Deadline: 10-Dec-21
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)/Nepal and the Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation (DDI) is announcing the USAID Agriculture Higher Education Activity Addendum to the Higher Education for Leadership, Innovation, and Exchange (HELIX), a New Partnerships Initiative (NPI) Annual Program Statement (APS), hereafter known as the HELIX APS.
Through this USAID Agriculture Higher Education Activity, USAID/Nepal aims to engage locally based new and underutilized partners to expand and amplify the Agency’s work through and with higher education. NPI seeks to support partner countries’ progress to self-reliance, achieve sustainable and resilient results, and catalyze more effective partnering for impact. This Addendum disseminates information to prospective Applicants so they may develop and submit Concept Notes in response and ultimately be considered for USAID funding.
The goal of USAID’s Youth Development Policy – 2012 is to improve the capacities and enable the aspirations of youth so that they can contribute to and benefit from more stable, democratic, and prosperous communities and nations.
The purpose of the USAID/Nepal Agriculture Higher Education Activity is to strengthen the Nepal Agricultural and Forestry University’s (AFU) capacity to contribute to Nepal’s agricultural development by improving the quality of agricultural higher education, increasing agricultural graduates’ employability, and contributing to research and extension activities that play a central role in Nepal’s agricultural and economic transformation.
Objectives
- Improve the development of processes and capacity within AFU to ensure a comprehensive, student-centered package of curricula, course materials, and methods of instruction;
- Improve the capacity of AFU to develop, maintain, and update programs that provide students with opportunities for civic engagement and leadership, to gain practical and soft skills development through experiential service-learning or experiential models, and use a Positive Youth Development (PYD) framework; and
- Strengthen and upgrade the research system and research methodology for students and the faculty to generate innovations, and link them with the extension practices, especially as it relates to technology transfer and intellectual property.
- Improve and promote women’s leadership and capacity to enable women faculty members to take a lead role and to improve processes to ensure increased enrollment of female students
Programmatic Focus
This addendum provides a unique opportunity for USAID/Nepal to directly engage with the higher education community broadly and creatively to meet the activity’s purpose and objectives.
Funding Information
- The anticipated Total Estimated Amount of this award is between $4 million and $5 million.
- The Period of Performance of this HELIX APS addendum activity will be for five years.
Geographic Focus
AFU is located in Bagmati Province, Nepal. However, the prospective applicant may develop partnerships with a wide range of institutions situated within and outside Bagmati province to achieve the purpose and objectives.
Eligibility Criteria
USAID defines “Implementing Partners” as U.S. and non-U.S. non-governmental organizations that can design and implement assistance activities outside the United States. All Implementing Partners must be legally registered entities under applicable law and eligible under the relevant laws to receive funding from a foreign source. Individuals, unregistered, or informal organizations are not eligible to be Implementing Partners. The New Partnership Initiative (NPI) provides further details on eligibility, depending on the approach to partnership. Implementing Partners must also have a DUNS number and maintain current registration in SAM.gov to be eligible to receive United States Government (USG) funding.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=336374