Deadline: 25-Jul-25
The U.S. Embassy Kyiv Ukraine of the U.S. Department of State has announced an open competition for U.S. educational and research institutions to submit a statement of interest (SOI) to carry out a project with their Ukrainian educational institutions.
This program aims to promote shared security, stability, and technological innovation for the United States and Ukraine by establishing collaborative partnerships between U.S. and Ukrainian scholars, industries, and research institutions in key priority areas. These partnerships will enhance defense capabilities and security while promoting technological innovation and shared knowledge between the United States and Ukraine.
Objectives
- Individual projects will focus on U.S. best practices, facilitating knowledge exchange, and fostering collaboration. By supporting these initiatives, the program will help build a robust partnership while addressing critical issues in the priority areas outlined below. Specifically, the program objectives are:
- Establish or Strengthen Partnerships Between U.S. and Ukrainian Universities: The program will create academic partnerships between U.S. and Ukrainian universities, enabling universities from both nations to share expertise, jointly advance scientific knowledge, and contribute to breakthroughs in vital fields.
- Joint Projects in Critical Areas: The program will provide funding for research, exchange, and other collaborative projects in key priority areas, identified below, to promote U.S. best practices, drive innovation, and shared security.
Priority Areas
- Cybersecurity & Information Warfare
- Defense Technology Research in AI-driven Surveillance, Drone Operation, and Battlefield Medicine
- Energy Security & Independence
- Civil Demining
- Agriculture & Food Safety
- Construction
Funding Information
- Award Amounts: Awards may range from a minimum of 150,000 to a maximum of $250,000.
- Length of performance period: 12-24 months.
Expected Outcomes
- Expanded U.S. Economic and Strategic Interests:
- As Ukraine reduces its reliance on adversarial resources and strengthens its defense infrastructure, new opportunities will emerge for U.S. industries—particularly in the energy, technology, and defense sectors.
- Strengthened U.S.–Ukraine Academic and Scientific Ties:
- Sustained partnerships between U.S. and Ukrainian universities that promote U.S. best practices and lead to long-term collaboration (beyond the funded projects) in research, curriculum development, and knowledge transfer. These relationships will foster mutual academic enrichment, increase institutional capacity, and lay the groundwork for future joint initiatives in science, technology, and defense.
- Advancement of Collaborative Research:
- The funded projects will generate innovative research outputs in priority areas including cybersecurity, defense technology, energy security, civil demining, construction and food safety. These projects will contribute to real-world solutions, expand the scientific and technical knowledge base, and support the development of technologies relevant to both national security and civilian applications.
Eligible Activities
- Joint Academic Programs and Research Projects: Collaborative research initiatives and educational programs developed between U.S. and Ukrainian institutions.
- Workshops, Seminars, and Training Programs: Skill-building and knowledge exchange events in priority areas.
- Research Fellowships and Scholar Exchanges: Travel opportunities for researchers to work across institutions and share expertise.
- Technology Development, Prototyping, and Field Testing: Co-design and testing of innovative technologies in real-world settings.
- Innovation Challenges and Grant Competitions: Competitive funding to support high-impact, solution-oriented sub-projects.
- Lab Collaborations and Network Building: Creation of joint lab initiatives and research networks for sustained cooperation.
- Pilot Projects and Capacity Building Initiatives: Implementation of demonstration projects and training to enhance institutional capacity.
Eligibility Criteria
- U.S. public and private educational and research institutions/ organizations
For more information, visit Grants.gov.