Call for Applications: Information Resilience, Cybersecurity, Responsible Technology Practices, and Security of Points Program

Deadline: 31-Oct-2024

Applications are now open for the Information Resilience, Cybersecurity, Responsible Technology Practices, and Security of Points Program to enhance strategic competitiveness in the MENA region through advancing a secure, open, and rights-respecting digital future, countering illicit technological activities, promoting responsible innovation, ensuring the integrity and resilience of digital ecosystems, and safeguarding critical points of entry from potential security-sensitive breaches, thereby fostering regional stability and economic prosperity.

Lines of Effort (LOEs)

• Applicants are invited to propose activities that contribute to one or more of the following Lines of Effort (LOEs):
  • LOE 1: Resilience of Information Space/Information Integrity – Counter problematic activities in the information space that influence established opinion leaders, emerging voices, and other key constituencies while building regional diplomatic relationships.  Possible interventions include, but are not limited to
    • Enhance civil society, media, and governments’ resilience in the MENA region against information manipulation efforts, including propaganda, disinformation, influence operations, press manipulation, economic coercion, elite capture, and financial inducements by problematic foreign actors.
    • Foster expertise on various emerging geopolitical issues among policymakers, academics, and/or journalists, such as by leveraging the know-how of experts within and outside the region, with an emphasis on building the capacity of policymakers and publics to sustain independent conversations about problematic activity and influence.
    • Support civil society and media’s ability to provide accurate and credible information on corruption, economic, security, and human rights issues of problematic foreign actors, including information manipulation.
  • LOE 2: Responsible Technology Practices – Counter or compete with efforts by problematic actors to leverage or make gains in the local development of advanced, sensitive, and/or emerging technologies. Possible interventions include, but are not limited to:
    • Provision of resources, advisory services, and financing for various trusted infrastructure options, including 5G and Open RAN, undersea cables, data centers, internet exchange points, fiber and tower infrastructure, satellite communications, and global cloud infrastructure (particularly those used for critical infrastructure and government operations).
    • Support the enabling environment in partner countries–including through policies, best practices, civil society strengthening, education, and others– to promote responsible development, use, and/or oversight of emerging technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, robotics, biotechnology).
  • LOE 3:  Responsible Cyberspace and Digital Ecosystems – Counter efforts from problematic state actors to dominate cyberspace and digital ecosystems by promoting rights-respecting practices, fostering responsible innovation, promoting national-level cybersecurity best practices, amplifying economic benefits, and promoting data flow across borders.  Possible interventions include, but are not limited to:
    • Supporting efforts to shape and implement rights-respecting practices, policies, regulations, and other safeguards that govern the digital ecosystem consistent with international law to sustain an open, interoperable, secure, and reliable Internet, while maintaining respect for human rights online.
    • Facilitating responsible innovation, development, and investment within the digital economy that supports national and regional security.
    • Amplifying the economic benefits of creating an open, interoperable, secure, and trusted Information and Communication Technology (ICT) environment that meets international standards and best practices.
    • Promoting the free flow of data across borders in the digital economy.
  • LOE 4: Points of Entry/Ports Infrastructure Security – Counter efforts by problematic foreign state actors to provide technological equipment, infrastructure, training, and services that compromise the security and integrity of sensitive data for a country’s points of entry and state-owned ports.  Possible interventions include, but are not limited to:
    • Assist with the provision of trusted alternatives to technology solutions, such as biometrics and security scanning equipment, traveller data and targeting equipment, commercial anti-spyware, or communications equipment at points of entry and state-owned commercial ports.
    • Assist countries to strengthen security protocols, including surveillance systems, biometric access controls, and data privacy at points of entry and commercial ports against the actions and influence of problematic foreign actors.
    • Advance transparent governance and procurement of technology solutions, at both the national and sub-national levels, for points of entry and state-owned commercial ports.
    • Offer training and engagement for host nation staff and policy makers on best practices for points of entry to support domestic and regional security.

Funding Information

• Total Program Funding: $3,700,000
  • Award Ceiling: $1,500,000
  • Award Floor: $100,000

Duration

• 1 to 3 years

Geographic Focus

• In this announcement, NEA/AC seeks to support activities benefiting countries in the MENA region.  For the purposes of this SOI, the MENA region refers to the following countries and areas: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestinian Territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

Eligibility Criteria

• All applicants must be legally registered or incorporated entities prior to submitting a SOI under this announcement. Applicants who receive this announcement are free to propose partnerships, sub-grants, or consortia with other entities to enhance the quality of their SOI.
• Applicants and partners, subcontractors, or consortium members, include, but are not necessarily limited to, registered U.S. and non-U.S. non-profit organizations; for-profit organizations and small businesses; private voluntary organizations; foundations; private institutions of higher education, public or state institutions of higher education; and faith-based and community institutions.  NEA/AC strongly encourages applications from civil society organizations headquartered in the Middle East and North Africa region.
• They encourage applications from organizations working with underserved communities, including women, people with disabilities, and youth.

Ineligibility Criteria

• The following activities will not be entertained under this announcement or in subsequent proposals submitted by applicants to NEA/AC:
  • Projects that support individual political parties or attempts to advance a particular political agenda;
  • Social welfare projects that purely provide service-delivery or humanitarian assistance;
  • Activities that appear partisan or that support individual or party electoral campaigns;
  • Medical and psychological research or clinical studies using human subjects;
  • Projects of a commercial or profit-making nature;
  • One-time events, such as stand-alone conferences and one-off round tables;

For more information, visit Grants.gov.