FINAL MERC NOFO 2025.pdf

MIDDLE EAST REGIONAL COOPERATION (MERC) PROGRAM

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)

Funding Opportunity Title: Middle East Regional Cooperation (MERC)

Funding Opportunity Number: NEAAC24MERC1002

Assistance Listing Number: 19.502

Announcement Type: New

Date Opened: October 16, 2024

Deadline for Proposals: January 15, 2025

Federal Agency Contact: merc@usaid.gov

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY SUMMARY

Meeting complex, regional challenges requires cooperation across borders. The overall goal of the Middle

East Regional Cooperation (MERC) Program is to promote research, scientific exchange, capacity building, and development cooperation between Israel and its regional neighbors – in support of locally-developed solutions for common regional challenges and a comprehensive and lasting Middle East peace. MERC grants support applied scientific research and technical exchanges across the natural, physical, and social sciences and engineering. This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) provides details on how to prepare and submit a proposal and the evaluation criteria. Applicants should read this NOFO in its entirety before writing their proposal.

( MERCالهدف العام لبرنامج التعاون الإقليمي في الشرق الاوسط ) إن. العابر للحدود المعقدة تتطلب التعاون إن مواجهة التحديات الإقليمية

تتناسب و جيرانها الإقليميين من اجل تطوير حلول محلية إسرائيلهو تعزيز البحث و التبادل العلمي و بناء القدرات و التعاون التنموي بين

رق مع الواقع و التحديات الإقليمية المشتركة في منطقة الشرق الأوسط و شمال أفريقيا مع ترسيخ أهمية وجود حل شامل و دائم للسلام في الش

يقوم برنامج التعاون الإقليمي في الشرق الأوسط على توفير دعم مالي لمجال البحث العلمي التطبيقي، و تبادل الخبرات و بناء الأوسط.

الفيزيائية و الهندسة الطبيعية و التموي جتماعية.الإالقدرات عبر العلوم و تقديم ليقدم هذا الإشعار بفرصة تفاصيل حول كيفية إعداد و

هذه بقراءة الاشعار بالكامل قبل كتابة لمقترحات المشاريع و معايير التقييم المتبعة لهذه المقترحات، و عليه ننصح المتقدمين لفرصة التموي

مقترحاتهم.

המחקר לשיתוף פעולה אזורי -מזמנת שיתוף פעולה חוצה גבולות. תוכנית מענקיההתמודדות עם אתגרים מורכבים במזרח התיכון

(MERC .בין ישראל לשכנותיה במזרח התיכון שמה לה למטרה את קידום המחקר, עידוד חילופים מדעיים, בניית יכולות ופיתוח )

מענקי כל זאת, תוך עידוד ותמיכה ביצירת פתרונות מקומיים לאתגרים אזוריים משותפים והשכנת שלום אזורי כולל ובר קיימא.

התוכנית מממנים מחקר מדעי יישומי וחילופים טכניים בתחומים של מדעי החיים, פיסיקה, מדעי הרוח והחברה והנדסה. בקול קורא

נות זה תמצאו הנחיות, בקווים וכללים ברורים, להכנת הצעת מחקר מיטבית ואופן הגשתה. כמו כן מפורטים התנאים לאורם נבח

הצעות המחקר. אנו ממליצים לכל המגישים/המועמדים לקרוא את מסמך הקול קורא במלואו לפני הגשת הצעות מחקר.

Middle East Regional Cooperation (MERC) Program

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

SECTION A: PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

I. Background

II. Achievable Objectives

III. Funding Opportunities

A. Applied Research Grants

B. Continuation Grants

C. Travel and Workshop Grants

IV. Special Call: Proposals Supporting MENA Region Food Security

V. Overall Process and Notional Timeline

SECTION B: ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

I. Eligible Applicants

A. Applied Research Grants

B. Continuation Grants

C. Travel and Workshop Grants

II. Equitable Participation, Benefit, and Gender Integration

III. Role of the Prime Applicant

IV. Previously Declined Proposals

SECTION C: PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS

I. Applied Research Grants

A. Pre-Proposal Format and Requirements

B. Required Documents

C. Submitting the Pre-Proposal

II. Continuation Grants

A. Proposal Format and Requirements

B. Required Documents

C. Submitting the Proposal

III. Travel and Workshop Grants

A. Proposal Format and Requirements

B. Required Documents

C. Submitting the Proposal

SECTION D: PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION

I. Applied Research Grants

II. Continuation Grants

III. Travel and Workshop Grants

SECTION E: FUNDING LIMITATIONS, RESTRICTIONS, AND OTHER

CONSIDERATIONS

I. Awards to Commercial Firms or For-Profit Organizations

II. Audit Requirements

III. Compliance with Applicable Federal Funding Regulations and DOS Terms and

Conditions

SECTION F: FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

I. Award Notices

II. Reporting Requirements

III. Federal Registrations

IV. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

V. Applicant Vetting as a Condition of Award

VI. Special Note Regarding Programs in the West Bank and Gaza

VII. Special Provision for Performance in a Designated Combat Area (SPOT) Requirements

VIII. Branding and Marking Requirements for Grantees

IX. Sub Awardee Reporting Requirement

SECTION G: AGENCY CONTACTS

SECTION H: DISCLAIMER

SECTION I: BUDGET GUIDANCE

I. Personnel

II. Equipment

III. Materials and Supplies

IV. Travel

V. Other Direct Costs

VI. Indirect Costs

VII. Cost Share

APPENDICES

APPENDIX A: SF-424 INSTRUCTIONS

APPENDIX B: BUDGET TEMPLATE

SECTION A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

I. Background

Following the Camp David accords, a Congressional initiative brought about the Middle East Regional

