the proposal.
- The applicants must submit proof of their non-profit status with their proposal submission (e.g. proof of 501(c) (3) status, Pakistan NGO license).
- Applications that do not include proof of non-profit status will not be considered for an award. Individuals are not eligible for an award under this NOFO.
- U.S.-based or registered organizations should provide proof of registration to operate in Pakistan or have a documented agreement with a partner organization registered to operate in Pakistan.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=333337
