Deadline: 31 July 2019
The U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Section in New Delhi is seeking proposals from legally-recognized non-profit, non-governmental organizations that meet the U.S. and Indian technical and legal requirements to develop and implement public diplomacy program “Empowering Economies through Innovation: Building Capacity for Indo-U.S. Joint Research”.
Objectives
- Enhance forty Indian institutions’ understanding and capacity (through processes and systems) to conduct joint research to address priority areas of the Indo-Pacific region.
- Create an India-specific best practices guide on joint research, specifically with the United States, which will feed into the guide being developed under the Partnership 2020 project of the U.S. government.
Program Description
Based on funding availability, this project will support one major national conference on successfully implementing U.S.-Indian international research collaborations. The conference should be held in a South India city that is a hub for research and development and hosts leading educational institutions carrying out state-of-the-art research. This conference would bring together leading private and public Indian universities interested in deepening their research ties with their American counterparts and enhancing the quality and quantity of research. It will bring together diverse stakeholders, such as faculty engaged in science and technology and interdisciplinary research, post-doctoral students from premier institutions of India, officials from government bodies and the private sector. The conference would focus on the 10 STEM themes identified in the Partnership 2020 grant. They are:
- Public health
- Sustainable agriculture
- Advanced engineering
- Life sciences
- Artificial intelligence
- Renewable energy
- Financial technology
- Water management
- Business and innovation
- Regional security
In order to cultivate collaboration between Indian and U.S. higher education institutions to foster global research and innovation, this conference will address the need for greater participation of American academics and students at Indian institutions.
The conferences will attract approximately thirty to forty Indian institutions that have autonomy and have demonstrable interest in internationalization. The conference organizer should identify both Indian and American experts who are able to design well thought-out conference sessions that resonate with the needs and aspirations and capabilities of a majority of Indian institutions.
Award Information
- Minimum (“Floor”) Award Amount: $ 50,000
- Maximum (“Ceiling”) Award Amount: $ 70,000
Proposals must detail: The grantee is responsible for all aspects of the program. Submitted proposals should include programmatic and financial details on the following:
Application Requirements:
- The Grantee will identify the host institutions for the conference in consultation with the Embassy.
- Grantee will develop a program and schedule of events for the conference, in consultation with the Embassy.
- Grantee will engage up to three U.S. experts and two Indian experts on research collaborations in science and technology in consultation with the Embassy.
- Grantee will develop a document of guidelines for Indian institutions interested in carrying our bilateral and other forms of international research collaborations with American institutions Grantee’s role in the project
- In consultation with PAS New Delhi, the grantee will be responsible for the development of the overall agenda and calendar, securing the participation of experts/participants, venues, publicity, travel costs, visas, insurance, perdiem, hotel logistics, printing costs, audio-visual requirements, and any other relevant expense head. The proposal should include all relevant administrative and logistical costs for organizing these conferences.
- Traditional and/or social media plan for amplification and advertisement of the program activities and outcomes: The grantee should devise a plan to advertise and promote the activities to draw key-targeted audience, in coordination with PAS New Delhi.
- Monitoring and Evaluation: The grantee should devise a monitoring and evaluation plan to measure the outputs and outcomes of the specific activities. The grantee should manage the grant in accordance with U.S. regulations and procedures, and provide required documentation when requested.
The Role of U.S. Government:
- The US Mission in India will approve the final conference themes and schedule.
- The US Mission will be involved in the final selection of the Indian and American experts working as conveners of the conference.
- The US mission will be working with their government counterparts for their participation/engagement in the conference, any involvement of the grantee will be first be approved by the US Mission in India.
- The U.S. Mission will be participating in the conference and delivering welcome remarks and other relevant sessions.
- The U.S. Mission will be evaluating the grant as per pre-decided monitoring and evaluation indicators.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligibility is open to all non-profit, non-governmental organizations including higher education institutions in India or the United States. The Indian non-profit must hold an FCRA status and comply with all government of India rules and regulations. Individuals are not eligible for an award under this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Organizations may sub-contract with other entities, but only one, non-profit, non-governmental entity can be the prime recipient of the award. When sub-contracting with other entities, the responsibilities of each entity must be clearly defined in the proposal.
How to Apply
All application materials must be submitted electronically via the given website.
For more information, please visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=317873