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This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) seeks opportunities to co-create, co-design, co-invest, and collaborate in the research, development, piloting, testing, and scaling of innovative, practical and cost-effective interventions that address development challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) invites interested parties to participate with USAID to identify innovative thinking, best practices and promising programs that will create more strategic, focused, results-oriented, cost-effective and practical options that will further the US Government's goal of improving the impact of its policies and programs on Africa's poor. USAID, through the Bureau for Africa (USAID/AFR), aims to develop and test innovative, sustainable and cost-effective solutions that will accelerate progress towards eliminating extreme poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa. This BAA specifically seeks to incorporate new ideas that will directly and positively influence USAID's programs and policies, including, but not limited to, support for SSA institutions to deliver services and manage programs that contribute to sustainable development.

This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) seeks opportunities to co-create, co-design, co-invest, and collaborate in the research, development, piloting, testing, and scaling of innovative, practical and cost-effective interventions that address development challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) invites interested parties to participate with USAID to identify innovative thinking, best practices and promising programs that will create more strategic, focused, results-oriented, cost-effective and practical options that will further the US Government's goal of improving the impact of its policies and programs on Africa's poor. USAID, through the Bureau for Africa (USAID/AFR), aims to develop and test innovative, sustainable and cost-effective solutions that will accelerate progress towards eliminating extreme poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa. This BAA specifically seeks to incorporate new ideas that will directly and positively influence USAID's programs and policies, including, but not limited to, support for SSA institutions to deliver services and manage programs that contribute to sustainable development.

The purpose of NIDILRR's Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP) which are funded through the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program, is to plan and conduct research, demonstration projects, training, and related activities, including international activities, to develop methods, procedures, and rehabilitation technology that maximize the full inclusion and integration into society, employment, independent living, family support, and economic and social self-sufficiency of individuals with disabilities, especially individuals with the most severe disabilities, and to improve the effectiveness of services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Rehabilitation Act). Under this particular DRRP priority, applicants must propose a development project that is aimed at improving the employment outcomes of individuals with disabilities. In carrying out a development project under this program, a grantee must use knowledge and understanding gained from research to create materials, devices, systems, or methods beneficial to the target population, including design and development of protypes and processes. Please note that this is the Funding Opportunity for field-initiated DRRP development projects in the employment domain. NIDILRR plans to make one field-initiated DRRP award in the employment domain. NIDILRR's field-initiated DRRP award in the employment domain may be a research project or a development project, depending on the ranking of applications provided by the peer review panel.

The purpose of this announcement is to support and facilitate multidisciplinary approaches to the development of new and/or improved contraceptive methods for both men and women.  This FOA expands the scope of the former program by calling for Centers to inform contraceptive development and improve contraceptive use by integrating the biomedical research and development with behavioral and social science research, e.g., demography and other population sciences, psychology, economics, and sociology.  These Centers also will serve as a national resource for development of early stage investigators electing to pursue careers in contraceptive research.

The purpose of this announcement is to support and facilitate multidisciplinary approaches to the development of new and/or improved contraceptive methods for both men and women.  This FOA expands the scope of the former program by calling for Centers to inform contraceptive development and improve contraceptive use by integrating the biomedical research and development with behavioral and social science research, e.g., demography and other population sciences, psychology, economics, and sociology.  These Centers also will serve as a national resource for development of early stage investigators electing to pursue careers in contraceptive research.

The purpose of NIDILRR's Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP) which are funded through the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program, is to plan and conduct research, demonstration projects, training, and related activities, including international activities, to develop methods, procedures, and rehabilitation technology that maximize the full inclusion and integration into society, employment, independent living, family support, and economic and social self-sufficiency of individuals with disabilities, especially individuals with the most severe disabilities, and to improve the effectiveness of services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Rehabilitation Act).Under this particular DRRP priority, applicants must propose a development project that is aimed at improving the health and function of individuals with disabilities. In carrying out a development project under this program, a grantee must use knowledge and understanding gained from research to create materials, devices, systems, or methods beneficial to the target population, including design and development of protypes and processes. Please note that this is the Funding Opportunity for field-initiated DRRP development projects in the health and function domain. NIDILRR plans to make one field-initiated DRRP award in the health and function domain. NIDILRR's field-initiated DRRP award in the health and function domain may be a research project or a development project, depending on the ranking of applications provided by the peer review panel.