Cooperation (MERC) Program to be implemented by the U.S. Agency for International Development

(USAID). The program began in 1979, was included in the Foreign Aid Bill for Fiscal Year 1981 and continues to be the subject of a Congressional directive in the U.S. Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Program Appropriations Act (SFOAA) to support cooperative projects of a scientific and technological nature between the United States, Israel, and Middle East countries. Since 1999, the MERC

Program has been managed and implemented through an Inter-Agency Agreement between USAID and the U.S. Department of State (DOS).

The MERC Program is funded as assistance to promote scientific cooperation, technology-led development, and capacity building between partners in Israel and eligible countries/territories in the Middle East and

North Africa (MENA) region. Subject to change based on U.S. federal law and country-specific restrictions on funding, those countries include: Algeria, Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and the West Bank and Gaza

(hereinafter “eligible MENA partners”). Emphasis is given to research and technology subjects of regional importance and relevance to the development in the MENA. Moreover, benefits should target developing, USAID-presence countries in the MENA and resource-limited populations.

Strong, direct cooperation between Israel and the eligible MENA partners is required for proposals receiving funding under the MERC Program. Participation of partners from outside the MENA, including the United States, is not a key feature of the MERC Program, but they may be considered for modest roles in exceptional cases to meet an essential technical need that is not otherwise available among the partners.

Applicants must be prepared to provide a well justified case for the involvement of partners from outside the MENA and accept that MERC may not support their participation.

The overall goal of the MERC Program is to promote research, scientific exchange, capacity building, and development cooperation between Israel and its regional neighbors – in support of locally-developed solutions for common regional challenges and a comprehensive and lasting Middle East peace.

II. Achievable Objectives

1. Support applied, actionable research that generates results relevant to regional development and empowers communities, organizations, and governments to make evidence-based decisions.

2. Foster the implementation and uptake of research results and innovations, by conducting targeted outreach to public and private sector stakeholders, to improve quality of life, support economic growth, and achieve development impact in the MENA region.

3. Build the science and technology capacity of institutions and the next generation of researchers and leaders in developing countries in the MENA region.

4. Promote direct cooperation between Israel and the MENA region and establish strong working relationships that last beyond the life of the project.

III. Funding Opportunities

The MERC Program funds peer-reviewed, collaborative, applied scientific research and technical exchanges between Israeli partners and the eligible MENA partners. As part of this Notice of Funding

Opportunity (NOFO), MERC is seeking to fund proposals in the following categories:

A. Applied research grants: Multi-year, cooperative research projects

B. Continuation grants: Extension of existing or recently ended applied research grants

C. Travel and workshop grants: Support for workshops, meetings, and researcher exchange

Carefully read each section in its entirety to understand the unique requirements of each category.

Applicants (both institutions and individual investigators) may submit multiple proposals to one or more categories. Proposals to the MERC Program are not restricted to a particular technical sector; however, under this current NOFO, the program has a special interest in proposals aligned with supporting MENA region food security (see SECTION A, PART IV below).

This NOFO does not constitute an award or commitment on the part of the U.S. government to make any awards, nor does it commit the U.S. government to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal.

A. Applied Research Grants

The MERC Program seeks pre-proposals pertaining to applied research and technology development within the broad areas of the natural, physical, and social sciences and engineering. Pre-proposals under this category should present collaborative applied research projects on topics of development relevance to the

MENA region. Pre-proposals should relate to regional problems that benefit from cross-border cooperation.

Examples of the types of development impacts MERC aims to achieve include but are not limited to:

economic growth that increases incomes of the disadvantaged, improved environmental management, increased sustainable food production, improved water conservation and efficient use, and enhanced delivery of health services through better treatments or health management strategies.

As the MERC Program employs the scientific peer review process to evaluate full proposals, applicants are advised to avoid topics that are not traditionally subject to peer review. Investigators are encouraged to employ mixed-methods research, economic evaluations, and the use of digital technologies in their work where appropriate.

The MERC Program places a strong emphasis on training, outreach, and dissemination of research results, with the goal of impacting management decisions, scientific capacity building, economic growth, youth engagement, private sector involvement, and policy-making in the MENA region. In support of direct regional cooperation, capacity building, and implementation of research outcomes, travel of grantees within the MENA region is expected. Additional allowable cost categories are discussed in SECTION I. BUDGET

GUIDANCE, but generally include support for personnel, equipment, materials and supplies, modest improvements to existing facilities, communications and website hosting, publications, collaboration and training-related materials, venue rental, transportation, and hospitality, and tools for the dissemination of results are supported as they directly relate to the proposal’s objectives.

