Grants / Department of State / U.S. Mission to Turkmenistan

PDS-ASHGABAT-AW-FY24-005: University Partnerships in Turkmenistan

Closed Closed May 15, 2024 Opportunity PDS-ASHGABAT-AW-FY24-005 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: Austrian-American Partnership Fund (AAPF) (OFOP0002825). Status: Closes January 1, 2099 (26353 days left). It is in our archive of U.S. Mission to Turkmenistan notices from 2024.

• Award ceiling$100,000
• Award floor$10,000
• Cost sharingNot required
• Funding typeOther

Key dates

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to the applicants described in the notice.

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

The following U.S.-based organizations are eligible to apply: • Not-for-profit organizations • Civil society/non-governmental organizations • Public and private educational institutions For-profit entities, even those that may fall into the categories listed above, are not eligible to apply for this NOFO. Organizations may sub-contract with other entities, but only one, non-profit, non-governmental entity can be the prime recipient of the award. When sub-contracting with other entities, the responsibilities of each entity must be clearly defined in the proposal.

Is this a realistic fit?

• Past Public Diplomacy Programs awards averaged $26,570; this notice allows up to $100,000 per award.
• No cost sharing or match is required.

What the grant funds

Executive Summary: The U.S. Department of State’s Embassy Ashgabat announces an open competition to implement a program focused on building the capacity of higher educational institutions in Turkmenistan to carry out short- and long-term bilateral exchanges, offer dual-degree programs, conduct and commercialize research, obtain international accreditation, and other activities directed at supporting ongoing educational reform in Turkmenistan. The ultimate goal of the projects is to enable Turkmenistan to become an active member of the global education community, and a viable partner in international exchanges, with an eventual opening of a U.S. branch university in Turkmenistan. The initial timeline for these activities is one year, with the possibility of extension. Please follow all instructions below. Background: Turkmenistan is a post-Soviet state of roughly 5 million people (official statistic) that gained its independence in 1991. The Ministry of Education oversees all educational institutions from kindergarten to university. Turkmenistan has implemented several educational reforms within the last 10-15 years, mostly introducing new subjects to schools and universities (such as those from the STEM field), increasing the use of technology in teaching (such as smartboards and laptops) and adapting textbooks and materials to make them fit better within Turkmenistan’s context. However, the centralized structure of the education system has not changed significantly, with universities continuing to offer highly structured five-year specialist degrees that fall somewhere between bachelor’s and master’s degrees on the western scale. Under the current system, students play a limited role in crafting their own educational process and/or degree. When students matriculate to university, they do so by declaring their chosen specialization. In fact, they don’t apply to the university as a whole; they apply to a specific department. Once accepted, they have no option to drop classes or switch majors. Students also do not choose which classes to take – a specific major has a set list of classes. These rules severely limit students’ academic opportunities and affect future professional opportunities. In the last few years, the Ministry of Education has stated its intention modernize Turkmenistan’s education system, which include several stated priorities: a) Launching a dual degree program together with a U.S.

Category: Other.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, OFOP0002825, which is open now.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.