U.S. Mission to Serbia: 2023 University Partnership Program

Deadline: 19-Apr-23

The Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications for the University Partnership Program.

Objectives

• The U.S. Embassy works to assist the Serbian people to strengthen democracy, rule of law, and the protection of human rights; help fight brain drain and advance the country’s economic development; promote regional stability and cooperation; cooperate with international partners to combat crime, terrorism, human trafficking, and other global challenges; and make further progress towards Serbia’s accession into the European Union. They also strive to explain U.S. policies, culture, society, and values to Serbian audiences and deepen ties between the two countries.
• University partnership proposals should support these goals while facilitating lasting connections between Serbian and American institutions of higher education.
• Proposals can involve in-person and/or virtual exchanges for students, faculty, and/or administrators as well as any of the following activities: curriculum development; needs assessments; joint online courses; joint research projects; development of a joint degree program; development of a study abroad program; sharing of best teaching practices and instructional methods; support for participation in academic conferences or student competitions (e.g., moot court, Model U.S. Congress, Model United Nations); establishing an American Studies course or academic program; setting up a center focused on American Studies; and/or establishing or strengthening a career development center or a research and development center.
• They welcome proposals which provide Serbian students and professors:
  • American academic perspectives on shared areas of interest and lessons learned from the American experience in the focus subject(s);
  • Insights into current research and academic debates in the U.S. on the focus subject(s);
  • The chance to engage in discussions and debate with their American counterparts; and/or
  • The opportunity to experience and assess teaching methodologies used in American university classrooms.

Themes

• The Embassy is seeking applications that focus on any of the following academic fields:
  • Social Sciences
    • International Affairs
    • Security Studies
    • Mediation, Peace, and Conflict Resolution Studies
    • Regional or Area Studies: European Studies, Eurasian or Russia Area Studies, Asian Studies, Western Balkan Studies
    • American Studies / American Minority Studies / American Gender Studies
    • U.S. History
    • U.S. Government and Politics
    • Law and Human Rights
    • Holocaust Studies
    • Journalism
  • Education
    • Civics Education / Teaching of Social Studies
    • Holocaust and Tolerance Education
    • Special Education (for students with physical and/or learning disabilities)
    • Educational Technology (incl. distance learning)
  • Economics / Business / Management / Economic Development / Entrepreneurship, specifically
    • Agro-business and Agricultural Development
    • e-Commerce, e-Business
    • Renewable & Sustainable Energy Studies
    • Tourism Management / Cultural Preservation / Museum Management
    • Local Economic Development

Note:  If your institution is interested in developing a partnership focused on other academic fields beside the ones listed, please contact PDS early in the application process to see if that field would be acceptable within the framework.

Funding Information

• Length of performance period: 6 to 30 months (including the evaluation)
• Number of awards anticipated: 1-5 awards (dependent on dollar amounts of the grants)
• Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $60,000 to a maximum of $450,000
• Total available funding: $450,000

Participants and Audiences

• Participants or primary audiences for university partnership proposals should be Serbian and American students, professors/academics, and/or administrators.
• Depending on focus, projects may have secondary audiences or beneficiaries including media, civil society organizations or wider professional audiences, which you may note in the proposal.
• If your project idea might involve citizens of any other countries.

Priority Region: Serbia

Eligibility Criteria

• The following entities, from Serbia or from the United States, are eligible to apply:
  • public universities in the Republic of Serbia;
  • accredited U.S. universities (public or private);
  • non-profit educational foundations legally registered in the United States with the demonstrated capacity to fulfill the objectives outlined in this NOFO, i.e., to set up one or more university partnership programs.
• To be eligible for consideration, every Serbia-based applicant organization must be registered in the territory of the Republic of Serbia with the Agencija za privredne registre (APR), or a relevant court.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.