Deadline: 31-Aug-2026
The YSEALI Regional Workshop is accepting grant applications to support capacity building on secure and resilient global supply chains in Southeast Asia. The program will bring together early-stage professionals from across the region to strengthen knowledge of supply chain risks, security strategies, emerging technologies, and regional collaboration.
The estimated total program funding is $300,000, with an award ceiling of $300,000 and an award floor of $200,000. Eligible applicants include not-for-profit organizations, think tanks, civil society organizations, educational institutions, individuals, public international organizations, and governmental institutions.
What is the YSEALI Regional Workshop Grant?
The YSEALI Regional Workshop Grant supports the design and delivery of a regional capacity-building workshop for early-stage professionals in Southeast Asia.
The workshop focuses on secure and resilient global supply chains and aims to improve participants’ understanding of trade, logistics, risk management, technology, and regional economic security.
It also supports policy-oriented learning and dialogue that can help participants contribute to national-level advocacy and regional cooperation.
Main Purpose of the Workshop
The main purpose of the workshop is to build knowledge and capacity around supply chain security and resilience.
The program aims to:
- Strengthen understanding of supply chain fundamentals
- Help participants identify and analyze supply chain risks
- Explore strategies for secure and resilient supply chains
- Introduce emerging technologies in trade and logistics
- Highlight the importance of critical and rare earth minerals
- Foster regional collaboration and dialogue
- Support policy-oriented thinking among early-stage professionals
- Expand U.S.-ASEAN commercial opportunities
Geographic Focus
The program focuses on Southeast Asia.
It is designed for regional engagement and collaboration among participants from across Southeast Asian countries.
Funding Amount
The estimated total program funding is $300,000.
The award ceiling is $300,000.
The award floor is $200,000.
Applicants should prepare a realistic budget that supports the design, delivery, and expected outcomes of the regional workshop.
Who is Eligible?
Eligible applicants include:
- Not-for-profit organizations
- Think tanks
- Civil society organizations
- Non-governmental organizations
- Public educational institutions
- Private educational institutions
- Individuals
- Public international organizations
- Governmental institutions
For-profit entities are not eligible to apply.
This applies even if they fall under an otherwise eligible category.
Target Participants
The workshop will bring together early-stage professionals from across Southeast Asia.
Participants should be interested in supply chains, trade, logistics, economic security, public policy, technology, and regional cooperation.
The program aims to help participants develop practical knowledge and policy-oriented perspectives that can support advocacy and commercial engagement.
Key Focus Areas
The YSEALI Regional Workshop focuses on supply chain resilience, technology, and regional collaboration.
Key focus areas include:
- Supply chain fundamentals
- Supply chain risk analysis
- Supply chain security
- Supply chain resilience
- Trade and logistics systems
- Cyber threats
- Illegal transshipment
- Geopolitical risks
- Industrial overcapacity
- Emerging technologies
- Critical minerals
- Rare earth minerals
- U.S.-ASEAN commercial opportunities
- Regional cooperation
Supply Chain Fundamentals
The workshop will help participants understand how supply chains operate.
This includes learning about:
- Key supply chain actors
- Trade and logistics systems
- Transportation and distribution processes
- Supply chain governance
- Market and production networks
- Cross-border movement of goods
- Business and regulatory processes
A strong understanding of supply chain fundamentals helps participants identify weaknesses and develop practical resilience strategies.
Supply Chain Risks
The workshop will explore major risks affecting global and regional supply chains.
These may include:
- Cyber threats
- Illegal transshipment
- Geopolitical risks
- Industrial overcapacity
- Trade disruptions
- Regulatory uncertainty
- Weak logistics systems
- Data security concerns
- Supply concentration risks
Participants will learn how to identify, analyze, and respond to these vulnerabilities.
Supply Chain Security and Resilience
The workshop will examine strategies that help supply chains remain secure, reliable, and adaptable.
Topics may include:
- Risk assessment
- Diversification of suppliers
- Secure logistics systems
- Trade compliance
- Cybersecurity measures
- Cross-border coordination
- Resilience planning
- Use of trusted data systems
- Public-private collaboration
U.S. Tools, Frameworks, and Best Practices
The workshop will promote awareness of U.S. tools and best practices relevant to trade, logistics, and supply chain governance.
These may include:
- Intellectual property protection
- Export controls
- Taxation frameworks
- Cybersecurity practices
- Cross-border data flows
- Trade compliance approaches
- Supply chain transparency tools
These areas help strengthen rule-based, secure, and efficient commercial systems.
Emerging Technologies in Trade and Logistics
The workshop will introduce technologies that can improve supply chain visibility, security, and efficiency.
Emerging technologies may include:
- Digital tracking systems
- Blockchain
- Artificial intelligence
- Data analytics
- Automated monitoring tools
- Secure digital trade platforms
These technologies can help detect risks, improve traceability, reduce inefficiencies, and strengthen supply chain decision-making.
Critical and Rare Earth Minerals
The workshop will highlight the strategic importance of critical and rare earth minerals.
These minerals are essential for advanced technologies and key products, including electronics, clean energy systems, defence technologies, and digital infrastructure.
The program will encourage understanding of diversified processing and refining capabilities to support economic prosperity and security in both the United States and Southeast Asia.
Key Concepts Explained
Supply Chain Resilience
Supply chain resilience is the ability of a supply chain to withstand, adapt to, and recover from disruptions.
Supply Chain Security
Supply chain security refers to practices that protect goods, data, systems, and processes from risks such as fraud, cyberattacks, illegal trade, and geopolitical disruption.
Illegal Transshipment
Illegal transshipment occurs when goods are routed through another country to hide their true origin, avoid tariffs, or bypass trade rules.
Critical Minerals
Critical minerals are materials considered essential for economic security, technology, energy, and national resilience.
