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AUTHORITY: Grant making authority for the Program for Research and Training on Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union (Title VIII) is contained in the Soviet-Eastern European Research and Training Act of 1983 (22 U.S.C. 4501-4508, as amended). PURPOSE: Congress determined that independently verified factual knowledge about the countries of Eastern Europe and Eurasia is critical to the national security of the United States, the furtherance of its national interests in the conduct of foreign relations, and the prudent management of its domestic affairs. Congress further concluded that providing a stable and dedicated source of financial support for Title VIII functions supplementing other Federal, State, local, regional, and private sector funding is critical to maintaining this important research and training on a long-term, national scale. The development and maintenance of U.S. expertise on these regions depends upon a national capability for advanced research by highly trained specialists with in-country experience. These specialists are a national resource available for service in and out of Government. In order to guarantee the existence of that knowledge and the capability to sustain it, certain essential functions are necessary, including: a. graduate training; b. advanced research; c. public dissemination of research data, methods, and findings; d. contact and collaboration among Government and private specialists; and e. American specialists? firsthand experience of the countries of Eastern Europe and Eurasia, including on-site advanced training and research to the extent practicable. For further information or to arrange a consultation, please contact BristolA@state.gov.

The Rockefeller Foundation is accepting proposals from public or private organizations working to foster an "impact" economy in East and Southeast Asia by aiding the growth of the impact investing industry and social enterprise sector. The goal of the East and Southeast Impact Economy Innovations Fund is to spur collective action and regional market development that will accelerate market-driven solutions for advancing social and charitable goals such as alleviating poverty and promoting sustainable development.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement invites applications from U.S. or African research institutions to plan research training and capacity building programs focused on emerging viral epidemics in collaboration with institutions in Guinea, Liberia, and/or Sierra Leone.  The application should propose a collaborative planning process to develop training approaches that will create sustainable research capacity for the early identification, transmission prediction, testing of public health responses, and assessing and addressing long term health sequelae related to emerging viral diseases that have the potential for regional and global pandemics.  

This NIH Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), supported by funds from the NIH Common Fund (Common Fund), invites applications to support bioinformatics research training programs at low or middle income (LMIC) African country institutions with significant genomics research capacity.  African applicants may propose graduate degree and long term postdoctoral bioinformatics research training in collaboration with other African or high income country (HIC) collaborators.  It is expected that these training programs will address the need for bioinformatics research expertise in the H3Africa Consortium and result in sustainable centers of bioinformatics research training relevant to global health research for the African continent.

The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program was established by presidential initiative in 1978. The goals of the Humphrey Program are to build mutual understanding and strengthen U.S. engagement with professionals from designated countries who are well placed to address their countries' development needs in key areas, including public health, education, sustainable development, and democratic institution-building. Each year the Humphrey Program brings accomplished professionals from approximately 100 countries in North Africa and the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, South Asia, Central Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia to the United States for one academic year, preceded by U.S.-based pre-academic English instruction for participants who need it. The list of eligible U.S. embassies and Fulbright commissions (posts) that may nominate candidates for the Humphrey Program is determined each year by ECA in consultation with the Department of State's six regional bureaus. The academic-year program combines non-degree graduate study, leadership training, and opportunities for substantive professional collaboration with U.S. counterparts. U.S. embassies or binational Fulbright commissions nominate candidates for the Humphrey Program based on the candidates's professional backgrounds, academic qualifications, and leadership potential. The Humphrey Program provides these emerging leaders with an opportunity to understand U.S. society and culture and participate with U.S. colleagues in current approaches to the fields in which they work, providing a basis for on-going cooperation between U.S. citizens and their professional counterparts in other countries.

The U.S. State Department, Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR), Office of Outreach, invites organizations with substantial and wide-reaching experience in administration of research and training programs to apply for funding to conduct nationwide competitive programs supporting U.S. scholars, students, and institutions in advanced research and language training on the countries of Eastern Europe and the independent states of the former Soviet Union. U.S.-based nonprofit organizations and educational institutions may submit proposals for the Program for Research and Training on Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union (Title VIII) that 1) support and sustain American expertise on the countries of Eastern Europe and the independent states of the former Soviet Union, 2) bring American expertise to the service of the U.S. government, and 3) further U.S. foreign policy goals. All proposals must make an explicit connection to U.S. foreign or national security policy, and demonstrate how the proposed program will contribute to U.S. knowledge, expertise, and national capability. The program also aims to support outreach and build relationships with the U.S. academic and nonprofit communities. Intelligence Community analysts and State Department policy makers benefit from engagement with those communities to explore new ideas and perspectives and create new knowledge and research.

