Deadline: 14-Oct-20
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is seeking Concept Notes from qualified entities to implement the Critical Infrastructure Digitalization and Resilience (CIDR) to the 2020 Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity (CIC) Annual Program Statement (APS).
In collaboration with contractual mechanisms aimed at government-level support, this activity intends to support the entities tasked with operating and overseeing critical infrastructure through the combination of regional working groups composed of sector-specific E&E critical infrastructure entities with the potential targeted bilateral support to individual countries.
CIDR objectives include the following:
- Accelerate the development of the workforce among critical infrastructure entities to protect against and respond to threats from malign actors, particularly cyber-attacks.
- Empower critical infrastructure entities in Europe and Eurasia to identify and address threats to critical infrastructure and facilitate the export of U.S. technology and expertise to counter these threats.
- Establish the policies, frameworks and coordination bodies necessary to empower critical infrastructure entities to protect and improve the resilience of critical infrastructure key resources.
- Establish robust information sharing networks between national and regional critical infrastructure entities, promoting coordinated and collaborative responses to threats to critical infrastructure.
- Improve U.S. security through application of lessons learned from this USAID supported activity by U.S. critical infrastructure entities.
Duration
- Expected start dates for awards under CIDR are January 2021 with a period of performance until September 30, 2025.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligibility for this Addendum is not restricted. Consortia applications are allowed and encouraged, but only one organization can serve as the Prime on an award. For the purpose of this Addendum, suitable partners are those with a clear path to substantially and sustainably improve critical infrastructure digitization and resilience in Europe and Eurasia over the course of the award.
- All potential partners are restricted to submitting one Concept Note as the lead applicant. If more than one application is received with the same lead or that has the same proposed project director, USAID will seek written clarification from the relevant office(s) of sponsored programs regarding which Concept Note should be considered for review. If clarification is not resolved within two business days, both applications will be deemed ineligible. Alternatively, a signed letter from an authorizing official can be submitted with Concept Notes by the submission date to clarify and verify that the applicant has the sole official support from the organization. The verified concept note will be accepted for evaluation, and all other concept notes submitted by the partner will be deemed ineligible for non-compliance with the conditions of this Addendum. They will be notified accordingly via email.
- USAID welcomes applications from organizations that have not previously received financial assistance from USAID.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=328760