The Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) Program is a joint program between USAID and the National Science Foundation (NSF) that supports developing country scientists conducting research in collaboration with NSF-funded scientists. Through competitive grants, the PEER Science program funds projects in areas like agriculture, water, biodiversity conservation, and disaster mitigation that build research capacity and address development challenges. Since 2011, PEER Science has awarded over 40 grants worth $5.5 million for collaborative research projects in over 25 countries.

1. USAID's
Partnerships
for
Enhanced
Engagement
in
Research
(PEER)
Program
Presenter
Name,
Ph.D.
Office
of
Science
and
Technology
United
States
Agency
for
Interna>onal
Development

2.
United
States
Agency
for
Interna=onal
Development
(USAID)
USAID
is
an
independent
agency
that
furthers
U.S.
foreign
policy:
• Promotes
broad-­‐scale
human
progress
• Expands
stable,
free
socie>es
• Creates
markets
and
trade
partners
for
the
United
States
• Fosters
good
will
abroad.
USAID
works
in
over
100
developing
countries,
focusing
on:
• Climate
Change
• Water
• Food
Security
• Biodiversity
• Global
Health
• Conflicts
and
• Educa>on
Disasters
• Renewable
Energy

3.
United
States
Agency
for
Interna=onal
Development
(USAID)
USAID’s
Office
of
Science
and
Technology
• USAID
is
commiPed
to
advancing
the
role
of
science
and
technology
and
solving
the
most
cri>cal
development
problems
through
the
independent
Office
of
Science
and
Technology
(OST)
• OST’s
focuses
on
four
opera>onal
pillars:
1. Data
and
Analy>cs
2. Transforma=onal
and
Collabora=ve
Research
3. Open
Innova>on
4. Higher
Educa>on
Solu>ons
Network

4. Open
Innova=on
Transforma=onal
and
Office of Science and Technology
Collabora=ve
Research
• Launched
Grand
Challenges
for
Development:
Saving
Lives
at
Birth,
All
Children
Reading,
• Enhanced
collabora>on
with
federal
science
Powering
Agriculture,
Making
All
Voices
agencies
like
NASA,
NSF,
NOAA,
USGS,
NIH
Count
• Programs
to
support
these
efforts
like
PEER
• Prizes
and
Open
Innova>on
with
NSF
and
NIH
• LAUNCH
Innova>on
Program
with
NASA
Office
of
Science
and
Technology
(Dr.
Alex
Dehgan)
Higher
Educa=on
Solu=ons
Data
and
Analy=cs
Network
• Central
GIS
support
to
Agency
augments
the
• Established
a
network
of
universi>es
that
will
planning,
monitoring,
evalua>on,
and
bring
new
solu>ons,
data
and
analy>cs
to
the
communica>on
of
development
work
Agency
• Technical
Support
to
Missions
in
building
GIS
• Leverage
crea>vity
of
students
capacity

5. Partnerships
for
Enhanced
Engagement
in
Research
(PEER)

6. Benefits
of
PEER
United
States
Developing
Country
• Increase
global
scope
and
• Build
capacity
foster
interna>onal
• Include
interna>onal
collabora>ons
research
community
• Bolster
research
effec>veness
• Develop
science
diplomacy
• Access
local
knowledge
• Realize
development
• Access
resources
objec>ves
• Facili>es
• Inform
policy
and
prac>ces
• Unique
ecosystems
• Provide
data
for
evidence-­‐based
• Geological
forma>ons
programs
• Hydrological
regimes
• Incorporate
new
technologies

7. PEER
Science
Partnerships
for
Enhanced
Engagement
in
Research
(PEER)
Science
• PEER
Science
is
a
joint
program
between
USAID
and
the
Na>onal
Science
Founda>on
(NSF).
• The
PEER
Science
Program
supports
developing
country
scien>sts
conduc>ng
research
in
collabora>on
with
NSF-­‐funded
scien>sts.

