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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The U.S. Embassy in San Jose, Costa Rica announces a Notification of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to create social and economic opportunity to strengthen citizen security, and promote government transparency to encourage a culture that resists corruption. U.S. Embassy San Jose intends to issue four awards in an amount not to exceed $900,000 in total funding. The anticipated start date for this activity is September 30, 2015, and project periods should not exceed two years. This funding will support United States Government (USG) objectives under the Central America Regional Security Initiative (CARSI). Within Central America (Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama), the United States works with partner nations to strengthen institutions to counter the effects of organized crime, uphold the rule of law, and protect human rights. Institution building is coupled with prevention projects that dissuade at-risk youth from turning to crime and gangs and community policing projects that engage local communities on citizen security issues. U.S. Embassy San Jose invites qualified U.S. non-profit/non-governmental organizations (NGOs) having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS or overseas-based NGOs, U.S. and overseas-based public and private institutions of higher education, and public international organizations to submit proposals that include an implementation strategy to address one of the following two objectives: 1. Provide job creation opportunities for youth and women in economically-disadvantaged communities. Proposals should help create safe streets by providing economic opportunities in these communities as attractive alternatives for at-risk populations that may turn to crime and illicit drugs for their livelihood. 2. Promote and improve government transparency to increase citizens' access to and awareness of all levels and formats of government services with an emphasis on e-government. Proposals should promote st

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission for Sri Lanka and Maldives will support the Increased Demand and Engagement for Accountability (IDEA) activity for Sri Lanka. This is a three-year activity designed to ensure that Sri Lanka has a vibrant civil society which empowers citizen participation to advance democratic values and government accountability around a range of governance and reform issues. The activity will build upon civil society engagement for good governance and accountability and will complement other U.S. Government (USG) and USAID programming that supports democratic governance. Whereas much of USAID's assistance in Sri Lanka includes an element of support to civil society, this activity will focus on strengthening the civil society sector as a whole with an emphasis on working in all regions of Sri Lanka and supporting CSO participation in national and local governance processes.

A landmark collaboration known as the International Technology Alliance (ITA) in Network and Information Sciences was initiated by the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) in 2006. Awards were made to a Consortium of industrial and academic organizations from the United States and the United Kingdom that along with the US ARL and the UK Dstl formed an international research Alliance that is jointly conducting collaborative research focused on enhancing coalition operations. The key factors contributing to the success of this unique collaborative venture are: joint technical leadership and management by the Alliance (academia, industry, government in both countries); an arrangement fostering an open collaborative research environment to support deep collaboration among researchers; multi-disciplinary research approach applied to key coalition technical challenges; and an innovative transition model that is facilitating the rapid transition of research results to both commercial and military domains.The purpose of this US ARL and UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) ITA Program Announcement (PA) under W911NF-15-R-0003 is to solicit offers that will help to fulfill the research and development goals of the US Department of Army and UK Ministry of Defence. This PA announces a new and innovative opportunity for cooperation between the US and the UK in the area of Distributed Analytics and Information Science (DAIS). The DAIS ITA Program is comprised of two components: (1) the Basic Research Component and (2) the Technology Transition Component. The Basic Research Component will provide for fundamental research, the results of which will be in the public domain, while the Technology Transition Component will provide for the application of the fundamental research results to military, security and commercial applications to foster the best technologies for future defense and security needs. The Catalog of Federal Domestic As

The USAID/Ghana Democracy Rights and Governance (DRG) and Economic Growth Offices' new cross sectoral governance project seeks to accelerate governance improvements and manage conflict in support of enhanced agricultural development in Ghana's Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions. The purpose of the activity is to increase the capacity of Ghana's decentralized agricultural structures at the regional and district levels, improve accountability and performance efficiency of these decentralized agricultural structures, build community consensus, and strengthen civil society's demand for better service delivery in agriculture in partnership with the private sector.

The Political Science Program supports scientific research that advances knowledge and understanding of citizenship, government, and politics. Research proposals are expected to be theoretically motivated, conceptually precise, methodologically rigorous, and empirically oriented. Substantive areas include, but are not limited to, American government and politics, comparative government and politics, international relations, political behavior, political economy, and political institutions.In recent years, program awards have supported research projects on bargaining processes; campaigns and elections, electoral choice, and electoral systems; citizen support in emerging and established democracies; democratization, political change, and regime transitions; domestic and international conflict; international political economy; party activism; political psychology and political tolerance. The Program also has supported research experiences for undergraduate students and infrastructural activities, including methodological innovations, in the discipline.Besides information on the Political Science Program, we invite you to also look at the Cross-Directorate Activities program web site.Furthermore, for program specific guidelines on the Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant, please view the: Doctoral Preparation Checklist.