The purpose of NIDILRR's Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP) which are funded through the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program, is to plan and conduct research, demonstration projects, training, and related activities, including international activities, to develop methods, procedures, and rehabilitation technology that maximize the full inclusion and integration into society, employment, independent living, family support, and economic and social self-sufficiency of individuals with disabilities, especially individuals with the most severe disabilities, and to improve the effectiveness of services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Rehabilitation Act). Under this particular DRRP priority, applicants must propose a development project that is aimed at improving the community living and participation of individuals with disabilities. In carrying out a development project under this program, a grantee must use knowledge and understanding gained from research to create materials, devices, systems, or methods beneficial to the target population, including design and development of protypes and processes. Please note that this is the Funding Opportunity for field-initiated DRRP development projects in the community living and participation domain. NIDILRR plans to make one field-initiated DRRP award in the community living and participation domain. NIDILRR's field-initiated DRRP award in the community living and participation domain may be a research project or a development project, depending on the ranking of applications provided by the peer review panel.

This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) seeks opportunities to co-create, co-design, co-invest, and collaborate in the research, development, piloting, testing, and scaling of innovative, practical and cost-effective interventions to address Zimbabwe's Development Challenges. Those Development Challenges may include opportunities to increase the number of Zimbabweans who live longer, healthier lives. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) invites individuals, organizations, and companies to participate with the USAID Mission in Zimbabwe (USAID/Zimbabwe) to create more strategic, focused and results- oriented solutions to respond to the development challenges in Zimbabwe.

The Science of Science & Innovation Policy (SciSIP) program supports research designed to advance the scientific basis of science and innovation policy. Research funded by the program thus develops, improves and expands models, analytical tools, data and metrics that can be applied in the science policy decision making process. For example, research proposals may develop behavioral and analytical conceptualizations, frameworks or models that have applications across a broad array of SciSIP challenges, including the relationship between broader participation and innovation or creativity. Proposals may also develop methodologies to analyze science and technology data, and to convey the information to a variety of audiences. Researchers are also encouraged to create or improve science and engineering data, metrics and indicators reflecting current discovery, particularly proposals that demonstrate the viability of collecting and analyzing data on knowledge generation and innovation in organizations. Among the many research topics supported are:examinations of the ways in which the contexts, structures and processes of science and engineering research are affected by policy decision, the evaluation of the tangible and intangible returns from investments in science and from investments in research and development, the study of structures and processes that facilitate the development of usable knowledge, theories of creative processes and their transformation into social and economic outcomes, the collection, analysis and visualization of new data describing the scientific and engineering enterprise. The SciSIP program invites the participation of researchers from all of the social, behavioral and economic sciences as well as those working in domain-specific applications such as chemistry, biology, physics, or nanotechnology. The program welcomes proposals for individual or multi-investigator research projects, doctoral dissertation improvement awards, conferences, wo

The Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) Program within the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships (IIP) offers researchers from all disciplines of science and engineering funded by NSF the opportunity to perform translational research and technology development, catalyze partnerships and accelerate the transition of discoveries from the laboratory to the marketplace for societal benefit. PFI has five broad goals, as set forth by the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act of 2017 ("the Act", S.3084 - 114th Congress; Sec. 602. Translational Research Grants): (1) identifying and supporting NSF-sponsored research and technologies that have the potential for accelerated commercialization; (2) supporting prior or current NSF-sponsored investigators, institutions of higher education, and non-profit organizations that partner with an institution of higher education in undertaking proof-of-concept work, including the development of technology prototypes that are derived from NSF-sponsored research and have potential market value; (3) promoting sustainable partnerships between NSF-funded institutions, industry, and other organizations within academia and the private sector with the purpose of accelerating the transfer of technology; (4) developing multi-disciplinary innovation ecosystems which involve and are responsive to the specific needs of academia and industry; (5) providing professional development, mentoring, and advice in entrepreneurship, project management, and technology and business development to innovators.