Rare Earth Minerals
Rare earth minerals are a group of materials used in advanced technologies, including electronics, magnets, batteries, and renewable energy systems.
Cross-Border Data Flows
Cross-border data flows refer to the movement of digital information across national borders, which is important for trade, logistics, finance, and digital services.
What the Workshop Will Support
The workshop will support regional learning, dialogue, and capacity building.
Expected activities may include:
- Training sessions
- Expert presentations
- Peer learning
- Policy discussions
- Case studies
- Technology demonstrations
- Regional dialogue sessions
- Practical exercises on risk analysis
- Networking among early-stage professionals
Expected Outcomes
The program is expected to strengthen knowledge, collaboration, and policy engagement across Southeast Asia.
Expected outcomes may include:
- Improved understanding of supply chain operations
- Better awareness of supply chain risks
- Stronger knowledge of security and resilience strategies
- Increased understanding of emerging technologies
- Greater awareness of critical and rare earth minerals
- Stronger regional professional networks
- Increased policy-oriented engagement
- Expanded understanding of U.S.-ASEAN commercial opportunities
How the Grant Works
The grant will support an eligible applicant to design and implement the YSEALI Regional Workshop.
The selected recipient will be responsible for developing the workshop content, recruiting or supporting participants, managing logistics, delivering activities, and achieving the program’s learning and engagement objectives.
The project should demonstrate strong regional relevance, clear implementation capacity, and alignment with the workshop’s focus on secure and resilient supply chains.
How to Apply
Applicants should prepare a proposal that explains the workshop design, participant strategy, regional relevance, budget, and expected outcomes.
Suggested Application Steps
- Confirm that the applicant is eligible.
- Ensure the applicant is not a for-profit entity.
- Develop a workshop concept focused on secure and resilient supply chains.
- Include learning modules on supply chain fundamentals and risk analysis.
- Address key vulnerabilities such as cyber threats, illegal transshipment, geopolitical risks, and industrial overcapacity.
- Include content on U.S. tools, frameworks, and best practices.
- Add sessions on emerging technologies such as blockchain, digital tracking, and artificial intelligence.
- Include content on critical and rare earth minerals.
- Develop a participant recruitment and engagement plan for early-stage professionals across Southeast Asia.
- Prepare a budget between $200,000 and $300,000.
- Explain expected outcomes and regional impact.
- Submit the application according to the official grant instructions.
Assessment Considerations
Applications should demonstrate clear alignment with the program’s goals and strong capacity to deliver a regional workshop.
Reviewers may consider:
- Strength of workshop design
- Regional relevance
- Applicant experience
- Quality of capacity-building approach
- Understanding of supply chain issues
- Inclusion of emerging technologies
- Focus on critical and rare earth minerals
- Participant engagement strategy
- Budget clarity
- Expected impact
- Ability to foster regional dialogue and collaboration
Why It Matters
Secure and resilient supply chains are essential for economic stability, trade growth, and regional security.
Southeast Asia plays an important role in global trade and production networks, but supply chains face growing risks from cyber threats, geopolitical tensions, illegal trade practices, and market disruptions.
By building knowledge among early-stage professionals, the YSEALI Regional Workshop can help strengthen regional capacity, improve policy dialogue, and support more secure U.S.-ASEAN commercial partnerships.
Tips for Strong Applications
A strong application should clearly show how the workshop will build practical knowledge and regional collaboration.
Applicants should focus on:
- Clear workshop objectives
- Strong Southeast Asia regional focus
- Practical supply chain learning modules
- Strong participant recruitment strategy
- Inclusion of policy-oriented discussions
- Strong expert and partner networks
- Relevant case studies
- Clear treatment of emerging technologies
- Strong focus on critical minerals
- Realistic budget and timeline
- Measurable learning outcomes
Applicants should avoid broad trade-focused proposals that do not clearly address supply chain security and resilience.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Applicants should carefully follow eligibility and program requirements.
Common mistakes include:
- Applying as a for-profit entity
- Submitting a proposal below the award floor
- Requesting more than the award ceiling
- Providing weak regional engagement plans
- Failing to address supply chain risks
- Ignoring cyber threats or illegal transshipment
- Not including emerging technologies
- Omitting critical and rare earth minerals
- Providing vague workshop activities
- Not explaining expected participant outcomes
- Submitting an unclear or unrealistic budget
FAQ
What is the YSEALI Regional Workshop Grant?
It is a grant opportunity to support a regional workshop on secure and resilient global supply chains in Southeast Asia.
What is the funding amount?
The estimated total program funding is $300,000, with an award ceiling of $300,000 and an award floor of $200,000.
Who can apply?
Eligible applicants include not-for-profit organizations, think tanks, civil society and non-governmental organizations, public and private educational institutions, individuals, public international organizations, and governmental institutions.
Are for-profit entities eligible?
No. For-profit entities are not eligible to apply.
What topics will the workshop cover?
The workshop will cover supply chain fundamentals, risk analysis, security and resilience strategies, emerging technologies, critical and rare earth minerals, and U.S. tools and best practices.
Who are the target participants?
The workshop will bring together early-stage professionals from across Southeast Asia.
What technologies will be discussed?
Relevant technologies include digital tracking, blockchain, artificial intelligence, and other tools that improve supply chain security and efficiency.
Conclusion
The YSEALI Regional Workshop Grant supports capacity building on secure and resilient global supply chains in Southeast Asia. With funding between $200,000 and $300,000, the program will help early-stage professionals understand supply chain risks, emerging technologies, critical minerals, and regional commercial opportunities.
Strong applications will present a clear workshop model, strong regional engagement, practical supply chain expertise, credible partnerships, and measurable outcomes that support secure, resilient, and prosperous U.S.-ASEAN trade relationships.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.