On behalf of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and in partnership with the Indonesian Ministry of Research Technology and Higher Education (Kemristekdikti), IIE announces a pre-solicitation for the USAID Sustainable Higher Education Research Alliances (USAID SHERA) program to increase research capacity in Indonesia through U.S. - Indonesia partnerships. This program will foster long-term research alliances between top-tier Indonesian higher education institutions, affiliate Indonesian higher education institutions, U.S. higher education institutions, private sector partners, and other stakeholders on critical topics of local and global significance.  USAID SHERA seeks to fund approximately five Centers for Collaborative Research (CCRs) on specific topics at top-tier Indonesian institutions in partnership with at least one U.S. higher education institution partner and at least three Indonesian higher education institution partners. The anticipated amount of funding per CCR is US$3 million over four years with the lead Indonesian institution as the primary sub-recipient of the funding. The USAID SHERA team is currently accepting Expressions of Interest (EOIs) through the USAID SHERA website through September 15, 2016. USAID SHERA will review completed EOIs to confirm candidates' eligibility and establish target applicants for the full Request for Applications, to be released by the end of September 2016. Interested U.S. higher education intuitions should contact potential Indonesian applicants directly to discuss participating as a partnership member.

With generous support from the Cleveland Zoological Society, the Asia Seed Grants Program provides funds to support field conservation and research projects in Asia. Annual awards ranging from $1000 to $3500 will be made to conservation and research initiatives involving wildlife and their habitats, and educational or cultural activities that involve or impact wildlife and their habitats. Ideal projects have clear and direct conservation impact, positively affect local people and create opportunities for capacity building in country. Projects focusing on the following areas of special interest to the Zoo are strongly encouraged to apply: -Wildlife protection (law enforcement, illegal wildlife trade issues, etc.) -Human wildlife conflict mitigation -Development and promotion of sustainable environmental practices -Habitat protection and restoration (terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems) -Capacity-building, education/training, community-based conservation and development -Conservation biology, ecology and natural history studies (terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems)

USAID, AusAID, and World Vision (US and Australia) anticipate launching a second competitive funding round for the All Children Reading Grand Challenge for Development (www.allchildrenreading.org) in Fall 2013 which will focus on innovative uses of technology to advance the impact, scale and/or sustainability of early grade reading programs. The anticipated funding options and themes will include a) a grant competition and b) prizes to address early grade reading challenges likely related to language of instruction, data, community engagement, and disability. The All Children Reading Grand Challenge for Development is one of several Grand Challenges for Development (www.usaid.gov/grandchallenges) which USAID is supporting with a variety of international stakeholders. The Grand Challenges model is designed to inspire passionate and creative solutions to problems that have not been effectively addressed by traditional approaches. With a focus on robust, relevant, cost-effective, and scalable solutions grounded in Science and Technology, a Grand Challenge is an opportunity to foster new ideas, engage new actors, and advance innovation from across the globe.

The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan is pleased to announce an open competition for assistance awards through this Request for Grant Proposals (RFGP). PAS Kabul invites all eligible organizations (See Section III. Eligibility Requirements on page 5) to submit a proposal for a grant with the U.S. Embassy to enhance the capacity of three Afghan government media relations offices so that their media outreach increases in number and effectiveness and the gap between the Afghan public and their governemnt is narrowed. The grant's goals will be achieved by strengthening the capacity of the ministries to engage in proactive, effective, and truthful outreach to both public and private media. The three ministry media relations offices that this grant will train and support are: the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Public Health, and the Independent Directorate for Local Governance. This will be a one-year project, focused on training and production of new stories for a variety of different media. The successful applicant must have strong experience in communications, media training and public relations, with a broad track record in developing and placing stories about the real and measurable progress in Afghanistan with the Afghan media. The successful proposal also must show strong project management experience that demonstrates success in meeting both short- and long-term milestones. Success for this project also will be measured by the number of media activities, the number and impact of stories placed in the media, and the ability of the ministry press office to sustain and carry on this work after the award performance period has been completed.