The purpose of this FOA would be to establish, by awarding one cooperative agreement, a National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI) to advance federal priorities to improve safety, permanency, and well-being by building the capacity of child welfare professionals and improving the organizations that recruit, train, supervise, manage, and retain them. The Workforce Institute will play a national leadership role in the field of child welfare in the following broad areas: (1)Demonstrating how university partnerships support workforce development; (2) Implementing organizational interventions to improve workforce recruitment and retention; (3) Providing leadership training across the child welfare career spectrum; (4) Developing cross system approaches to improve worker and child outcomes; and (5) Building evidence of best practices in workforce development. A broad range of activities will be undertaken by the Workforce Institute to promote effective child welfare practice, enhance agency efforts to create supportive work environments, and improve worker recruitment and retention outcomes by: Implementing an innovative, comprehensive and integrated organizational, educational, and professional development approach to effective child welfare workforce development building on the last two iterations of NCWWI work; Implementing effective workforce organizational interventions that result in improved agency climate, worker preparation, recruitment, and retention outcomes for agencies; such as reduction in emotional stress and worker burnout, increased length of stay for workers, changes in worker attitude and satisfaction, increased recruitment, etc.; Demonstrating expertise in collecting and disseminating information about effective and promising workforce practices in innovative ways;

This program worked with the Tunisian Chambers of Commerce to develop demand- and revenue- driven services for Tunisian businesses. In the first phase of the project, the program strengthened the chambers’ human and institutional capacity through the development of customized strategic plans. In phases two and three, the program focused on the integration of chambers, the development of value-added services, and the implementation of public policy advocacy pilot projects, which have enabled the chambers to take on a stronger role as proactive actors and catalysts of local economic development.

he United States Agency for International Development, Regional Development Mission for Asia (USAID/RDMA) is in the process of designing a new program to support microenterprise development in Lao PDR., including, but not limited to, agriculture sector. This is a Request for Information (RFI) which intends to provide public information to parties interested in USAID's support in the sector, as well as to collect any information and suggestions about the USAID's planned programming. Information collected is intended to help in the Mission's activity design and development for an intended future solicitation which is anticipated to be issued in the mid 2018. Requested Action: At this time, USAID is seeking responses to the questions of this RFI as detailed below. Please note USAID is not seeking technical or cost applications/proposals at this time. Responses to this RFI are voluntary and USAID will not pay respondents for any information provided in response to this RFI. If a future solicitation is issued, it will be announced on the Federal Business Opportunities website at www.fbo.gov or at www.grants.gov at a later date. Thank you for your assistance and interest in USAID programs. Sincerely, /s/ Gregory Wang Regional Agreement/Contracting Officer USAID/RDMA, Bangkok, Thailand

Organizations -- private and public, established and entrepreneurial, designed and emergent, formal and informal, profit and nonprofit -- are critical to the well-being of nations and their citizens. They are of crucial importance for producing goods and services, creating value, providing jobs, and achieving social goals. The Science of Organizations (SoO) program funds basic research that yields a scientific evidence base for improving the design and emergence, development and deployment, and management and ultimate effectiveness of organizations of all kinds. SoO funds research that advances our fundamental understanding of how organizations develop, form and operate. Successful SoO research proposals use scientific methods to develop and refine theories, to empirically test theories and frameworks, and to develop new measures and methods. Funded research is aimed at yielding generalizable insights that are of value to the business practitioner, policy-maker and research communities. SoO welcomes any and all rigorous, scientific approaches that illuminate aspects of organizations as systems of coordination, management and governance. In considering whether a particular project might be a candidate for consideration by SoO, please note: Intellectual perspectives may involve (but are not limited to) organizational theory, behavior, sociology or economics, business policy and strategy, communication sciences, entrepreneurship, human resource management, information sciences, managerial and organizational cognition, operations management, public administration, social or industrial psychology, and technology and innovation management. Phenomena studied may include (but are not limited to) structures, routines, effectiveness, competitiveness, innovation, dynamics, change and evolution.Levels of analysis may include (but are not limited to) organizational, cross-organizational collaborations or relationships, and institutional and can address individuals, groups or tea

