PAS Belgrade_University Partnership Program (FY2021)

Description

This notice is subject to availability of funding. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to support the objectives of the University Partnership Program as described under “Program Objectives” below. PAS welcomes proposals from new applicants. Priority Region: Serbia. Note: PAS Belgrade will give priority this year to proposals with activities focusing on audiences in university cities and towns in Serbia besides Belgrade. Program Objectives: The university partnership proposal should support the U.S. Embassy’s overall objectives in Serbia. Broadly speaking, we are trying to assist the Serbian people to: strengthen democracy, rule of law, and the protection of human rights; help fight brain drain and advance the country’s further economic development; promote regional stability and cooperation; cooperate with international partners to combat crime, terrorism, human trafficking, and other global challenges; and make further progress towards Serbia’s accession into the European Union. We also strive to explain U.S. policies, culture, society, and values to Serbian audiences and deepen ties between our two countries and our two peoples. A university partnership between Serbian and U.S. institutions of higher learning could involve in-person and/or virtual exchanges involving students, faculty, and/or administrators. It could also include one or more of the following activities: curriculum development; needs assessments; joint online courses; joint research projects; development of a joint degree program; development of a study abroad program; sharing of best teaching practices and instructional methods; support for participation in academic conferences or student competitions (e.g., moot court, Model U.S. Congress, Model United Nations); establishing an American Studies course or academic program; setting up a center focused on American Studies; and/or establishing or strengthening a career development center. The main goal(s) of an academic exchange could be to provide Serbian students and their professors: o American academic perspectives on shared areas of interest and lessons learned from the American experience in the focus subject(s); o Insights into current research and academic debates in the U.S. on the focus subject(s); o The chance to engage in discussions and debate with their American counterparts; and/or o The opportunity to experience and assess teaching methodologies used in American university classrooms. On the flip side, the American participants would obviously have the opportunity to learn a great deal from their Serbian counterparts. This partnership program will broaden their perspectives, provide them with new insights, and allow them to learn firsthand from Serbian academics about their research projects. This academic exchange would greatly enrich the U.S. universities as well. Development of a Research & Development (R&D) office at a Serbian university is another possible area of activity. In light of social distancing measures, and to limit the spread of COVID-19, we welcome creative proposals that utilize video conferencing, distance learning tools, etc. If your proposal includes in-person activities, please consider the inclusion of contingency plans, just in case the health situation requires that social distancing measures be implemented during the grant period. Participants and Audiences: Based on the objectives, themes, and potential activities mentioned above, PAS expects that the participants or primary audiences for your project would be Serbian and American students, professors/academics, and/or administrators. You might have secondary audiences or beneficiaries, too. Depending on the focus field of your proposed university partnership project, these may include media, civil society organizations or wider professional audiences within your particular field. Please note that the participants or audiences for the proposed activity should be citizens or legal residents of Serbia, with American counterparts involved as appropriate. If your project idea might involve citizens of any other countries, check "Funding Restrictions" above (C.4. in the full NOFO text) to see if PAS can fund travel for participants who might need to cross the border into or out of Serbia. (Regulations for some PAS funding sources do not allow for us to cover the costs of regional travel, but others do allow it.) If regional travel is in fact allowed, as a general rule, at least half the participants in your project should still be citizens of Serbia. Please contact PAS if you have further questions about projects involving participants from other countries besides Serbia and the U.S. Program Performance Period: Proposed programs should be completed in 30 months or less. Anticipated program start date: Flexible, but no earlier than September 1, 2021. PAS prefers that applicants submit one proposal per organization under this NOFO. If more than one proposal is submitted from an organization, please include a separate letter in the application packet, explaining to the PAS grant review panel how your organization can manage more than one project and describe your past experience and track record indicating that your organization has the capacity to do so. Furthermore, if an individual or organization has already received a grant from the U.S. Embassy and that project and this one would overlap, the review committee will examine whether the applicant has the capacity to handle both grants concurrently and make a determination. All the mandatory application forms are available online via the Related Documents Tab and at https://rs.usembassy.gov/education-culture/grants-programs/ . We do not send out hardcopy versions of the application packages. All application materials must be submitted by email to BelgradePASUniv@state.gov. If PAS does not receive a complete project proposal at the above address by the deadline, it will be considered technically ineligible and will not be considered for funding. PAS anticipates that funding decisions will be made by June 17, 2021. Information Session. PAS will hold a virtual information session on April 1, 2021 at 17:00 (5pm) Central European time to discuss this funding opportunity and to answer questions from potential applicants. Please contact PAS at BelgradePASUniv@state.gov for details. If you happen to miss that online session for any reason, we will provide a link to the recording on the website. If you have any questions about the grant application process, please contact: BelgradePASUniv@state.gov. Please check for information on other PAS funding opportunities on the U.S. Embassy website at: https://rs.usembassy.gov/education-culture/grants-programs/.

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