Nigeria has sought to tackle corruption through traditional legal, law enforcement, and governance-focused interventions. The United States seeks to support the Government of Nigeria (GON) to institutionalize a culture of accountability at the federal, state, and local levels of government through support for prevention and enforcement activities. The purpose of this program is to develop strategic national, state, and local level anti-corruption programming to complement traditional anti-corruption efforts led by the GON and donors. The project will work at the national, state, and local level, in each geopolitical zone, and in coordination with relevant civil society stakeholders thereby creating networks of change and collective action throughout Nigeria. Particular attention should be paid to anti-corruption efforts related to security and justice sectors.

The U.S. Embassy in Kigali and the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs (EB) announce an open competition for organizations to submit applications to strengthen the capacity of civil society organizations (CSOs) and Rwandan citizens to actively engage in the government budget process and advocate for improved fiscal transparency. Successful proposals will develop projects aimed at: 1) build the capacity of CSOs (including youth and women-focused CSOs) to understand and engage in the government budget process, in particular regarding the reliability, completeness, public availability, and transparent timelines of the Executive Budget proposal; 2) engage citizens to participate in the government budget process; and 3) raise public awareness. Eligible organizations interested in submitting an application are encouraged to read this NOFO thoroughly to understand the type of project sought and the application submission requirements and evaluation process.

Grants will fund projects related to the Waitt Foundation mission of supporting sustainable fishing and marine protected areas (MPAs). This includes sub-themes of: Scientific Research - Includes natural science or social science projects. For example, collecting baseline data before coastal development or MPA establishment, or studying fishery effects of a natural (e.g. tsunami) or man-made (e.g. oil spill) disaster. Policy - Includes opportunistic projects around unique public policy windows, such as preparation of policy analysis and support of experts' efforts to inform decision makers on upcoming government actions. For example, a cost-benefit analysis of proposed fishing regulations, or travel expenses for a delegation of scientists to educate elected officials. Management - Includes enforcement and infrastructure support. For example, stop-gap funding to increase enforcement capacity in light of a sudden uptick in illegal dynamite fishing, or training personnel to enforce new regulations about to go into effect. Communications - Includes raising public awareness and engaging stakeholders, including advertising by a 501(c)3 group around a public policy moment. For example, a PR blitz (e.g. billboards or radio adds) to educate the public in advance of government action on an ocean conservation measure, or training local people to become citizen scientists or enforcement tipsters.

This Russell Sage Foundation initiative will support innovative social science research on the social, economic and political effects of the Affordable Care Act. We are especially interested in funding analyses that address important questions about the effects of the reform on outcomes such as financial security and family economic well-being, labor supply and demand, participation in other public programs, family and children's outcomes, and differential effects by age, race, ethnicity, nativity, or disability status. We are also interested in research that examines the political effects of the implementation of the new law, including changes in views about government, support for future government policy changes, or the impact on policy development outside of health care.

Today, we are very excited to announce that we are on the lookout for more innovators and technologists to serve the nation as Presidential Innovation Fellows. The Fellowship brings talented, diverse individuals from outside government to team up with top federal innovators to tackle some of our country's most pressing challenges. Acting as a small team alongside federal agency "co-founders," Fellows will work quickly and iteratively to turn promising ideas into game-changing solutions. As always, the Fellows will focus on national priorities, leveraging the best principles and practices of the innovation economy to help create positive impact in the span of months, not years. This is an opportunity to truly transform how government works for the people it serves.

Aligned with U.S. government's Economic Reform objective, this funding opportunity seeks to advance U.S. economic interests in the MENA region while improving MENA media and entertainment industry capacity to conclude business deals with the U.S. and other regions, produce innovative and creative content, build the capacity of MENA-based practitioners, and advance positive messaging of the U.S. It will also advance core NEA/AC focus areas by addressing some issues including but not limited to economic growth, participatory governance, entrepreneurship, women's empowerment and gender issues, open governance, anti-corruption, urban/rural divide, youth apathy, and civic engagement.- Countering Violent Extremism as a theme/focus is explicitly excluded from the objectives of this project.- Recognizing different levels of opportunity for advancement across the region, this project will prioritize enhancing the capacity of youth, women, and underserved communities as well as advancing the aspiring next generation of MENA media and entertainment practitioners.

The Acquisition Research Program (ARP) conducts and supports research in academic disciplines that bear on public procurement policy and management. These include economics, finance, financial management, information systems, organization theory, operations management, human resources management, risk management, and marketing, as well as the traditional public procurement areas such as contracting, program/project management, logistics, test and evaluation and systems engineering management. The ARP is interested in innovative proposals that will provide unclassified and non-proprietary findings suitable for publication in open scholarly literature. Studies of government processes, systems, or policies should also expand the body of knowledge and theory of processes, systems, or policies outside the Government. Offerors bear prime responsibility for the design, management, direction and conduct of research. Researchers should exercise judgment and original thought toward attaining the goals within broad parameters of the research areas proposed and the resources provided. Offerors are encouraged to be creative in the selection of the technical and management processes and approaches and consider the greatest and broadest impact possible.

