Group items tagged

The Office of Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR), part of the Department's Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation (ISN), sponsors foreign assistance activities funded by the Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining and Related Programs (NADR) account, and focuses on mitigating proliferation risk in frontline states and regions where the terrorist threat is on the rise, such as South Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. ISN/CTR administers the Biosecurity Engagement Program (BEP) program as part of the Global Threat Reduction (GTR) portfolio. BEP's mission involves institutionalizing biorisk management best practices, securing life science institutions and dangerous pathogens, decreasing the risk that scientists with dual-use expertise will misuse pathogens, and promoting adoption of and compliance with comprehensive international frameworks that advance U.S. biological nonproliferation objectives, including United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1540, the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), the World Health Organization's International Health Regulations, and the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) / International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards. BEP generally funds activities in three priority pillars and has a focus on long-term sustainability.

The U.S. Diplomacy Center (USDC) announces a Notice of Funding Opportunity for up to $198,000 for an implementer (simulations coordination team) to work on the Diplomatic Simulations Program. In this unique educational program, students role play diplomatic representatives of different sides negotiating a solution to an international dispute. The focus will mainly be on international students. Students learn to use the tools of diplomacy to engage constructively with foreign governments and international groups on global issues. The project will require, but is not limited to, curriculum design and simulation writing, as well as filming and editing video clips that introduce the program and support the content of the simulations. The simulations coordination team will also develop online resources geared to both U.S. and international audiences, for teachers to use with students.

The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia is pleased to announce an open competition for assistance award through this Request for Proposals (RFP) for the International Affairs Partnership Program with the School of Law and Politics (SLP) at the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA). The Public Affairs Section (PAS) invites U.S. academic institutions (U.S. University International Relations/Political Science/Foreign Policy programs) to submit proposals for a three-year partnership project to improve the standard of International Relations instruction and assist in the long-term institutional development of the School of Law and Politics (SLP). The means for achieving this goal may include: faculty development, curricula and materials development, program development (to include joint long-distance MA degree program), professor and student exchanges, and joint research. PAS will award approximately $495,000 for a three year long project.

USDOL/ILAB intends to award up to USD 2 million for one cooperative agreement to fund a technical assistance project in Peru. The purpose for funding this project is to help build the labor law enforcement capacity of the Peruvian labor inspectorate, with a focus on the Ministry of Labor and Employment Promotion (MTPE)'s newly-formed National Superintendency of Labor Inspection or Superintendencia Nacional de Fiscalización Laboral (SUNAFIL). The project will help the MTPE in its transition from a decentralized to a more centralized labor law enforcement system and will help ensure more effective labor law enforcement at the national and regional levels. The project will focus particularly on improving the MTPE's enforcement of laws, regulations, and other legal instruments governing subcontracting/outsourcing and the use of short-term employment contracts, especially in the nontraditional export sectors (e.g., mining, agriculture, fishing, and textiles). The duration of the project funded by this announcement is up to 4.5 years (54 months) from the effective date of award. The project start date will be negotiated upon award of the individual cooperative agreement but will be no later than December 31, 2014. ILAB's mission is to use all available international channels to improve working conditions, raise living standards, protect workers' ability to exercise their rights, and address the workplace exploitation of children and other vulnerable populations. ILAB is authorized to award and administer cooperative agreements by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014, Pub. Law 113-76. Cooperative agreements awarded under this solicitation will be administered by the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and technically managed by ILAB's Office of Trade and Labor Affairs (OTLA). The mission of OTLA is to implement trade-related labor policy and coordinate international technical cooperation in support of the labor provisions in free trade agreements; to

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.

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) announces an open competition for organizations interested in submitting applications for projects that support Religious Freedom globally. "Religious freedom" refers to the right set out in Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, including the freedom to adopt a religion or beliefs, change your beliefs, practice and teach your beliefs (which may include through publications, public and private speech, and the display of religious attire or symbols), gather in community with others to worship and observe your beliefs, and teach your beliefs to your children. Proposed programming must be responsive to restrictions on religious freedom and must be in line with the U.S. Government's religious freedom, democracy, governance, and human rights goals. Helpful resources for applicants include the annual country-specific International Religious Freedom Reports https://www.state.gov/international-religious-freedom-reports/ and annual country-specific Human Rights Reports https://www.state.gov/reports/2018-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/. Applicants will be responsible for ensuring program activities and products are implemented in accordance with the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution. DRL programming will engage youth to foster an environment of greater inter-communal and intra-communal respect and peaceful coexistence among religious communities in Pakistan promoting the rights of all people to live free from discrimination, abuse, and violence on account of their religious identity, practices, or affiliation. Proposals should be gender inclusive and include religious minorities.