National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) of Japan have agreed to embark on a collaborative research program to address compelling research challenges that arise from networks supporting future demands of device proliferation and data objects. This NSF solicitation parallels an equivalent NICT solicitation. Proposals submitted under this solicitation must describe joint research with Japanese counterparts who are requesting funding separately under the NICT solicitation. This research and development program addresses three specific challenges that arise when environments with trillions of device and information objects are connected via networks. Trillions of network-connected objects are expected to emerge in the global network around 2020. This trend will require novel approaches for network design and modeling, new technologies to manage and control object mobility, and new and more flexible networks with the speed, capacity and environmental characteristics needed to accommodate communications among objects in the emerging world. This program seeks joint Japan-US research projects that leverage each nation's expertise and address these challenges via work in three areas: 1. Network Design and Modeling: Addressing the design, modeling and component interaction challenges associated with increasingly dynamic and heterogeneous network technologies and applications at scale. 2. Mobility: Addressing issues such as security, control, provisioning, naming, discovery, and fast mobility in a world in which mobility is driven by factors such as social networks, the Internet of things, and cyber-physical systems. 3. Optical Networking: Finding novel approaches for sustainable high‐speed, high‐capacity, and energy-efficient networks that will accommodate communications required in "beyond trillions of devices and information objects" situations.

he U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Mexican Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) are soliciting proposals under the Wildlife Without Borders-Mexico Program for projects that address Mexico's capacity building for biodiversity conservation. Program Goal: Build human and institutional capacity for biodiversity conservation and management in Mexico through training. Of interest are projects that provide direct and significant training to Mexican personnel in terms of the number of individuals trained, the strategic or innovative nature of the training, and the impact of the training on the conservation of biodiversity. Program Objectives: * To address the training needs of Mexican natural resources managers for managing and conserving biodiversity; * To provide local communities access to training that links sound management practices in priority biodiversity areas with the creation of sustainable economic opportunities; * To involve key stakeholder groups to address biodiversity conservation challenges to enable the delivery and implementation of effective conservation actions.

The National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation invite applications for the establishment or continuation of "International Cooperative Biodiversity Groups" (ICBG) to address the interdependence of biodiversity exploration for potential applications in health, with investments in research capacity that support sustainable use of these resources, the knowledge to conserve them, and equitable partnership frameworks among research organizations in the U.S. and low and middle income countries (LMICs). LMICs are defined as low or middle income countries in the World Bank list of economies (see: http://data.worldbank.org/about/country-classifications/country-and-lending-groups).

An enormous appetite for professional training exists among Pakistan's journalists. The industry has expanded rapidly in the past decade with the privatization of television but the training opportunities have not kept pace. Journalism education emphasizes the theoretical over the practical. The majority of Pakistan's media companies do not offer training to their staff and salaries are low, so journalists struggle to pay for training themselves. Thus the proposal to create a Center of Journalism Excellence will fill a major gap in providing much needed journalism skills training. The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad announces an open competition for a cooperative agreement to establish a Center of Journalism Excellence (CJE) by a U.S. or foreign university housing a journalism school of international stature, or U.S. or foreign media development organization that offers in-service professional development training for journalists of the highest quality. Accredited U.S. four-year colleges and universities must meet the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3). Strong preference will be given to applications in which the primary grantee is explicitly linked with a Pakistani partner institution(s) and there is a clear path to sustainability. Additional preference will be given to proposals that include cost sharing by a foundation or non-governmental organization.

The United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) announces an open competition for the support of projects through the Obama - Singh 21st Century Knowledge Initiative (OSI). Announced by the US and Indian governments, OSI aims to strengthen collaboration and build partnerships between American and Indian institutions of higher education. Accredited US post-secondary educational institutions meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 U.S.C. 501c(3) may submit proposals to support the program's goals of encouraging mutual understanding, facilitating educational reform, fostering economic development, and engaging civil society through academic cooperation with Indian post-secondary educational institutions.   Exchange activities may include but are not limited to curriculum design, research collaboration, team teaching, focused series of exchanges, seminars, among other activities. Activities should be designed to develop expertise, advance scholarship and teaching, and promote long-term ties between partner institutions.   Proposals in the following fields are eligible: Energy, Climate Change & Environmental Studies; Education & Educational Reform; Public Health; and Sustainable Development & Community Development.

