CFAs: Promoting STEM Education and Youth Entrepreneurship (Armenia)

Deadline: 28-Mar-2024

The U.S. Embassy Yerevan, of the U.S. Department of State, announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out program(s) that will enhance cooperation in higher education in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), entrepreneurship, and social entrepreneurship fields in Armenia, and will promote entrepreneurial thinking and capacity building among youth.

Project Goals & Objectives

• This NOFO comprises two (2) separate projects. Applicants must have the experience and resources to reach the target objectives, goals and audiences.
  • Project 1: U.S.-Armenia Higher Education Partnership in STEM and Social Entrepreneurship
    • Project ceiling: $300,000
    • Goal: The U.S. Embassy in Yerevan seeks innovative proposals for a U.S.-Armenia higher education partnership that connects entrepreneurship skill building with the technical rigor and fundamentals of STEM fields through innovative learning opportunities. A priority focus for 2024 is on social entrepreneurship, which utilizes for-profit business models and entrepreneurial approaches to make a positive impact on social issues. Recognizing the critical importance of STEM and social entrepreneurship in shaping the future of the economy and society, the program should explore how STEM can address complex societal challenges through technological innovation and entrepreneurial strategies. They are looking for innovative concepts which aim to create dynamic and impactful collaborations between universities, students, and the startup ecosystem, fostering a culture of innovation and practical problem-solving in both STEM and social entrepreneurship, and leveraging U.S. expertise and insights.
    • Project Activities:
      • Proposals should focus on both of the following two activities, and incorporate a U.S. perspective through linkages with a U.S. higher education partner.
        • STEM for Social Good Incubator/StartUp Lab: Launch an incubator or StartUp lab program for Armenian undergraduate students designed for STEM and entrepreneurship projects that address social issues in Armenia. The lab should provide resources, mentorship, and opportunity to help turn ideas into viable social enterprises, based on U.S. expertise and models. This could take the form of a course, summer mini-program, or other lab format that provides students with hands on learning. Audience: Undergraduate students.
        • Certificate in Social Entrepreneurship, based on U.S. expertise and models. The initiative should equip participants with the knowledge and skills to apply STEM learning, technology, and innovation to develop entrepreneurship initiatives, including social enterprises. The initiative could be 9-12 credit hours and should be designed for both policy/non-profit and entrepreneurship-oriented participants.
    • Proposals should achieve the following:
      • Objective 1: Strengthen the Armenian higher education sector’s ability to train and inspire the next generation of STEM professionals and entrepreneurs through a U.S.-Armenian higher education partnership that brings U.S. best practices and standards to STEM and social entrepreneurship education in Armenia.
      • Objective 2: Enhances access to U.S. STEM and social entrepreneurship expertise and models for university students and aspiring professionals in the STEM field through integrating STEM and entrepreneurial principles into education programs that improve skill building and practical application of skills.
      • Objective 3: Provides training across a variety of STEM and social entrepreneurship concepts for undergraduates, graduate students, and aspiring entrepreneurs that builds their skills, empowers them to advance their own entrepreneurial venture or career in STEM and entrepreneurship, and provides a framework for harnessing STEM and entrepreneurial skills with creating transformative responses to societal challenges.
    • Audiences:
      • Participants or primary audiences for the project should be Armenian university students (graduate and undergraduate), as well as early career aspiring entrepreneurs.
  • Project 2: Promoting Entrepreneurial Skills for Armenian Youth 
    • Project ceiling: $175,000
    • Goal: Strengthen Armenia’s economic resiliency and inclusive economic growth by nurturing innovation and entrepreneurship skills among young people, displaced persons, and women entrepreneurs, primarily in rural communities of Armenia.  Proposals should demonstrate a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, ensuring equal opportunities for all applicants, with a concerted effort to achieve gender balance and inclusion of underrepresented groups and vulnerable populations.
    • Project Activities
      • To achieve the program goals/objectives and the expected results, proposals could include the following types of activities. However, these are suggestions not requirements, and the NOFO is purposefully left broad to encourage innovative approaches.
        • Organize a youth-focused entrepreneurship competition or capacity-building activity to enhance entrepreneurship skills among 300 Armenian youths (ages 18-30), including displaced persons and women from rural areas, focusing on sustainable social impact.  This could be a startup or business pitch competition, hackathon, or other capacity building activities designed to build skills in entrepreneurship and/or social entrepreneurship.
        • Foster a network of entrepreneurs, facilitating skill transfer and resource sharing, especially among projects that address society challenges in Armenia. This network aims to support the broader understanding and adoption of U.S. business practices and could focus on entrepreneurship or social entrepreneurship.
    • Proposals should achieve the following:
      • Objective 1: Build skills and enhanced entrepreneurship skills among youth, displaced persons, and/or women entrepreneurs from rural communities of Armenia.
      • Objective 2: Encourage broader understanding of and adoption of U.S. expertise in innovation, design thinking and entrepreneurial skills among Armenian youth and start-up community.
      • Objective 3: Build new U.S.-Armenian partnerships between Armenian and U.S. entrepreneurial ecosystems, building local capacity to train aspiring entrepreneurs, focused on U.S. expertise in design thinking, creative problem solving, and social innovation.
    • Audiences
      • Priority Audiences: Youth and aspiring entrepreneurs (particularly from rural areas) ages 16-30, displaced persons, and women. Secondary audiences: Armenian start-ups and business community, with a special interest in social entrepreneurship and sustainable business models.

Funding Information

• Total available funding: up to $475,000
• Award amounts: up to $300,000 for Project 1, and up to $175,000 for project two; or up to $475,000 for proposals addressing both programs
• Length of performance period:   up to 36 months
• Number of awards anticipated: up to three awards
• Anticipated programs start date: October 1, 2024

Eligibility Criteria

• Not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations, from Armenia and the United States.
• Higher education institutions from the United States and Armenia.
• Foreign Public Entities based in Armenia.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.