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**The 2018 deadline for this opportunity has passed or the internal application slot has been granted. Updated information will be posted when the next funding cycle opens.**

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Program Summary听

This call for concept notes under the existing Science, Technology, Innovation, and Partnership Annual Program Statement (APRS No. 7200AA18APS00003) aims to strengthen capacities for agricultural innovation. Agricultural innovation is the process whereby individuals or organizations generate and bring existing or new technologies, practices, and/or forms of organization into social and economic use to increase effectiveness, competitiveness, resilience to shocks, and/or environmental sustainability, thereby contributing to sustainably reducing global hunger, malnutrition, and poverty. Concept Notes should propose cutting-edge approaches to:

  1. strengthen the capacity of relevant host-country organizations to act as 鈥渋nnovation brokers鈥濃�攃ritical connectors in a network of actors that facilitate downstream and upstream partnerships to research, test, and scale new or improved technologies or practices;
  2. conduct analysis and research on effective approaches and best practices for facilitating capacity development for agricultural innovation;
  3. establish a self-sustaining community of practice to reduce transaction costs and promote best practices for strengthening agricultural innovation capacity across Feed the Future Innovation Labs and host-country partners, including universities, national and regional research institutes, private sector firms, extension organizations, and other relevant organizations; and
  4. provide technical assistance on applying best practices for strengthening agricultural innovation capacity to USAID Missions and other Operating Units.

Deadlines

Sponsor Deadline for Written Questions: 3:00pm MST April 20, 2018

Internal Competition Deadline: 11:59pm MST April 24, 2018

Sponsor Concept Note Deadline: 3:00pm MST May 11, 2018

Internal Application Requirements (all in PDF format)

  • Up to 2-page project summary: include a description of the proposed solution and the higher education institution engagement.
  • List of proposed partners: 1-page maximum
  • Up to 1-page budget overview: a basic budget outlining project costs is sufficient; detailed OCG budgets are not required.

To access the online application, visit:

Eligibility

Preference will be given to applications with low- or middle-income country (LMIC) higher education institution partners in .

Limited Submission Guidelines

All entities are restricted to submitting one Concept Note as the lead (prime) applicant.

Award Information and Duration

Award Amount: Up to $9,000,000

Project Period: 5 years