Growing Convergence Research (GCR) at the National Science Foundation was identified as one of 10 Big Ideas. Convergence research is a means for solving vexing research problems, in particular, complex problems focusing on societal needs. It entails integrating knowledge, methods, and expertise from different disciplines and forming novel frameworks to catalyze scientific discovery and innovation. GCR identifies Convergence Research as having two primary characteristics: Research driven by a specific and compelling problem. Convergence Research is generally inspired by the need to address a specific challenge or opportunity, whether it arises from deep scientific questions or pressing societal needs. Deep integration across disciplines. As experts from different disciplines pursue common research challenges, their knowledge, theories, methods, data, research communities and languages become increasingly intermingled or integrated. New frameworks, paradigms or even disciplines can form sustained interactions across multiple communities. A distinct characteristic of convergence research, in contrast to other forms of multidisciplinary research, is that from the inception, the convergence paradigm intentionally brings together intellectually diverse researchers and stakeholders to frame the research questions, develop effective ways of communicating across disciplines and sectors, adopt common frameworks for their solution, and, when appropriate, develop a new scientific vocabulary. Research teams practicing convergence aim at developing sustainable relationships that may not only create solutions to the problem that engendered the collaboration, but also develop novel ways of framing related research questions and open new research vistas.

The Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI) serves to increase access to shared scientific and engineering instruments for research and research training in our Nation's institutions of higher education, not-for-profit museums, science centers and scientific/engineering research organizations. The program provides organizations with opportunities to acquire major instrumentation that supports the research and research training goals of the organization and that may be used by other researchers regionally or nationally. Each MRI proposal may request support for the acquisition (Track 1) or development (Track 2) of a single research instrument for shared inter- and/or intra-organizational use. Development efforts that leverage the strengths of private sector partners to build instrument development capacity at MRI submission-eligible organizations are encouraged.

The Partnership for the Development of Eastern Congo (P-DEC) Program seeks an integrated set of cross-sectoral interventions. Through a cohesive and holistic approach, P-DEC Program aims to amplify the impact of USAID investments and complement other planned interventions by the Government of the DRC and external actors in the public and private sectors. The purpose of the P-DEC Program is therefore to address the development emergency in eastern Congo through a multi-year, multi-sectoral initiative that will build community trust, strengthen the resilience of individuals and communities, fortify existing governance structures, and create opportunities for long-term development and self-reliance of local communities. These activities may also reach across a range of partner types - from public-private partnerships to capacity-building of local organizations. USAID envisions an approach centered around two geographically defined planning and implementation phases. While geographically defined, the phases are not sequential, nor are they strictly defined technical categories; they are fluid, and are conceptual in nature. The approach also focuses on urban and peri-urban areas with large populations, existing transportation networks, and a level of security and stability necessary for implementation.

The goals of the Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC) program are aligned with the Federal Cybersecurity Research and Development Strategic Plan (RDSP) and the National Privacy Research Strategy (NPRS) to protect and preserve the growing social and economic benefits of cyber systems while ensuring security and privacy. The RDSP identified six areas critical to successful cybersecurity R&D: (1) scientific foundations; (2) risk management; (3) human aspects; (4) transitioning successful research into practice; (5) workforce development; and (6) enhancing the research infrastructure. The NPRS, which complements the RDSP, identifies a framework for privacy research, anchored in characterizing privacy expectations, understanding privacy violations, engineering privacy-protecting systems, and recovering from privacy violations. In alignment with the objectives in both strategic plans, the SaTC program takes an interdisciplinary, comprehensive and holistic approach to cybersecurity research, development, and education, and encourages the transition of promising research ideas into practice.

