WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) U.S. Global Development Lab today announced $10 million for 45 new research projects that will address evidence gaps and advance technical capacity in critical areas of development. Spanning 23 USAID partner countries, the 45 new projects are funded through the Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) program, an initiative designed to foster collaborative global research. The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine implements the program.

“In order to achieve greater development impact, we must work collaboratively to strengthen scientific expertise all over the world,” said Ann Mei Chang, Executive Director of the U.S. Global Development Lab.  “Through programs like PEER, we support a network of university researchers who are sourcing, developing and applying local solutions to critical development challenges around the world.”

The latest cohort of PEER projects - representing the fourth cycle of the program - were selected from over 500 high-quality proposals and represent close to $50 million dollars of leveraged funds through collaborations with U.S.-funded counterparts. Through the PEER program, USAID supports researchers in developing countries working in partnership with U.S. government-funded researchers. These new awards will allow scientists and engineers to collaborate on a variety of crucial research areas, such as wildlife protection, biodiversity conservation, water resource sustainability, satellite monitoring of natural resources, fisheries management, food security, disaster mitigation, and others. The PEER program also supports regional workshops and trainings for awardees.

Among the 45 new awards, the PEER program will support:

• Experts from Afghanistan, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan  who are generating sustainable solutions to critical water issues in the region. Scientists will examine water resource management, glacier dynamics, related policies, and the effects of climate change on transboundary water systems.

• American and Kenyan scientists working together as part of East Africa’s strategic efforts to reduce threats to the region’s rich wildlife heritage, including poaching, trafficking, disease, and human-animal conflicts.

• Use of geospatial data and satellite imagery to investigate climate change through SERVIR, a joint program between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and USAID. PEER research projects will strengthen capacity of local stakeholders to integrate earth observation information in decision-making, with the goal of improved environmental management and resilience to climate change.

• Researchers in Indonesia and Brazil tackling a broad range of biodiversity issues affecting livelihoods, food security, climate adaptation, and education.

The PEER program is a collaboration between USAID and eight federal science agencies: NASA, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA),the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Smithsonian Institution (SI), the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA/ARS), the United States Forest Service (USFS), and the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Since its launch in 2011, PEER has supported more than 190 researchers in over 40 countries, with a total investment of over $45 million.  

The next call for PEER pre-proposals will open in October 2015.To learn more about the PEER program and to view a complete list of the latest award recipients please visit the PEER website.