The Acquisition Research Program (ARP) conducts and supports research in academic disciplines that bear on public procurement policy and management. These include economics, finance, financial management, information systems, organization theory, operations management, human resources management, risk management, and marketing, as well as the traditional public procurement areas such as contracting, program/project management, logistics, test and evaluation and systems engineering management. The ARP is interested in innovative proposals that will provide unclassified and non-proprietary findings suitable for publication in open scholarly literature. Studies of government processes, systems, or policies should also expand the body of knowledge and theory of processes, systems, or policies outside the Government. Offerors bear prime responsibility for the design, management, direction and conduct of research. Researchers should exercise judgment and original thought toward attaining the goals within broad parameters of the research areas proposed and the resources provided. Offerors are encouraged to be creative in the selection of the technical and management processes and approaches and consider the greatest and broadest impact possible.

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.

A free and open Indo-Pacific is crucial for global stability in the 21st century. This vision for the Indo-Pacific is not unique to the United States, but is shared by Japan and many other nations in the region. However, there are many challenges to realizing this vision, including territorial and maritime disputes, differing economic approaches, historical concerns, and various types of governance. Therefore, multilateral cooperation is needed to address these challenges and ensure economic prosperity, good governance, and peace and security become a reality for all in the Indo-Pacific. The Embassy welcomes proposals that address these issues and is particularly interested in supporting the following priority areas: maritime security, economic prosperity, civil society, disaster relief, health assistance, and rule of law. The program needs to be designed to strengthen ties between U.S. and Japanese institutions through the inclusion of U.S. experts. The program should also include participants from other countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

This NOFO will support achievement of national targets for 2018 antiretroviral therapy (ART) scale-up towards the UNAIDS Fast Track Targets in Ukraine. The recipient will implement innovative and effective recruitment and case management models for persons who inject drugs (PWID) and men who have sex with men (MSM) at the community level. These innovative changes will increase uptake of HIV community based testing and increase ART initiation for these populations. The recipient will pilot risk network-based testing using point-of-care recency assays to link recently infected PWID to care. The project will focus on the six regions with the highest HIV burden (Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolayiv, Odesa, government controlled areas (GCA) of Donetsk, Kyiv City, and Kherson) and continue to work in six additional medium burden oblasts (Cherkasy, Poltava, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhya, Kirovohrad, and Kyiv). The recipient will also increase the capacity of the Government of Ukraine’s Center for Public Health (CPH) and regional monitoring and evaluation (M&E) centers specialists to conduct data analysis using statistical software and build institutional capacity to conduct economic evaluations of HIV interventions. Illustrative strategic information (SI) activities include development of trainings to support the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the newly established CPH in using statistical software, routine analysis of surveillance data, study design, and research protocol development.

In September, Miami received notice from the government that our new F&A rates are: 44.5% for On Campus Organized Research 44.0% On Campus Sponsored Instruction 39.0% On Campus Other Sponsored Activities 26.0% Off Campus All Programs These rates are effective beginning September 1, 2014. Awards received beginning in September and all proposal submissions going forward will be required to use the new rates.

The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) seeks single-country proposals for its Local Grants program. The Local Grants program serves as MEPI's most direct means of supporting organizations and individuals in the Middle East and North Africa. These grants are designed to: * Promote positive change, advocacy, and civic activism; * Strengthen civil society; * Support citizen's efforts to achieve economic, social, and political empowerment; * Expand opportunities for women and youth; * Strengthen the rule of law; * Develop independent media; and * Help communities work alongside governments in shaping their own futures. MEPI's regional offices, located in the Middle East and North Africa, manage the program. For more information about MEPI's regional offices, or to contact them, visit: www.medregion.mepi.state.gov or www.arabianpeninsula.mepi.state.gov. A MEPI Committee at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate within each country of origin reviews all Local Grant proposals, and forwards only the most competitive proposals to one of MEPI's two regional offices to negotiate the awards. MEPI accepts proposals to this program on a rolling basis, but each U.S. Embassy or Consulate has a unique selection process for submissions. Applicants should ask the respective U.S. Embassies or Consulates about their selection processes before preparing their submissions.

The Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers (I/UCRC) program develops long-term partnerships among industry, academe, and government. The Centers are catalyzed by an investment from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and are primarily supported by industry Center members, with NSF taking a supporting role in the development and evolution of the Center. Each Center is established to conduct research that is of interest to both the industry members and the Center faculty. An I/UCRC contributes to the nation's research infrastructure base and enhances the intellectual capacity of the engineering and science workforce through the integration of research and education. As appropriate, an I/UCRC uses international collaborations to advance these goals within the global context.

The Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers (IUCRC) program develops long-term partnerships among industry, academe, and government. The Centers are catalyzed by an investment from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and are primarily supported by industry Center members, with NSF taking a supporting role in the development and evolution of the Center. Each Center is established to conduct research that is of interest to both the industry members and the Center faculty. An IUCRC contributes to the nation's research infrastructure base and enhances the intellectual capacity of the engineering and science workforce through the integration of research and education. As appropriate, an IUCRC uses international collaborations to advance these goals within the global context.