The consortium of applicants must at a minimum be bi-lateral (one Israeli institution and one institution from among the eligible MENA partners) but may include partners from multiple institutions and/or multiple eligible MENA countries/territories.

The following activities and costs are NOT ALLOWED under this announcement category:

● Basic research, or primarily experimental or theoretical work undertaken to acquire new knowledge of the underlying foundations of phenomena and observable facts, without any particular application. Proposals may include a component of basic research as long as other objectives promote the application of those findings.

● Activities that appear partisan or that support individual or party electoral campaigns

● Projects which solely or predominantly represent the development of physical infrastructures, core support for organizations, or delivery of services, including:

o Construction of laboratories or clinics o Delivery of health services o Delivery of educational services o Social development programs o Establishment of private enterprises and projects of a commercial or profit-making nature

● Projects lacking an innovative approach, or primarily constitute:

o Planning studies or case studies o Operations research, surveys, evaluations, and baseline data collection o Routine geographical mapping o Literature reviews o Social welfare projects

● One-time events, such as stand-alone conferences and one-off round tables

● Entertainment costs (e.g., recreational activities, ceremonies, galas, alcoholic beverages)

Pre-proposals that include any of these activities or costs may not be advanced for review and may be deemed ineligible for funding under this announcement.

Estimated Award Ceiling: $1,000,000

Estimated Award Floor: None

Cost-Sharing or Matching: No minimum or maximum percentage is required for this competition;

however, institutions in Israel and other affluent countries should provide cost share in order to offset comparatively higher salaries and costs. MERC funds should be preferentially targeted to ensure the full participation of the students and research staff in participating countries that are less economically advantaged.

Estimated Length of Project: 2 to 5 years

Applicants with complex, multi-partner concepts that justify a proposal budget in excess of $1,000,000 may present a “phased” work plan with well-defined deliverables and outcomes at the conclusion of each phase.

This combined work plan and budget may be in excess of $1,000,000 over several years, but each individual phase should not be in excess of $1,000,000. The pre-proposal should present the first phase, but briefly describe the objectives and anticipated outcomes of the subsequent phase(s). Each subsequent phase may be subject to peer review and will be evaluated and considered for funding as a separate proposal.

MERC anticipates inviting approximately 20 pre-proposals from this category to submit full proposals.

Applicants under this category are required only to submit a pre-proposal as described in SECTION

C. If a full proposal is invited, guidelines for preparing the full proposal and specific invitation conditions will be provided to the applicants.

Requests for funding to extend beyond the initial budget period will be entertained on the basis of a successful proposal for a Continuation Grant (next section).

B. Continuation Grants

Applicants with current or recently ended Applied Research Grants from the MERC Program may submit proposals to be evaluated as “continuation grants,” skipping the scientific peer review process. Continuation grants are primarily intended to provide support for the implementation, commercialization, broader dissemination, or uptake of project results from MERC Program-supported research. Depending on the type of project and results obtained, the MERC Program would favor the integration of private sector partnerships, a focus on end-user adoption of technology, or tailoring outcomes to be useful to regulators in government agencies. This category can also be used to propose the incorporation of an additional country partner to a current award, or to propose an additional objective(s) be added to a current award as supported by preliminary findings.

Concepts proposing new objectives or methodologies that were not previously subject to scientific peer review may be required to submit a new pre-proposal (PART A). Applicants are strongly encouraged to consult with MERC prior to submission to ensure proposals are suitable for consideration for continuation funding.

MERC will review each grantee’s progress in meeting grant requirements, including timely submission of required reports, and compliance with all terms and conditions of the award; timely submission of a request for continuation funding; the availability of funds; and an evaluation of whether continued funding is in the best interest of the MERC Program.

The same activities and costs disallowed under the Applied Research Grants category are also disallowed under this announcement category.

Estimated Award Ceiling: $500,000 however, institutions in Israel and other affluent countries should provide cost share in order to offset comparatively higher salaries and costs. MERC funds should be preferentially targeted to ensure the full participation of the students and research staff in participating countries that are less economically

Estimated Length of Project: 1 to 3 years

C. Travel and Workshop Grants

Proposals to support joint cooperative workshops, meetings, or exchange of researchers may be considered under this category. The MERC Program acknowledges the relatively limited opportunities for scientific exchange between scientists from Israel and the MENA region and seeks to support forums that advance dialogue on regional scientific issues, develop new partnerships, or deliver training on a topic relevant to regional development. Preference will be given to proposals that cite the development of new pre-proposals to the MERC program as a key outcome, engage students and early career researchers, meaningfully engage policymakers and stakeholders, and are organized in the Middle East region.

It is strongly preferred that applicants propose one prime recipient/grantee and no sub-recipients under this category, and that the prime organize a collaborative activity and directly cover the associated costs for participants.

