News

USAID/RDMA - new PEER funding cycle

SERVIR-Mekong News
 

The U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) U.S. Global Development Lab announces the opening of a new funding cycle for international scientific research. Through the Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) program, the Global Development Lab will award over $10 million to high quality research projects across the world. Applications should address gaps in scientific knowledge covering topics relevant to development and demonstrate how the researchers will cooperate with a USG-funded partner. In past funding cycles, PEER has distributed individual awards in amounts from $70,000-$300,000.

The goal of PEER is to build capacity among local scientists and research institutions, strengthen research partnerships worldwide, and better translate data and evidence into policy. It is implemented by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

USAID's Regional Development Mission for Asia has two focus areas in the current PEER solicitation:

  1. Rapid Assessment of Tuna Fish Stocks in the South China and Sulu-Sulawesi Seas
  2. Assessment of Fish Natural History in the Lower Mekong Basin

These research areas are of high priority for ASEAN members and support the goals of USAID and USASEAN.

Since its launch in 2011, PEER has supported more than 200 researchers in over 45 countries, with a total investment of over $50 million. The program is a collaboration between USAID and nine federal science agencies: the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric administration (NOAA), the Smithsonian Institution (SI), the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA/ARS), the United States Forest Service (USFS), and the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

To learn more about the PEER program and to view a complete list of the latest award recipients please visit the PEER website.

SERVIR-Mekong, funded by USAID in partnership with NASA, has worked with the PEER program on joint initiatives strengthening capacity in the use of geo-spatial technology in the Lower Mekong Region. SERVIR-Mekong welcomes the opportunity to engage with potential partners of the PEER program to complement efforts in the region.