Long-term Assistance and Services for Research (LASER)
Jan. 2, 2018, 3:01 p.m.

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=299303

 The United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) U.S. Global Development Lab seeks a five year cooperative agreement with a (HEI) to establish and leverage a strong international network to help solve pressing development challenges through research. The resulting Long-term Assistance and Services for Research (LASER) network will work in partnership with USAID to engage academics and stakeholders in identifying and refining critical development research questions. LASER will fund research projects that address those questions so that the entire research system - from universities to policy-makers and civil society - can engage, educate, and contribute to the success of the research projects towards achieving development impacts.

 Eligibility:

Only HEIs are eligible to serve as the lead implementer, however consortium applications that include other organizations (eg, NGOs, private sector) are welcome as long as the lead applicant is an HEI. USAID specifically seeks to support a university whose operations includes the creation, engagement, and/or growth of a large, international network of university researchers, centers, and institutes across disciplines that can 1) Independently identify and address new and impactful research questions with high relevance to the international development community, 2) partner with USAID Missions, Bureaus, and Independent Offices to address unique research needs identified by USAID, and 3) provide opportunities to work with and build up individual and institutional capacity of HEIs and their communities in low and middle-income countries.