The United States Agency for International Development in Bangladesh (USAID/Bangladesh) seeks to invest in people, networks and institutions to make democracy in Bangladesh more accountable, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of its citizens. USAID/Bangladesh is interested in supporting vibrant civil society organizations (CSO) active in advocating for rule of law, human and other democratic rights enshrined in the constitution and international commitments of the Government of Bangladesh. The purpose of this notice of Expression of Interest is to identify potential partners to implement a five year project entitled "Promoting Advocacy and Rights" (PAR), jointly funded by USAID and UK's Department for International Development (DFID). Organizations responding to this notice will receive a Notice of Funding Opportunity "NOFO" with problem statement for the proposed PAR activity, so that they can develop and submit a full technical and cost application.

The European Institutes for Advanced Study (EURIAS) Fellowship Programme is an international researcher mobility programme offering 10-month residencies in one of the 16 participating Institutes: Berlin, Bologna, Brussels, Budapest, Cambridge, Delmenhorst, Freiburg, Helsinki, Jerusalem, Lyon, Marseille, Paris, Uppsala, Vienna, Wassenaar, Zürich. The Institutes for Advanced Study support the focused, self-directed work of outstanding researchers. The fellows benefit from the finest intellectual and research conditions and from the stimulating environment of a multi-disciplinary and international community of first-rate scholars. EURIAS Fellowships are mainly offered in the fields of the humanities and social sciences but may also be granted to scholars in life and exact sciences, provided that their proposed research project does not require laboratory facilities and that it interfaces with humanities and social sciences. The diversity of the 16 participating IAS offers a wide range of possible research contexts in Europe for worldwide scholars. Applicants may select up to three IAS outside their country of nationality or residence as possible host institutions. The Programme welcomes applications worldwide from promising young scholars as well as from leading senior researchers. The EURIAS selection process has proven to be highly competitive. To match the Programme standards, applicants have to submit a solid and innovative research proposal, to demonstrate the ability to forge beyond disciplinary specialisation, to show an international commitment as well as quality publications in high-impact venues. For the 2014-2015 academic year, EURIAS offers 39 fellowships (20 junior and 19 senior positions).

In 2015, under the auspices of the GCTF, the United States and Turkey launched the International CT and CVE Clearinghouse Capacity-Building Mechanism (ICCM) in an effort to develop a more systematic approach to direct, coordinate, and de-conflict the provision of CT and CVE resources to key partner nations and regions. The ICCM is an online database of unclassified civilian CT and CVE activities, which serves as a resource and decision-making tool to better coordinate and deliver capacity-building assistance. The ICCM is password-protected and only open to GCTF members (29 countries and the EU), key donors and affiliated institutions, such as the United Nations. In 2015, the ICCM was launched as a two-year pilot project in Kenya, Nigeria, and Tunisia. The ICCM is now live with recent, ongoing, and planned CT and CVE capacity-building projects. Data in the ICCM comes from partner nation inputs, existing donor databases, and open source materials. As the ICCM's two-year pilot period comes to an end in September 2017, the United States is looking to fund the continuation of the ICCM and its expansion to include additional countries. The specific countries to be added will be provided by CT at a later date. PROJECT'S GOALThe goal of this project is to expand as well as maintain and update the International Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism Capacity-Building Clearinghouse Mechanism (ICCM) under the auspices of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF). (Please see attached NOFO document for the remainder of the requirements to apply)

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.

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.

The United States Government, represented by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), anticipates issuing a request for applications (RFA), early-May 2013, inviting applications for a Cooperative Agreement to implement the Strengthening Democratic Local Governance Program in South Sudan to strengthen democratic local governance through improving local government's ability to perform its core functions and supporting the development of strong and credible state and local systems. Specifically, the program will engender a bottom-up and inclusive public participatory approach in the decision-making, implementation and accountability of government service delivery and further strengthen linkages within national, state, and local (payam) governments and International/NGOs for better coordination, delivery of services and accountability to the people. Subject to the availability of funds, this competitively awarded five-year, Cooperative Agreement shall focus on implementing projects primarily in high conflict, disaster prone and low resource areas. USAID will advise applicants of project objectives and desired outcome; however, applicants must provide the methodology or approach for implementation of the project. Applicants will have the opportunity to propose a sound, cost effective approach for the Program. Additionally, Applicants are strongly encouraged to consider implementation through a consortium with other organizations including PIOs and local organizations; however, principal responsibility for implementation of the program should rest with the applicant who should act as prime and have final responsibility for implementation and performance monitoring of the program.

The Fellowship Program for Advanced Social Science Research on Japan is a joint activity of the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission (JUSFC) and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Awards support research on modern Japanese society and political economy, Japan's international relations, and U.S.-Japan relations. The program encourages innovative research that puts these subjects in wider regional and global contexts and is comparative and contemporary in nature. Research should contribute to scholarly knowledge or to the general public's understanding of issues of concern to Japan and the United States. Appropriate disciplines for the research include anthropology, economics, geography, history, international relations, linguistics, political science, psychology, public administration, and sociology. Awards usually result in articles, monographs, books, digital materials, archaeological site reports, translations, editions, or other scholarly resources.