CDC, in collaboration with the National AIDS Control Program/Department of AIDS Control, has successfully laid the foundation for quality standards and approaches within India's vast HIV laboratory network through a previous five-year laboratory strengthening funding opportunity announcement (FOA). Many achievements were made during the course of the five-year project period, including accreditation of national and state reference labs. This follow-on FOA is expected to build upon and sustain previous accomplishments through onsite mentoring and in service staff training with an eye to higher quality services and scale up. A plan will be developed to facilitate laboratory quality at the grassroots level for 12,000 + Integrated HIV Testing and Counseling Centers (ICTCs). This shall be done through trainer/mentor creation within the HIV laboratory network to assist peripheral laboratories in implementing minimum quality standards. Given its expanded technical assistance (TA) scope, it is also expected to build the capacity and assure quality in a phased manner for HIV related tests like CD4 enumeration, HIV viral load and STI through strengthening leadership and mentoring capacity within the laboratory network. Now in Phase IV of its HIV/AIDS response, the Government of India (GoI) is keen to address any gaps in testing coverage.

USAID/Middle East is making a special call for the submission of Concept Papers focused on the Middle East Water Security Initiative (MWSI). The goal of the MWSI is to improve sustainable, long-term access to water for up to 20 million people living in the Middle East. The MWSI will target Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, West Bank/Gaza, and Yemen and promote sharing of best practices and lessons learned among the five participating countries. To achieve its bold but doable goal, MWSI will engage both international and local actors from the private sector, civil society, public sector, and other organizations to (a) support dynamic young entrepreneurs, researchers, and consumers with opportunities to develop, test, scale-up and market "water-smart" technologies; and (b) increase awareness of and local ability to address water security challenges in the Middle East through behavior change and advocacy campaigns.

Reliable, efficient laboratory services and networks are fundamental components of effective, well-functioning health systems and are essential for patient management, disease detection and control and surveillance. The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to support the Ministry of Health in Mozambique to strengthen the integrated national laboratory network in order to ensure the provision of quality laboratory services for clinical diagnosis, screening, research, and surveillance to support HIV care and treatment and the achievement of an AIDS free generation. The FOA will address the following cross-cutting elements of laboratory systems: governance and management of the integrated laboratory network, strengthening institutions to build and retain a quality laboratory workforce, and building technical and scientific capacity and implementing quality management systems towards accreditation. The expected project outcomes include:* Increased efficiency of laboratory network operations* Increased implementation of quality management systems through a technically and financially sustainable quality improvement and accreditation program owned and implemented by the Ministry of Health* An increase in the coverage and quality of external quality assessment (EQA) services* Improved adherence to laboratory biosafety standards* Improved quality of laboratory pre-service training * Increase in number of laboratory managers and leaders with Master's level training* Improved capacity of laboratory workforce and decreased reliance on external training support

PEPFAR South Sudan collaborates closely with the Republic of South Sudan (RSS) Ministry of Health (MOH) and other key partners to implement the HIV/AIDS National Strategic Plan (NSP) and has developed a five year PEPFAR strategy for the RSS. By targeting geographic areas with high HIV prevalence, PEPFAR will assist the RSS to reach the HIV programmatic goal/tipping point of 16,000 net new HIV patients on treatment and an annual reduction of new HIV infections to below 13,000 by 2017. A primary objective to reach this goal requires improved availability and quality of HIV services for families and other high-impact populations using a public health approach. Under this funding opportunity announcement (FOA), PEPFAR South Sudan prioritizes working in collaboration with the MOH to implement the following approaches: 1) expand HIV testing and counseling (HTC) through high-yield testing approaches, 2) improve access to ART services for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, their partners, and children, 3) strengthen pediatric HIV testing, care and treatment within a family centered approach, and 4) advance the development of a sustainable infrastructure for South Sudan's workforce. This FOA solicits a combination of capacity building and mentorship for the RSS MOH at the national, state and local levels as well as through direct service delivery to complement the MOH, Global Fund and other partner efforts to scale-up HIV prevention, care and treatment programs in South Sudan.

"The World in the City: Metropolitanism and Globalization from the 19th Century to the Present" is the title of the current Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft-funded international and interdisciplinary graduate program, based at the Technische Universität Berlin. (Director Prof. Dr. Dorothee Brantz; Co-Director Prof. Dr. Alexander Nützenadel, HU Berlin.)  The project is a cooperative effort between several Berlin (TU, FU, HU Berlin), New York (Columbia University, Fordham University, New York University, The City University of New York) and Toronto (University of Toronto, York University) universities. In the spring of 2012, 12 graduate students and 2 postdoctoral fellows began their dialogue at the cross-section of historical and interdisciplinary urban studies. While urban researchers primarily define globalization as being a current phenomenon, historians have rarely focused on the role of cities within long-term globalization processes. The IGK hopes to close this research gap and offer a relevant contribution to interdisciplinary urban research within 4 thematic areas (architecture and urban planning; migration and mobility; knowledge and communication; environment and sustainability).