Proposal Deadline: December 4, 2012 (CLOSED)
                                                                                                                                                                                                      
SOLICITATION

• Food security topics such as agricultural development, fisheries, and plant genomics
• Climate change impacts such as water sustainability, hydrology, ocean acidification, climate process and modeling, and environmental engineering
• Other development topics including disaster mitigation, biodiversity, water, and renewable energy 

• Indonesia: PEER Science is seeking research projects that support the goals and objectives of USAID/Indonesia as outlined in the mission’s Country Strategy (http://indonesia.usaid.gov/en/home). Projects should also contribute to USAID/Indonesia’s higher education objectives by achieving one or more of the following:

1. Improved instructional delivery through better teaching methods and more relevant curricula in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) field;
2. Enhanced research skills and methods in a STEM field; and
3. New and/or strengthened partnerships between Indonesian and U.S.-based researchers. 

• Biodiversity Conservation and Clean Energy in the Philippines: PEER Science is seeking to support projects in the Philippines within two sectors: 1) Biodiversity Conservation and/or Management and 2) Clean Energy Production, focusing on electrification of island and/or remote areas. Biodiversity projects must have an explicit biodiversity objective; respond to identified threats to biodiversity; monitor indicators for biodiversity conservation; and site-based programs must positively impact biologically significant areas. Clean Energy projects should focus on sustainable, low-carbon energy sources for electrification of islands and/or remote areas. Proposals are encouraged to support the development objectives of USAID/Philippines. The Office of Energy, Environment and Climate Change is currently supporting many biodiversity and clean energy programs within the Philippines and applicants are encouraged to look for opportunities to partner or collaborate with ongoing programs.  For information on USAID/Philippines objectives and programs visit: http://philippines.usaid.gov/).

• Water for the Middle East and North Africa (Eligible Countries: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, West Bank/Gaza, and Yemen): PEER Science is seeking to support projects that focus on water-related research in the PEER Science-eligible countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Research projects can address development related issues through technical and/or policy research. Example projects might include: research in drylands irrigation and agricultural water techniques that could be transferred and adapted from the United States to MENA; or research on socioeconomic barriers and opportunities adopting new agricultural water management technologies. Proposals are encouraged to support the goals of the USAID-sponsored MENA Network of Water Centers.

• Biodiversity Research in the Lower Mekong (Eligible Countries: Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam): PEER Science is seeking to support research projects led by women scientists from the Lower Mekong Delta countries (Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam) that focus on biodiversity conservation issues in this region.  Research areas may include, though are not limited to, mapping the distributions of priority species; investigating climate impacts on biodiversity; understanding threats to biodiversity; improving the economic valuation of ecosystems; and informing environmental governance systems to better protect biodiversity.   For more information on the objectives of the Regional Development Mission for Asia please see: http://transition.usaid.gov/rdma/.

• Maldives Climate Change Adaptation (Eligible Countries: all PEER Science-eligible countries and the Maldives): PEER Science is seeking to support research projects that focus on climate change adaptation in the Maldives. Research projects should support increased resilience of people, places, and/or livelihoods to climate change impacts in the Maldives, and should be consistent with the strategic development objective of USAID/Sri Lanka in the Maldives.  USAID is committed to providing assistance to the Maldives to adapt to the negative impacts of climate change. The Maldives is comprised of more than 1,000 small islands, with an average elevation of only 1.5 m above sea level. This unique geography means the country is particularly vulnerable to a range of climate-related impacts including rising sea levels, droughts, extreme rainfall, damaging winds, and elevated water and air temperatures. High population density, rapid population growth, and dependence on climate-sensitive industries such as fisheries and tourism add to the country’s vulnerability. USAID/Sri Lanka will provide assistance to selected islands in the Maldives with the goal of developing a robust “climate-resilient islands” model that may be replicated both in the Maldives and other Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The program will support the sustainable management, conservation, and restoration of island ecosystems, and foster diversified, climate-smart livelihoods. Illustrative examples include building capacity for the sustainable management of agricultural and marine resources; building capacity for environmental monitoring; piloting ecosystem-based approaches to island restoration; improving water security through integrated water resources management; improving disaster preparedness; and building capacity for sustainable marine-based livelihoods.

• Biodiversity Conservation in Brazil: PEER Science is seeking to support research projects in Brazil that have an explicit biodiversity conservation objective and that positively affect biodiversity conservation in the Brazilian Amazon and on indigenous lands located in that region. Projects must respond to identified threats to biodiversity, (e.g., deforestation and expansion of the agricultural frontier) and monitor indicators for biodiversity conservation through activities such as improved natural resource management. Research areas may include, but are not limited to, investigating climate impacts—and their mitigation—on Amazon biodiversity; understanding threats to biodiversity; improving the economic valuation of ecosystems; leveraging indigenous peoples' traditional practices and knowledge to protect the Amazon's unique biodiversity; and informing environmental governance systems for improved biodiversity conservation. USAID/Brazil encourages submission of proposals with strong science and technology, and innovation components, in addition to potential application of research findings and results in less developed countries.