Neither USAID nor DOS will assist organizers or participants in obtaining travel documents or visas.

Travel support for individuals or institutions not from Israel or the eligible MENA partners (e.g., U.S., Europe) will not be considered.

Examples of potential activities that would be considered under this category include:

● A multi-day training program focused on bringing together early career researchers to develop specific skills or know-how related to a regional development priority

● A meeting of stakeholders to discuss research gaps in a particular sector with relevance to regional development

● A workshop of researchers and stakeholders, including private sector partners, with shared interests to identify potential areas for cross-border scientific cooperation

● An Israeli institution hosting a visiting researcher from an eligible MENA partner (or vice versa) for a couple of months to learn a new technique and develop a research partnership

Estimated Award Ceiling: $100,000 however, institutions in Israel and other affluent countries should provide cost share in order to offset comparatively higher salaries and costs. MERC funds should be preferentially targeted to ensure the full participation of the students and research staff in participating countries that are less economically

Estimated Length of Project: One activity, event, or exchange to be completed within one year of the award.

MERC anticipates advancing approximately 3 proposals from this category for funding consideration.

IV. Special Call: Proposals Supporting MENA Region Food Security

As a part of this NOFO, the MERC Program aims to support cooperative partnerships and innovative approaches that advance the objectives of the U.S. Government Global Food Security Strategy and complement the U.S. Government Global Food Security Research Strategy. Applicants are encouraged to review these documents to understand the U.S. Government's approach to reducing global poverty, hunger, and malnutrition.

This special call seeks concepts that address food security research needs specific to the MENA region. In the MENA region, conflict and political uncertainty exacerbates food security challenges posed by extreme heat, floods, droughts, desertification, plant and animal pathogens, and other pressures. This special call for proposals encourages submission of concepts that seek to advance agricultural productivity and mitigate against risks to food security in the MENA region. When conceptualizing proposals, applicants should consider the four major pillars of food security as defined by the Global Strategic Framework for Food

Security and Nutrition: availability, access, utilization, and stability.

https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/2022-05/Global-Food-Security-Strategy-FY22-26_508C.pdf https://cg-281711fb-71ea-422c-b02c-ef79f539e9d2.s3.us-gov-west-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/2022/10/U.S.-Government-Global-Food-Security-Research-Strategy-508c.pdf https://www.fao.org/cfs/policy-products/gsf/en/ https://www.fao.org/cfs/policy-products/gsf/en/

As part of a responsive proposal, applicants should acknowledge factors that may help or hinder progress on food security in the partner countries, such as: human and institutional capacity; barriers to adoption;

partnerships with regulators, extension services, and industry; import requirements of major markets;

economic viability of the concept; or access to finance to scale research outcomes.

Applicants who wish to respond to this special call may apply for an applied research grant, continuation grant, or travel and workshop grant, and should address one or more of the following thematic areas:

Near-term solutions for local food production: Proposals aimed at developing and/or evaluating solutions for increasing local food production over a relatively short term, such as:

● Pre-breeding staple food crops and economically important horticultural crops adapted to environmental stressors (drought, floods, extreme heat, pests and disease).

● Remediating soils or improving soil health through the use of cover crops, crop rotation, crop residue management, intercropping, and soil amendments.

● Evaluating the use of saline and reclaimed waters on crop yield and nutritional quality.

● Boosting local food production to meet local nutritional needs through vertical or hydroponic farming, home, school, and community gardens, or other innovative approaches.

● Promotion of pollinators.

● Selecting cultivars for flavor and secondary metabolites, reducing antinutritional factors, and increasing nutrient bioavailability.

Long-term improvement of staple food crops: Proposals aimed at improving the yield, water use efficiency, and nutritional quality of staple food crops per unit area of production, such as:

● Utilizing phenomics and genomics tools to develop a conventional breeding pipeline aimed at enhancing genetic gain over time and/or genetic biofortification to promote enhanced dietary diversification or plant-based proteins.

● Enhancing food system approaches, such as “farm to table” approaches for community based agriculture, or assessing consumer acceptance.

● Introducing target traits into economically important crops for the MENA region. Target traits may include agronomic traits, including early flowering, rapid or short-season maturity, characteristics conducive to mechanical harvest, maximum yield per unit area, biofortification, and pest and disease resistance. Target crops may include:

● Waxy and other small grains such as amaranth, quinoa, barley, and wheat.

● Climate resilient crops such as sorghum, millet, and pearl millet.

● Food legumes such as lentil, dry pea, chickpea, common bean, and fava beans.

● Specialty crops including leafy greens, peppers, and other economically important horticultural crops for the region.

● Landraces and indigenous crops, including nutritionally important local crops.

Long-term conservation of genetic resources and establishment of seed systems: Proposals aimed at preserving the genetic pool of food and specialty crops. This includes preserving seeds for germplasm exchange and growing diversity panels for target traits or regions, educating breeders and researchers on germplasm preservation, developing the institutional capacity for establishing seed systems, and collaborating with regional CGIAR centers and industry partners.

