Deadline: 19-Jun-23
The U.S. Consulate General, Mumbai at the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a program to create a Digital Guide on Internationalization: Simplifying U.S.-India Higher Education Institution (HEI) Collaboration and Partnerships, which will assist individuals interested in creating linkages between higher education institutions in the United States and India by:
- Providing information with clickable links on a website as a “digital guide” where individuals can look for specific information that will remain live for the duration of the grant with the possibility of maintaining and updating the guide for up to 5 years. The guide “launchpage” will serve as a general information page with links covering all topics.
- Creating an online asynchronous course with password protection that gives definitions, explanations, and examples to help an institution develop a partnership, units that proceed sequentially with quizzes, and interactive chats for participants.
- Developing a second part of the course as a capstone project that participants can select to join. This will provide direction on how to create an agreement or actionable educational partnership. The participantswillcomplete course, draft a proposal and receive feedback from an expert for up to three revisions. Part 2 will be time bound and removed from the course after capstone projects are submitted and participants for travel identified
- Creating and leading a selection process with input from the Consulate to choose 12-15 course participants to travel to the United States for a seminar/study tour to learn about internationalization efforts at U.S. universities. Coordinating all logistics, meetings at U.S. HEIs, travel, participation at conferences, and escorting participants on the U.S. trip.
- Preparing for the possibility of maintaining and updating the digital guide and content online for up to five years through a second funding tranche if funding is available and work meets quality standards.
Project Goal
- Develop partnerships between Indian and U.S. higher education institutions to build education connections and capacity. India may benefit from U.S. expertise in integrating vocational skills, multi-disciplinary education, and research within its higher education system. Indian higher education institutions (HEI) are currently working with U.S. counterparts in a limited manner and need support to engage, host, and build collaborations with their U.S. counterparts.
- If Mission India develops the capacity of Indian HEIs to internationalize their campuses and follow a strong model for developing new partnerships, this will increase the number of partnerships and reinforce the contribution of American institutions in higher education. These partnerships will contribute to other important USG goals in security, democratic governance, public health, human rights, sustainability, and other fields.
Program Objectives
- Objective 1: By mid-2025, 200 Indian HEIs will engage content in the guide to build relationships with U.S. universities.
- Objective 2: By the end of the first six months of the grant, the grantee will complete the guide content and present it on a single webpage where users can see all topics or click “take the course.”
- Objective 3: 50 Indian HEIs will take the course. Through a series of documents, quizzes, and videos they will understand elements and definitions related to partnering and be guided in creating partnerships with U.S. colleges.
- Objective 4: 25 HEIs will choose to develop a non-funded capstone project by March 2024, from which 12-15 will be selectedto join a funded trip to visit U.S. HEIs.
- Objective 5: All Indian representatives of HEIs who go on the HEI USA tour will use contacts to pursue agreements that PD Mission India can follow and evaluate the next 5-10 years.
Funding Information
- Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $150,000 to a maximum of $250,000
- Length of performance period: 18 months
Project Audience(s):
- Mid-career professionals of all genders working as volunteers or as fulltime employeesat higher education institutions in India seeking partnerships with universities in the United States. Target audiences will be selected by the grantee following a targeted social media and online publicity campaign. Embassy/Consulate Public Diplomacy offices will make the final decision.
- The partner organization will develop and implement a digital guide and course. The digital guide will be information-based to share information about all elements of HEI partnerships. The digital course will guide participants through a capstone project and will be removed from the site once the capstone project proposal period is complete; the digital guide will remain live. The guide “launch page” will serve as a general information page with links covering all topics and will also have a button to “Take the Course.” The course will be completed by participants within four months, using media such as video or podcasts, audio files, and an online workbook. Each course module will be divided into chapters or units that can be used as standalone presentations by Embassy staff and/or linked from the digital guide.
- Participants following the full course will then participate in 3-4 live chats via telephone conference line, social media platforms, or chats with other participants. To complete the course, each participant will write a report of an activity completed, such as writing an article or leading a workshop. These will be gathered, scanned, and reviewed by the partner and a USG representative. From those who complete the course, 12-15 participants will be selected by the partner organization in consultation with the U.S. Consulate Mumbai, to meet and travel to the United States. The aim of this seminar/study tour is to build bridges and connect thinkers to develop university partnerships.
Priority Region: India
Eligibility Criteria
- The following organizations are eligible to apply:
- Not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations based in the United States with 501c3 status and an ability to work in India
- Not-for-profit FCRA eligible organizations in India
- Public and private educational institutions
For more information, visit Grants.gov.