• Relevance to USAID’s global and country-specific programmatic interests
• Technical merit and scientific feasibility
• PI’s demonstrated ability to achieve proposed project goals
• Strength of the international collaboration and potential for continued interaction after the proposed project ends
• Consistency of the proposed project with the U.S. partner’s NSF-funded award
• Other developing country scientists involved in project (for example, students, postdoctoral and other beginning researchers, and/or female participants)
• Potential to build sustained capacity at the applicant’s institution (for example, through acquisition of new equipment, development of new courses, or capacity building of research personnel and students)
• Prospect for broader impact and dissemination, for example through producing research results that inform local policies or programmatic activities or by accelerating progress towards innovative solutions to global development challenges.
• Cost-effectiveness of proposed budget
• Administrative and financial management capabilities of the applicant’s institution

• Costs for the construction of new buildings are not allowable.
• Costs for the purchase of vehicles are not allowable, although vehicle rental costs are allowed provided they are explained and justified.
• Salary support for the principal investigator is generally not provided and will be considered on a case-by-case basis only if essential and fully justified. Salaries for other researchers and technical personnel (including project participants and substitute instructors required to cover the PI’s usual teaching duties) are allowable, as are stipends for students involved in the project. Applicants requesting salary and stipend coverage in their project budgets must include in section 3.j of the application form a list of positions to be supported, an explanation of their roles, and the percentage of their time that would be devoted to the project.
• Contingency costs are not allowable.
• Travel costs, salaries, and other expenses for participants who are citizens of countries other than the PEER Science-eligible country of the applicant are not allowable. This includes foreign collaborators or students from non-eligible countries. U.S. participants should contact their NSF program managers to request international supplements to their NSF grants if necessary.
• International air travel must be by U.S. air carriers to the maximum extent such service is available as required under the Fly America Act, so applicants should estimate their air travel budgets accordingly. Business-class travel is not permitted.
• If visits to the United States are planned, applicants should include in their travel budgets an extra $100 for each visit to cover the cost of the medical examination that will be required as part of the visa application process. PEER Science grant funds may not be used to pay customs duties, and normally grants provided with USAID funds are exempt from duties in countries receiving U.S. assistance. If the items to be bought will not be exempt from such duties, funds to pay these charges must come from other non-PEER Science sources and must be explained in section 3.k of the proposal.
• If requested, indirect costs (costs supporting overall institutional operations and management) should be kept to a minimum and must be fully explained and justified in section 3.k, with details provided on what specific institutional infrastructure elements or support services are covered.

• Annex: If necessary, please include any figures and tables in a single document annex and refer to them in your project description (for example, Figure 1 in Annex, etc.). Please do not exceed five figures/tables combined and do not include additional project narrative in this document.
• Curriculum Vitae (Developing Country PI): Please upload the principal investigator’s brief CV, which should be no more than two pages in length and include citations for no more than five to ten recent relevant publications or patents. If the project includes more than one developing country institution, please also include a CV for the key project participant at each institution. Please do not submit electronic copies of publications or other background materials, as they will not be forwarded to reviewers. All the CVs must be uploaded in one single file. A sample CV template is available for your reference.
• Curriculum Vitae (U.S. partner): Please upload your U.S. partner's brief CV, which should be no more than two pages in length and include citations for no more than five to ten recent relevant publications or patents. Please do not submit electronic copies of publications or other background materials, as they will not be forwarded to reviewers.
• NSF award abstract: Please upload a copy of the abstract of your U.S. partner’s NSF award, which may be accessed through the NSF award database.
• Letter of support from U.S. collaborator: The letter must be written on official institutional letterhead and must list the title and award number of the U.S. collaborator’s active NSF grant. It must provide details on how the proposed project relates to this NSF grant and explain the U.S. collaborator’s expected role in the project and the level of integration of the proposed project with the specific area of research. The letter must be signed by the U.S. collaborator.
• Letter of support from an official at the principal investigator’s institution who is legally authorized to make commitments on the institution’s behalf: If your project involves more than one developing country institution, please submit a separate support letter from each. The letter must be written on official institutional letterhead and must include the following elements:

1. Confirmation that the institution supports the participation of its staff in the proposed project, would be willing to receive and administer any grant funds awarded, and would be permitted under local regulations to receive grant funds from a foreign sponsor
2. A brief description of the institution’s structures and practices for project management and financial oversight, as well as a description of the process by which the institution could receive grant funds from a foreign sponsor
3. A brief description of resources that the institution would be making available (if any) to facilitate the project, whether in cash or in kind, for example by paying the salary of the principal investigator or other staff for the time he or she works on the project, providing substitute instructors to cover the principal investigator’s teaching duties so he or she is free to work on the project, or providing laboratory or office space, access to equipment, or office support staff
4. Examples of other grants your institution has received from foreign sponsors (if any), including the project title, sponsoring organization’s name, amount, dates, and name and e-mail of contact person at the sponsoring organization

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