Sustainable animal agriculture: Proposals aimed at developing technologies or approaches that promote sustainable animal agriculture, such as: sustainable approaches to aquaculture and mariculture; novel, locally adapted technologies for aquaculture, aquaponics, and algae production; sustainable, local production of nutritious feed and fodder; approaches that advance the concept of regenerative agriculture and mitigate overgrazing; income-generating opportunities for herders and livestock producers; animal pathogen risk mitigation; and pre-breeding, evaluation, and selection of livestock breeds adapted to the region.

Waste reduction and value additions: Proposals related to reducing food and agricultural waste, or valorizing waste by-products from food production; improvements to grain and food processing, and storage and preservation techniques; developing new cooking techniques that reduce input requirements or cooking time; promoting food technology adapted to the culinary traditions of the region; and enhancing food nutrition and human health to reduce malnutrition and obesity-related non-communicable diseases.

Education projects on food security: Proposals related to the development and implementation of curriculum supporting food and nutritional security. This may include undergraduate and graduate student courses; experiential learning; certificate programs on plant breeding, genetics, and genomics; basic breeding courses for plant breeders; training for researchers on developing a proper crop breeding pipeline or new breeding optimization tools; or resources for conducting techno-economic calculations on food production and food policy research.

This special call for proposals should not discourage applicants from submitting proposals with other eligible partners and/or on any other topic within the natural, physical, and social sciences and engineering.

Applicants who believe their proposal is responsive to this special call should include “food security” as a keyword. (No penalty will apply to proposals deemed by the MERC Program to not be responsive to the special call.)

V. Overall Process and Notional Timeline

[END OF SECTION A]

SECTION B. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

Proposals will be screened to determine whether they meet the program eligibility requirements detailed below. Proposals that do not demonstrate that they meet all eligibility requirements described below may not be advanced for review and may be deemed ineligible for funding under this announcement. Proposals cannot be revised or amended once the competition deadline has passed.

Please contact merc@usaid.gov with questions about eligibility.

I. Eligible Applicants

Subject to change based on U.S. federal law and country-specific restrictions on funding, in addition to

Israel the following countries/territories are eligible to apply as MENA partners: Algeria, Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and the West Bank and Gaza. Partners may come from academic, private sector, non-governmental, or governmental institutions eligible to receive U.S. foreign assistance.

A. Applied Research Grants

All proposals must include at least one Israeli partner and one eligible MENA partner. Only proposals developed jointly by investigators from the partner institutions are accepted. Proposals involving three or more partners are allowed. The proposal may be submitted by any party in the collaboration.

Proposals involving Israel and another relatively affluent MENA country (i.e., Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, or the United Arab Emirates) must include a developing country from the eligible

MENA countries/territories (i.e., Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, and the

West Bank and Gaza) in the region as a partner and/or a beneficiary of the research outcomes. Affluent countries must adhere to budgetary restrictions, such as cost-sharing salaries, maintain the spirit of regional cooperation opposed to primarily engaging foreign expatriates, and target benefits and outcomes of the project to developing, USAID-presence countries in the MENA region and resource-limited populations.

Satellite or portal campuses of foreign (e.g., U.S., Indian) institutions are not considered eligible MENA partners.

Participation of partners from outside the MENA, including the United States, is not a key feature of the

MERC Program, but they may be considered for modest roles in exceptional cases to meet an essential technical need that is not otherwise available among the partners. Applicants must be prepared to provide a well justified case for participation of partners from outside the MENA and accept that MERC may not support their participation. The use of non-regional partners to lead or administer the overall project is discouraged.

B. Continuation Grants

Same as above: A. Applied Research Grants.

C. Travel and Workshop Grants

To simplify the award management, it is strongly preferred that applicants to the Travel and Workshop

Grants category propose one prime recipient/grantee from Israel or one of the eligible MENA partners, and no sub-recipients. The prime must propose an activity involving participants from Israel and one or more of the eligible MENA partners.

II. Equitable Participation, Benefit, and Gender Integration

The MERC Program is committed to an anti-discrimination policy in all of its programs and activities. The

MERC Program welcomes proposals irrespective of an applicant’s race, ethnicity, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability, and encourages proposals from organizations working with underserved communities, including women, people with disabilities, and youth.

Furthermore, research must meet standards of equity in access to research funds, participation in research, benefits from research findings, and safety in research efforts. Issues of gender equity are of special concern.

Assessment of equity in research programs will also include concern for ethnic and racial minorities and other disadvantaged and underrepresented groups.

Applicants are encouraged to address any potential biases inherent in their proposal. Consider any differences in how women, men, youth, those with disabilities, or other minority groups might engage with or benefit from a technology, product, or protocol under development, or how they might benefit or equitably participate in research, training, or outreach activities.

III. Role of the Prime Applicant

Under the Applied Research Grants and Continuation Grants category, the MERC Program’s preferred structure is a prime recipient who receives the grant, issues sub-award agreements to sub-recipients, and transfers payments to sub-recipients.