The International Research Center "Work and Human Lifecycle in Global History" at Humboldt University in Berlin, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and headed by Professor Andreas Eckert, invites scholars to apply for 10 to 15 international research fellowships (senior scholars and postdoctoral candidates) for the 2014-2015 academic year. Applications are due in Berlin on 31 August 2013. We welcome candidates especially from the disciplines of history, anthropology, law, sociology, political science, and area studies. Applicants should be at the postdoctoral level or senior scholars. We would like the proposed projects to employ a historical and transregional perspective. Also, please do not only focus on work/ labour, but also on life course. Possible topic areas are, among others, the household, loss of work, the relationship between work and non-work, as well as free and unfree labour. We welcome proposals about all regions of the world and especially those that look at comparisons, conflicts, relations between different regions. A global history perspective is not required; keeping an open mind to such ideas, however, is highly desirable. The fellowships will begin on 1 October 2014 and end on 31 July 2015. Shorter fellowship terms will be possible. Fellows will receive a monthly stipend, which can be individually negotiated, and are obliged to work at the research center in Berlin. A fully equipped office will be provided as well as organizational help for visa, housing, etc. During the fellowship, we also encourage fellows to introduce their work to wider audiences within Berlin's scientific community.

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.

The Fellowship Program for Advanced Social Science Research on Japan is a joint activity of the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission (JUSFC) and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Awards support research on modern Japanese society and political economy, Japan's international relations, and U.S.-Japan relations. The program encourages innovative research that puts these subjects in wider regional and global contexts and is comparative and contemporary in nature. Research should contribute to scholarly knowledge or to the general public¿s understanding of issues of concern to Japan and the United States. Appropriate disciplines for the research include anthropology, economics, geography, history, international relations, linguistics, political science, psychology, public administration, and sociology. Awards usually result in articles, monographs, books, digital materials, archaeological site reports, translations, editions, or other scholarly resources. The fellowships are designed for researchers with advanced language skills whose research will require use of data, sources, and documents in their original languages or whose research requires interviews onsite in direct one-on-one contact. Fellows may undertake their projects in Japan, the United States, or both, and may include work in other countries for comparative purposes. Projects may be at any stage of development.

The Security and Preparedness (SAP) Programsupports basic scientific research that advances knowledge and understanding of issues broadly related to global and national security. Research proposals are evaluated on the criteria of intellectual merit and broader impacts; the proposed projects are expected to be theoretically motivated, conceptually precise, methodologically rigorous, and empirically oriented. Substantive areas include (but are not limited to) international relations, global and national security, human security,political violence, state stability, conflict processes, regime transition, international and comparative political economy, and peace science. Moreover, the Program supports research experiences for undergraduate students and infrastructural activities, including methodological innovations. The Program does not fund applied research. In addition, we encourage you to examine the websites for the National Science Foundation'sAccountable Institutions and Behavior(AIB) and Law and Science (LS) programs.

MENA governments - especially in Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia - have undertaken important reform initiatives to modernize their public administrations and pass access to information laws. Several have applied to join the Open Government Partnership (OGP), an international initiative that aims to leverage capabilities of new technologies to strengthen participatory governance and fight corruption. Further actions are required to sustain this progress and implement open government principles that foster civil society collaboration with government. This project will assist governments in developing action plans to improve management and governance activities such as: budgeting, human resources management, regulatory practices, public integrity, public procurement, digital government, open government and data, risk management, and innovations. By focusing on public governance areas and creating inclusive economies and societies, this project will guide governments to benchmark their countries' progress on public sector reforms at the national and regional levels, and to compare them against international standards. Additionally, it will create the first MENA long-term strategic partnership and governance network for policy dialogue and exchange of good practices. Finally, it will deliver ad hoc policy recommendations to advance public sector reform agendas in specific sectors at the national or regional level with a focus on policies pertaining to women and youth.

The Smith Richardson Foundation seeks to contribute to important public debates and to address serious public policy challenges facing the United States as well as help ensure the vitality of social, economic, and governmental institutions, and assist with the development of effective policies that enable the United States to compete internationally and advance U.S. interests and values abroad. To that end, the foundation is accepting applications for its annual Strategy and Policy Fellows grant competition. Through the program, at least research grants of $60,000 will be awarded in support of research by young scholars and policy thinkers working in the area(s) of American foreign policy, international relations, international security, military policy, and diplomatic and military history that leads to the writing of a book.

The Office of Citizen Exchanges, SportsUnited Division, of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) announces an open competition for the FY 2016 International Sports Programming Initiative. Sports Diplomacy programs can be an important tool for advancing foreign policy goals and connecting with audiences with whom traditional diplomacy proves challenging, including at-risk youth, women, minorities, people with disabilities, and non-English speakers. Sports Diplomacy enhances cross-cultural understanding and opens new avenues of dialogue and collaboration between individuals and nations. In support of U.S. Department of State foreign policy objectives, ECA's sports diplomacy programs create both people-to-people and institutional linkages through sport. The Office of Citizen Exchanges welcomes proposals that directly respond to the Sport for Social Change theme outlined below. The award recipient will be responsible for planning, overseeing, and/or implementing the exchanges including the administration of at least four two-way exchange programs.