# University Partnership Program (UPP)

Source: https://welltoldgrants.com/grants/dos-kaz-ast-aeeca-24-005-university-partnership-program-upp/  
Official notice: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/354572

> 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 15, 2024.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Opportunity number | DOS-KAZ-AST-AEECA-24-005 |
| Agency | U.S. Mission to Kazakhstan |
| Status | Forecast |
| Deadline | July 15, 2024 |
| 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

Background: Since 2017, 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, 34 Kazakh universities have partnered with 31 U.S. universities to strengthen educational programs, teaching approaches, and institutional and research capacities, and to 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. In most cases, Kazakh universities do not have a clear strategy to engage the private sector in education and research projects that could potentially lead to research commercialization and bring investment from sources other than the Government and student tuition fees. Kazakh universities could benefit from using a diversified-income model used by U.S. universities, which would generate profit to reinvest into university operations. Building partnerships with the private sector could also generate income through commercialization while at the same time offer practical experience for university students. This will allow Kazakh universities to raise their institutional profile, improve their facilities and equipment, be better positioned to support faculty professional development, and be able to offer more student services. Since U.S. universities have a longstanding history of working with private sector and successful financial management models, pairing them with Kazakh universities through research projects in high growth economic fields can help Kazakh universities adjust to the per capita funding system that was introduced in November 2021 and speed up the design of more competitive programs for students and address private sector workforce development needs. Supporting Kazakh universities to learn more about American university best practices in managing business accelerators and research incubators to tailor Kazakh HEIs approach to pursue greater collaboration with the private sector and integrate a system will enable students to get competitive workforce development skills.

## Questions people ask

### Is DOS-KAZ-AST-AEECA-24-005 still open?

No. It closed on July 15, 2024.

### 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 15, 2024. 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.