Under the Travel and Workshop Grants category, the MERC Program’s preferred structure is one prime recipient/grantee from Israel or one of the eligible MENA partners, and no sub-recipients. The prime must propose an activity involving participants from Israel and one or more of the eligible MENA partners.

If the consortium of partners involved and associated administrative or geo-political constraints necessitate an alternative management structure, briefly describe those constraints within the proposal. Applicants with questions about allowable contractual or financial management structures are encouraged to contact merc@usaid.gov.

IV. Previously Declined Proposals

A previously declined proposal may be resubmitted, but only after it has undergone substantial revision.

The MERC Program offers consultation sessions for declined pre-proposals and provides detailed review packages for declined full proposals. Applicants planning to re-submit a previously declined concept should use this information and the guidelines herein to submit a substantially revised proposal. The MERC

Program will treat this proposal as a new submission. Resubmitted proposals that have not been substantially revised may be declined without review. Applicants with questions about resubmitting previously declined proposals are encouraged to contact merc@usaid.gov.

[END OF SECTION B]

SECTION C. PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS

Proposals that do not follow the format described in the subsequent sub-sections, or meet the eligibility requirements for applicants described in SECTION B, or are incomplete, may be declined without review.

I. Applied Research Grants

A. Pre-Proposal Format and Requirements

The main body of the pre-proposal (Parts 1-11, below) must be no more than 8 pages (U.S. Letter, 8.5 x 11 inches) with one-inch margins, single-spaced, using a full-size font (e.g., 12 pt Times New Roman). All proposals must be prepared in English, in the following format, and contain each of the following elements.

An optional, additional two pages of supplemental material (such as letters of support) may be included but is not required. Do not include biographical data sheets, CVs or resumes, publications, or general institutional information such as brochures. All pre-proposals must stand on their own merit. References to relevant literature or cited sources should be included as footnotes or at the conclusion of the proposal and are counted as part of the 8-page limit.

The pre-proposal and any additional pages must be saved as one PDF document.

Investigators from all participating institutions must collaborate in writing the pre-proposal. Pre-proposals are not binding agreements; therefore, signatures from institutional officials are not required at the pre-proposal stage. Do not include the names of investigators/participants unless they were active participants in preparing the pre-proposal and have given their permission.

1. Title: Provide a technical, concise, descriptive title.

2. Contact information:

a. Investigators: List the full name (first and LAST name in bold font using all uppercase letters for surname only), title, affiliation, full mailing address, telephone number, and e-mail address of every investigator. Clearly identify the principal investigator at the submitting institution (i.e., prime applicant) to whom all correspondence should be addressed. If more than one investigator is listed at the other cooperating institution(s), identify the primary point of contact.

b. Institutional administrative official: Provide the full name (first and LAST name in bold font using all uppercase letters for surname only), title, affiliation, full mailing address, telephone number, and e-mail address of the institutional official at the submitting (prime) institution who is authorized to negotiate a legal agreement on behalf of the prime institution.

3. Keywords: List 3 to 5 technical keywords or phrases that capture the scope of the pre-proposal. Single keywords or phrases up to 4 words are acceptable. Applicants who believe their proposal is responsive to the Special Call for Proposals (SECTION A. IV.) should include “food security” as a keyword.

4. Overall aim, objectives, and hypotheses: State the overall aim of the project in one sentence or short paragraph. State the specific technical objectives (typically 3 or 4 objectives presented as a short list). The objectives should each be instrumental to achieving the overall aim of the project. For each objective, explicitly articulate the hypothesis to be tested. Additional non-technical objectives related to outreach, dissemination, capacity building, etc. may be included without an associated hypothesis.

5. Graphical abstract: (½ page) Provide a graphical abstract illustrating the research goal and expected outcomes. A few resources providing examples and tips for preparing graphical abstracts follow:

https://www.elsevier.com/researcher/author/tools-and-resources/graphical-abstract https://solutions.springernature.com/blogs/visibility/5-tips-for-creating-a-graphical-abstract https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10590498/

6. Rationale and background: (approx. 1 page) Address each of the following sub-sections:

a. Relevance to regional development: Clearly identify the development challenge addressed by the proposed research. Discuss the significance of the proposed topic and how it is relevant to development in the MENA region, and specifically developing or USAID-presence countries in the MENA region and resource-limited populations. As relevant, quantify the size or magnitude of the problem in terms of affected population, land area, resource availability, yields, etc.

b. Technical background: Provide a brief summary of earlier studies, the technical basis and starting point for the work proposed, preliminary data if available, and citations of key literature references, as appropriate.

c. Knowledge gap and research novelty: Explain how the current knowledge falls short of addressing the identified development challenge, and how the proposed work aims to bridge that gap. Provide a brief description of what is new or innovative about the proposed activity, including how it represents a significant departure from previous or ongoing work in the sector and/or region.

As applicable, discuss both the novelty of the scientific contribution and the approach to implementation.

