Today, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced $5 million for 25 new research projects that will address gaps in evidence and advance technical capacity in critical areas of development.  Spanning 15 USAID partner countries, the 25 new projects are funded through the Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER), an initiative designed to foster collaborative global research.  The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine implements the program.

The latest cohort of PEER projects - the sixth cycle of the program - were selected from over 450 high-quality proposals, and represent close to $24 million of leveraged funds through collaborations with U.S.-funded counterparts.  Through the PEER program, USAID supports researchers in developing countries that are working in partnership with U.S. Government-financed researchers in areas from child health to water security. 

Among the 25 new awards, PEER will support ideas like this:

• Testing a new field test kit to determine the level of lead in soil at mining and battery-recycling sites in Peru;
• Using unmanned aerial-vehicle technology to improve land-management in national parks in Mali;
• Training teachers with innovative methods on ways to improve education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in Indonesia;
• Using genetic data to determine tuna populations for fisheries management and conservation strategies in Indonesia.

PEER is a collaboration between USAID and nine Federal science agencies:  the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; the National Institutes of Health within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; the National Science Foundation; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; the Smithsonian Institution; the U.S. Forest Service; the Agriculture Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture within the U.S. Department of Agriculture; and the U.S. Geological Survey within the U.S. Department of the Interior; as well as private-sector companies National Instruments and General Electric.  Since its launch in 2011, PEER has supported 300 researchers in over 50 countries. 

The next call for PEER pre-proposals will open in early October.  To learn more about the PEER program, and to view a complete list of the latest award recipients, please visit: www.nas.edu/peer.