Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research

The Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) program was established under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between NSF and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). PEER is a USAID-funded competitive grants program that provides an opportunity to support scientists in developing countries who work with NSF-funded scientists at U.S. institutions. PEER is intended to build scientific capacity and empower researchers in developing countries to use science and technology to address local and global development challenges. PEER funding may be used to train students and faculty, equip laboratories and field stations, and fund research, building scientific networks to address global challenges. The National Academies, which has been selected to administer the PEER program, will receive and review PEER proposals that have been prepared and submitted by developing country scientists and will make awards directly to institutions in host countries. Please see the National Academies website for complete eligibility details, proposal submission instructions, and the application form. Potential applicants with questions are invited to contact the program's staff at peer@nas.edu. PEER proposals will be accepted from researchers in 79 eligible developing countries. Developing country PIs who apply should either be actively engaged in or plan to be engaged in a collaborative research project with an NSF-funded U.S. researcher. Proposals are not accepted from U.S. researchers.Areas in which both NSF and USAID have strong mutual interests include, but are not limited to, the following: Food security topics such as agricultural development, fisheries, and plant genomics Global health issues such as ecology of infectious disease, biomedical engineering, and natural/human system interactionsClimate change impacts such as water sustainability, hydrology, ocean acidification, climate process and modeling, and environmental engineeringOther development topics including disaster mitigation, biodiversity, water, and renewable energy