7. Technical work plan: (approx. 1 to 2 pages) Provide a detailed description of the proposed work. In separate work packages outline the specific technical activities, experimental design proposed, and associated data analysis. Relate each work package to the underlying objective(s) and scientific hypotheses.

Be specific about the intended experiments, their design, data analysis, and how they relate to the research question. Specify the duration of each work package and the overall project. Indicate the institution(s) or investigator(s) responsible for each work package or objective.

8. Expected benefits: (approx. ½ to 1 page) Address each of the following sub-sections:

a. Expected development outcomes: State the expected technical and development outcomes, including new scientific knowledge, information, technologies, or management practices.

b. Stakeholder engagement: Identify the primary stakeholders and intended beneficiaries of the outcomes. Describe plans (e.g., format, frequency) to engage with the identified stakeholders and beneficiaries and how the impact of these interactions would be assessed. Explicitly address how research findings will support gender empowerment and/or youth engagement, involve the private sector, inform policy-making, and/or promote regional development.

c. Institutional capacity building: Indicate how the capacity of institutions in the participating developing countries would be enhanced by the project, such as through provision of equipment, enhancement of technical capabilities, or improvement in project management or decision-making capacity.

Tip: The pre-proposal will be reviewed by both non-technical staff (those without a scientific background) and technical staff (those with a scientific background in the subject field). Parts 4-6, in particular, should be presented such that the value of the proposed research and approach can be appreciated by a general audience, but specific enough to provide technical reviewers with sufficient detail to appreciate the technical merit.

Tip: End-users of research products are frequently involved from the beginning of the project and are engaged via outreach presentations, demonstration days, etc.

https://www.elsevier.com/researcher/author/tools-and-resources/graphical-abstract

9. Joint collaborative activities: (approx. ½ page) Present evidence that the proposed project is intended as a true intellectual partnership. Provide a brief, specific description of the planned interactions and capacity building activities between Israeli and MENA region partners, including an estimate of the frequency and duration of activities. Examples of joint collaborative activities include coordination meetings, direct exchanges of personnel (e.g., scientists in residence, training of students from other countries), joint field data collection, joint publications with authors from both/all partner countries/territories, and joint conferences and workshops in the region. Describe the anticipated topics to be covered as part of any planned student exchange, training, conferences, and workshops. Joint activities should be planned in the partner countries/territories. If a U.S. partner or other non-regional partner is involved in the project, specifically address how that partner will avoid becoming a buffer to direct cooperation between the regional parties.

10. Project management and personnel: (approx. ½ page) Address both of the following sub-sections. If applicants propose the involvement of any partners not included in the list of eligible MENA partners, such as the U.S., under each sub-section summarize the critical importance of that partner, including the technical expertise they provide that is both essential to the success of the project and otherwise unavailable.

a. Project management: Identify which single institution would serve as the prime grantee and be responsible for technical and financial reporting. MERC’s default award structure is a prime grantee who receives the grant, issues sub-award agreements, and transfers payment to sub-recipients. If the consortium of partners involved in the project would require an alternative award management structure, note those constraints here. Applicants with questions about award structure are encouraged to reach out to MERC. Describe organizational and operational plans for managing the collaboration financially and programmatically. Include project meetings, technical and management committees, etc., if applicable.

b. Personnel: Justify how the applicants’ expertise uniquely qualifies them to undertake the proposed work. Clearly state the expected engagement, roles, and tasks for early career researchers and graduate students. If applicable, note any relevant past cooperation between the applicant investigators.

11. Budget: (approx. ½ page) A budget template and more detailed budget guidelines will be provided to applicants invited to submit a full proposal. At this stage, applicants should prepare a budget based on realistic anticipated costs associated with the proposed work plan. The budget must be prepared in U.S.

dollars, indicating projected expenses in the budget categories listed below, entering the amounts in a table like the example provided below. Carefully review SECTION I. BUDGET GUIDANCE for additional details regarding allowable costs and how to prepare the budget table. Basic guidance follows:

● Personnel: List each individual salary or personnel cost on a separate line, using as many lines as necessary.

● Equipment, and Materials and Supplies: Estimate materials costs, such as reagents and other expendables, on a separate line from equipment. Equipment is defined as any individual item over

$10,000. Items under $10,000 should be included under materials. At the full proposal stage, applicants will be required to provide price quotes for all requested equipment and may also be requested to provide quotes for other items under $10,000.

● Indirect costs: Indirect costs (i.e., overhead) must be calculated in accordance with the guidance in SECTION I.

Tip: Partners under MERC awards are expected to conduct in-person coordination meetings at least once per year. Successful applicants generally also host joint training sessions on technical topics, and/or support student exchange.

● Use a separate single column for each participating institution, and estimate any cost share that might be expected from each institution.

● Projects are not required to spend in every category.

● At the bottom of the budget table, include total expense (sum) by institution and by country, the overall total project cost to MERC, and specify the duration of the project (number of years).

● In a short footnote, briefly justify any requested equipment, describe the types of expenses under

“Other direct costs,” and clarify any other line items that may not be intuitive from the pre-proposal.

