For Applicants | Focus Areas | Tunisia / Economic Growth, ICT, and Small and Medium Enterprises Applicant Resources Apply Application Process Eligibility Focus Areas Find a USG-Supported Partner Frequently Asked Questions Eligible Countries: Tunisia Additional Criteria for Applicants: Please see Section V of the Solicitation for General Eligibility requirements. Objectives: PEER and USAID/Tunisia are seeking applicants with projects that will help grow the economy of Tunisia and lay a foundation to empower current and new generations. We are looking for research products and tools that will be ready to go in one year to help establish Tunisia as a regional leader. The following are USAID Tunisia’s three priority areas with examples of the types of research projects and products that would help bring Tunisian society into the position of a regional hub: Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Mapping out the current talents and capabilities in the ICT sector using geospatial tools Research on how Tunisia could become a regional ICT Hub and action plan to get there Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Describe the Tunisian SME ecosystem using novel tools Partnerships that will improve delivery of ‘last mile’ services to the consumer or end user Impact of ICT and entrepreneurship on the transformation of SMEs Economic Growth Applied and product research Bringing technology to scale that will catapult Tunisia into a tech leader Last mile research for products that will help drive the economic growth of different sectors Data science and research to discover the gaps in skills versus available jobs in country Strong applications will have a cross-disciplinary team (e.g. social scientist, communications specialist, economist, etc.) and a clearly articulated beneficiary or stakeholder (e.g. policymakers, NGOs, government ministries, etc.), influencers, and a plan of engagement, including a communications strategy. Research results must also be action oriented with less of an emphasis on trainings and convenings and more of an emphasis on research to measurable action or interventions. Duration of Project: Projects should be designed to be implemented in no more than one year with budgets between $30,000 and $80,000 USD. Any proposal received for a project greater than 12 months in length will not be considered for funding. Awarded projects may be eligible for a no-cost extension of up to 6 months after the original 12-month project period. Applicants are strongly encouraged to articulate exactly how their data or intervention impacts a larger community outside academia. Projects that require IRB and FWA must already have them. Women researchers are strongly encouraged to apply.