8. PEER
Science
Structure
NSF USAID
Competitively funds PEER Competitively funds
U.S. researchers developing country
SCIENCE researchers
Agriculture,
water,
biodiversity
conserva>on,
and
disaster
mi>ga>on
research

9. The
Na=onal
Science
Founda=on
Mission
The
Na>onal
Science
Founda>on
(NSF)
is
an
independent
federal
agency
created
by
Congress
in
1950
"to
promote
the
progress
of
science;
to
advance
the
na3onal
health,
prosperity,
and
welfare;
to
secure
the
na3onal
defense…”
Research
areas:
• Biological
Sciences
•
Computer
and
Informa>on
Science
and
Engineering
•
Educa>on
and
Human
Resources
•
Engineering
•
Geosciences
•
Mathema>cal
and
Physical
Sciences
•
Social,
Behavioral
and
Economic
Sciences

10. PEER
Science
2011:
1st
Applica=on
Cycle
• 488
proposals
from
63
countries
• 42
grants
totaling
approximately
$5.5
million
to
support
projects
in
25
countries
• Selec>on
based
on
scien>fic
merit,
development
impact
and
prospect
for
collabora>on
2012:
2nd
Applica=on
Cycle
–
Decisions
Expected
Spring
2013
• 237
proposals
from
54
countries
Focused
Research
Topics:
Brazil
biodiversity
conserva>on,
Lower
Mekong
River
conserva>on,
Indonesia
2013:
3rd
Applica=on
Cycle
–
Expected
August
2013

11. PEER
Science
PEER
Science
Awards
by
Region
2011
Africa,
7
Middle
East,
8
La>n
America,
6
Asia,
20
Europe/
Eurasia

12. PEER
Science
!

13. PEER
Science
Examples
of
Successful
Proposals
• Developing
transla>on
somware
to
convert
spoken
Arabic
to
Moroccan
sign
language
• Studying
marine
biodiversity
in
Indonesia
and
the
Philippines
• Assessing
landslide
risk
in
Lebanon
• Analyzing
climate
change
impacts
in
Colombia
and
Ecuador
• Addressing
drinking
water
quality
in
Kenya

14. PEER
Science
Marine
Conserva>on
Tropical Plant Curriculum Project,
Indonesia
Biodiversity
Research

15. PEER
Health
Partnerships
for
Enhanced
Engagement
in
Research
(PEER)
Health
• PEER
Health:
A
research
grant-­‐based
plaoorm
which
allows
USAID
Missions
to
move
quickly
to
fill
evidence
gaps
around
implementa>on
of
programs
and
interven>ons.
• The
PEER
Health
partnership
includes:
Researchers
in
country,
Na>onal
Ins>tutes
of
Health
(NIH)
researchers,
and
USAID
field
missions.

16. PEER
Health
The
Na=onal
Ins=tutes
of
Health
NIH’s traces its roots to 1887. Its mission is to seek fundamental
knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the
application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and
reduce the burdens of illness and disability.
NIH conducts and supports research:
• Causes, diagnosis, prevention, and cure of human diseases;
• Processes of human growth and development;
• Biological effects of environmental contaminants;
• Understanding of mental, addictive and physical disorders; and
• Information exchange in the area of medicine

17. PEER
Health
Child
Survival
Program
Mission
Program
Evidence
for
improved
implementa=on
of
health
interven>ons,
services,
and
programs
Researchers
NIH
USAID
in
country
researchers
Missions

18. PEER
Health
2012:
1st
Applica=on
Cycle
–
Decisions
Expected
Spring
2013
• X
pre-­‐proposals
• 81
invited
for
full
proposal
2013:
2nd
Applica=on
Cycle
–
Expected
August
2013

19. PEER
Health

20. Contact
Informa=on
PEER
Science:
peer@nas.edu
PEER
Health:
peerhealth@nas.edu
Telephone
enquiries
for
both
programs:
+1-­‐202-­‐334-­‐3345