This fellowship is open to outstanding young professors from universities from developing and emerging countries pursuing advanced research in areas bridging the fields of international and development studies, broadly defined, and working in disciplines such as anthropology, history, law, politics and political science, and economics.  Scholars will spend one academic semester (mandatory duration: 3 months minimum - 5 months maximum) at the Institute to : Share their expertise and experience with students and professors at the Institute ; Further a personal research project ; Participate in teaching courses ; Update and strengthen the curriculum of their course ; Develop their contacts with the international community of the Institute and Geneva area. Scholars receive a contribution towards living expenses. The Scholarship also covers round trip travel to and accommodation in Geneva. The selection will be based on the quality of research. Quality being equal, selection may be guided by an interest in promoting gender and regional diversity. Candidates should demonstrate how their research stay will contribute to their academic career and their home institution.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is intended to stimulate model-driven research to understand the ways that people make decisions about engaging in behaviors that impact the risk of acquiring or transmitting HIV, or to adhere to treatments for HIV. Decision making processes may contribute to both substance use/abuse and other HIV acquisition or transmission risks. A better understanding of decision making processes in the context of brain neural networks and their associated functions would lead to the development of better strategies to reduce the frequency of HIV-risk behaviors. Therefore, this FOA encourages applications to study 1) cognitive, motivational or emotional mechanisms and/or 2) brain neuroendocrine and reinforcement systems that related to HIV-risk behaviors or treatment non-compliance. Interdisciplinary studies that incorporate approaches from psychology, economics, anthropology, sociology, decision sciences, neuroscience and computational modeling are encouraged. This FOA for R03 applications encourages small research projects that can be carried out in a short period of time with limited resources. The R03 activity code supports different types of projects including pilot and feasibility studies; secondary analysis of existing data; small, self-contained research projects; development of research methodology; and development of new research technology. In no cases, should research involving animals be proposed.

The United States Department of State, Embassy in Brasília - Brazil, announces a notification of funding opportunity (NOFO) to support the development and implementation of an Afro entrepreneurship mentoring program in Sao Paulo with up to US$85,000 in FY2018 for a project period not to exceed two years. The preliminary start date for this activity is October 15, 2018, and one award is anticipated as a result of this NOFO. However, should both parties consider the results of this exchange to be positive - and also subject to availability of funds - we may agree to renew this NOFO for up to two additional years. We are seeking proposals for the development and implementation of an entrepreneurship mentoring program in Sao Paulo to connect Afro Brazilian and African American entrepreneurs and to promote capacity building activities to address strategies on market development, technology, and access to capital, job creation, and management

Agency Overview: The Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E), an organization within the Department of Energy (DOE), is chartered by Congress in the America COMPETES Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-69), as amended by the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-358) to: "(A) to enhance the economic and energy security of the United States through the development of energy technologies that result in- (i) reductions of imports of energy from foreign sources; (ii) reductions of energy-related emissions, including greenhouse gases; and (iii) improvement in the energy efficiency of all economic sectors; and (B) to ensure that the United States maintains a technological lead in developing and deploying advanced energy technologies." ARPA-E issues this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) under the programmatic authorizing statute codified at 42 U.S.C. § 16538. The FOA and any awards made under this FOA are subject to 2 C.F.R. Part 200 as amended by 2 C.F.R. Part 910. ARPA-E funds research on and the development of high-potential, high-impact energy technologies that are too early for private-sector investment. The agency focuses on technologies that can be meaningfully advanced with a modest investment over a defined period of time in order to catalyze the translation from scientific discovery to early-stage technology.