Example budget table

Institute 1 Institute 2 Sum

USAID Cost Share USAID Cost Share USAID Cost Share

Personnel

Position 1 (% effort, rate)

Position 2 (% effort, rate)

Equipment

Equipment item 1

Equipment item 2

Materials and supplies

Materials type 1

Materials type 2

Travel

International travel

Domestic travel

Other direct costs

Total direct costs

Indirect costs

Totals (# of years)

If the MERC Committee recommends to invite a full proposal from the applicants, guidelines for preparing a full proposal and specific invitation conditions will be provided to the applicants.

Applicants under this category are only required to submit an 8-page pre-proposal as described above.

If the applicants are invited to submit a full proposal, guidelines for preparing a full proposal and specific invitation conditions will be provided. The full proposal will detail and expand upon the concept outlined in the pre-proposal and require signatures from the applicants and authorizing officials at the applicant institutions. As a requirement of the full proposal, applicant organizations must have a Unique Entity

Identifier (UEI) number, and an active account with the System for Award Management (SAM) (See

SECTION F, Part III. Federal Registrations for more details). Prime applicants will also need to provide a completed SF-424 as part of the full proposal.

Pre-proposals for applied research grants need not include their UEI, proof of active SAM registration, signatures of the applicants or authorizing officials, nor provide a completed SF-424.

C. Submitting the Pre-Proposal

Applicants must submit pre-proposals in the required format as an email attachment to merc@usaid.gov by 11:59pm EST on January 15, 2025 with the email subject “MERC Applied Research Grant Pre-

Proposal - LAST NAME” including the last name of the principal investigator. A member of the MERC

Program staff will acknowledge receipt of pre-proposals by email. Hard copies are not accepted.

II. Continuation Grants

A. Proposal Format and Requirements

The main body of the proposal (Parts 1-15, below) should be approximately 10 to 30 pages (U.S. Letter,

8.5 x 11 inches) with one-inch margins, single spaced, using a full-size font (e.g., 12 pt Times New Roman).

All proposals must be prepared in English, in the following format, and contain each of the following elements. Letters of support, CVs of newly added investigators, and other supporting documentation should be included as appendices and are not counted as part of the page estimate. References may be included as footnotes or in a stand-alone section.

The entire proposal and appendices must be saved as one PDF document.

Investigators from all participating institutions must collaborate in writing the proposal. Proposals are not binding agreements; however, to demonstrate commitment to the concept applicants are required to include a signature page (Part 15).

1. Title: Provide a concise, descriptive title for the proposed event or activity.

a. Investigators: List the full name (first and LAST name in bold font using all uppercase letters for surname only), title, affiliation, full mailing address, telephone number, and e-mail address of every investigator. Clearly identify the primary investigator at the submitting institution to whom all correspondence should be addressed. If more than one investigator is listed at the other cooperating institution(s), identify the primary point of contact.

b. Institutional administrative officials: Provide the full name (first and LAST name in bold font using all uppercase letters for surname only), title, affiliation, full mailing address, telephone number, and e-mail address of the officials at each investigator’s institution authorized to negotiate a legal agreement for that institution or organization.

3. Keywords: List 3 to 5 technical keywords or phrases that capture the scope of the pre-proposal. Single keywords or phrases up to 4 words are acceptable. Applicants who believe their proposal is responsive to

4. Technical summary: (½ page) Provide a brief technical summary of the project, similar to the abstract for a scientific paper or meeting, structured per the following outline. Summarize each of the following components in 1-2 sentences. Ensure that it is concise yet accurately summarizes the proposed work.

a. Background: An overview of the challenge the research addresses.

b. Aims: The aim and technical objectives of the project.

c. Methodology: The approach to be taken to address the project’s objectives.

d. Expected outcomes: The anticipated deliverables and/or potential scientific and development benefits of the research.

e. Implementation: Indicate how the results will be put into practice through stakeholder engagement, trainings, workshops, technology transfer, demonstration sites, etc.

5. Graphical abstract: (½ page) Provide a graphical abstract highlighting the research goal and expected outcomes, focusing on outcomes with potential for uptake by the public or private sectors, and opportunities for collaboration. A few resources providing examples and tips for preparing graphical abstracts follow:

https://www.elsevier.com/researcher/author/tools-and-resources/graphical-abstract

6. Overall aim, objectives, and hypotheses: State the overall aim of the project in one sentence or short paragraph. State the specific technical objectives (typically 3 or 4 objectives presented as a short list). The objectives should each be instrumental to achieving the overall aim of the project. For each objective, explicitly articulate the hypothesis to be tested. Additional non-technical objectives related to outreach, dissemination, capacity building, etc. may be included without an associated hypothesis.

7. Summary of prior work: (½ page) Summarize earlier studies, the technical basis and starting point for the work proposed, preliminary data if available, and citations of a few key literature references, as appropriate. Describe the outcomes under the current or recently ended grant from the MERC Program that established the basis for this proposal.

8. Technical work plan: (approx. 3 to 5 pages) Provide a detailed description of the…