# University Partnership Program (UPP)

Source: https://welltoldgrants.com/grants/dos-kaz-ast-aeeca-23-003-university-partnership-program-upp/  
Official notice: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/348521

> U.S. Mission to Kazakhstan offered grants of up to $360,000 to the applicants described in the notice. It expected to make one award worth $360,000 in total. Applications closed on July 26, 2023.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Opportunity number | DOS-KAZ-AST-AEECA-23-003 |
| Agency | U.S. Mission to Kazakhstan |
| Status | Forecast |
| Deadline | July 26, 2023 |
| Award ceiling | $360,000 |
| Award floor | not stated |
| Expected awards | 1 |
| Total funding | $360,000 |
| Cost sharing | not required |
| Assistance Listings | 19.900 |

## Who can apply

- Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

The following organizations are eligible to apply:• U.S. or Kazakhstan-based organizations• Civil society/non-governmental organizations • Think tanks • Public and private educational institutions

## What the grant funds

Executive Summary: The U.S. Mission to Kazakhstan announces an open competition for U.S. and Kazakh organizations to submit applications for the 2023-2024 University Partnership Program (UPP) to increase collaboration between U.S. institutions and Kazakh Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). This program seeks to support economic diversification and growth in Kazakhstan. Project themes include the commercialization of research, partnerships with the private sector, joint research and publications between U.S. and Kazakhstani universities, curricula modernization, and building Kazakh institutional capacities to partner with U.S. institutions. Background: For more than five years the U.S. Mission to Kazakhstan has funded the University Partnership Program (UPP) to connect U.S. and Kazakh higher education institutions, traditionally by awarding sub-awards to U.S. partners who applied for funding with Kazakh institutions. As a result, 33 Kazakh universities have partnered with 30 U.S. universities to strengthen educational programs, teaching approaches, institutional and research capacities, as well as pursue joint projects addressing issues such as air pollution, environmental protection, and economic diversification. In addition to the projects achieved under each UPP, many partnerships have successfully resulted in sustainable, continued partnerships separate from USG funding. For example, many partners have applied for other funding opportunities, such as Bolashaq Scholars or National Science Foundation support, to continue research and faculty collaboration. The Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs at the Department of State has conducted a regionally focused Monitoring & Evaluation study of the UPP program across several countries over multiple years. In addition, evaluation of previous projects has provided lessons learned and ways to focus the program implementation. For example, we learned that new curricula were not always adopted after being designed due to bureaucratic challenges. As a result, any curricula-based projects should focus on updating currently existing curricula, which is easier to adopt and teach than launching new curricula. We were pleased to see that UPP successfully served as seed money in many cases to support further, independent higher education collaboration and development.

## Questions people ask

### Is DOS-KAZ-AST-AEECA-23-003 still open?

No. It closed on July 26, 2023.

### Who can apply for University Partnership Program (UPP)?

U.S. Mission to Kazakhstan accepted applications from the applicants described in the notice. The notice adds further conditions, so read its eligibility section.

### What is the deadline for University Partnership Program (UPP)?

Closed July 26, 2023. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.

### How much funding is available?

Awards of up to $360,000 each. About $360,000 in total for one award.

### Who has won AEECA/ESF PD Programs grants before?

The largest recipients over five fiscal years were American Councils for International Education: Actr/Accels, Inc., Miscellaneous Foreign Awardees, International Research and Exchanges Board Inc. The program made 2,295 awards worth $192 million in that time.