Sustainable Model of Digital Library of Tibetan Cultural Resources.pdf

Request for Information (RFI) USAID/India: Preservation of Tibetan Manuscripts and Cultural resources to create a

Sustainable Model of Digital Library

Reference Number: 72038623RFI00001 Release Date: December 9, 2022 Questions/inquiries Due Date and Time: December 20, 2022, 23.59hrs (India Local Time) RFI Response Due Date and Time: January 23, 2023, 23.59hrs (India Local Time) NAICS Code: 541990

The United States Agency for International Development’s Mission to India (USAID/India) is in the process of gathering information to design a new activity to; (1) Provide technical support in the preservation of Tibetan cultural artifacts and manuscripts through innovative use of latest and viable technology (2) Enhance Tibetan community’s accessibility to these documents through the creation of a sustainable model of a virtual/digital library, and (3) Strengthen capacity of the officials of the Tibetan administration to further govern and use the developed sustainable model.

The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to solicit comments/suggestions in order to incorporate new, innovative solutions into a solicitation, Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), or Request for Full Application (RFA), should USAID decide to issue one, to address potential issues on digitization of Tibetan manuscripts and supporting preservation of Tibetan cultural resources using innovative technology such as artificial intelligence. This RFI is issued as part of the Mission’s market research effort to determine interest, capability and availability of qualified entities for these types of work and is issued for information and planning purposes only. USAID/India aims to consult with the broad community of private sector actors, public institutions, development partners, non-governmental organizations, think tanks and academia, concerned with the development of Tibetan community in South Asia with a specific focus on the preservation of their unique culture and heritage. Please see Attachment 1 for more details.

Should USAID decide to issue a solicitation, NOFO, or RFA, it will be announced on the “Contract Opportunities” section, website link is https://sam.gov/content/opportunities or at www.grants.gov . USAID/India is not seeking technical or cost applications/proposals at this time through this RFI.

Interested firms are requested to provide information that demonstrates your experience and ability to perform the type of work described in the attachment to this notice. The capability statement must include relevant examples within and outside of governmental awards under which the firm has performed if applicable.

https://sam.gov/content/opportunities http://www.grants.gov/

This RFI neither constitutes a solicitation, NOFO, or a RFA, nor does it commit USAID to issue one or to make an award. Please note that responding to this RFI will not give any advantage to or preclude any organization or individual from responding to any solicitation, NOFO, or RFA that may be subsequently issued. USAID will not pay for any costs associated with responding to this RFI and information received will become the property of USAID and can be made public.

Therefore, information that cannot be shared should not be submitted.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted by email to indiarco@usaid.gov no later than the date and time shown above. Please include RFI number “72038623RFI00001” and Title of activity “Preservation of Tibetan Manuscripts and cultural resources to create a sustainable model for a digital library” in the subject line and use the format provided in Attachment 1, Section II. RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS. Responders will not receive individualized feedback. All inquiries concerning this RFI must be directed only to the email address identified above by the due date and time cited above. Hard copy submissions will not be accepted nor will phone inquiries be entertained. This Notice is available at www.sam.gov and www.grants.gov. We look forward to receiving your comments.

Best regards, Cheryl Hodge-Snead Agreement/Contracting Officer, USAID/India

Attachment 1 - Background and Response Requirements

Since the beginning of the cultural revolution in Tibet during the 1960s, the protection, preservation and sustainability of Tibetan culture and identity has remained under massive threat, which continues to be a major challenge today. A direct consequence of the popular Tibetan movement led to the destruction of rare Tibetan cultural resources including the ancient and rare manuscripts, art and artifacts which were passed on across several generations. The vision of HH Dalai Lama which is to keep the Tibetan culture and traditions alive is driving the Tibetan community to consider different strategies to achieve this ultimate goal and preserve the unique identity of their community while living in exile. However, availability of limited resources not only makes it challenging to consider long term sustainable models but also impacts the quality of both hardware and software being used.

These cultural restoration efforts began with the consolidation and preservation of the Tibetan resources in libraries across the country and overseas. Considering that the Tibetan community is scattered globally there is a strong need to have unified access to these resources which in addition will support the pursuit of Tibetan studies globally. To achieve this vision, USAID is interested in potential approaches and possible interventions from other stakeholders. There is a need to identify a viable approach for preservation of these resources through strong research and use of technological innovations to address this dire need, which will also help to preserve the Tibetan identity.

To date, several non-profit institutions and monasteries around the world have supported the culture preservation efforts through a variety of strategies, including digitization of the vast repository of Tibetan Buddhist manuscripts and literature. These efforts are challenged by limited resources which also leads to siloed planning by individual stakeholders in contrast to long term vision based on an integrated and sustainable approach. The technical tools being used are somewhat antiquated and would require to be adapted for a long-term cultural preservation solution. Special focus is needed to create online mechanisms to make digital resources easily accessible through use of state-of-the art digital technology. As stakeholders are currently engaged in preservation of the rare Tibetan scripts it is critical that they are all connected so efforts are more holistic, and solutions can be developed through leveraging synergies.

USAID/India is currently considering the following areas for potential engagement:

● Comprehensive assessment of the ongoing initiatives around the digitization of the Tibetan manuscripts and other rare cultural resources, with a focus on the best practices and possible gaps to address their protection, preservation and restoration including understanding the constraints to digitization efforts.

● Developing an overall evidence-based plan to create a digital library which will support a sustainable model for preservation of manuscripts and other cultural resources.

● Build the capacity of Tibetans to develop and manage a strategic model in the museums, and monasteries that houses old textile and paper artifacts

● Explore the applicability of the state-of-the-art digital technology and innovative use of assistive technology to promote digitization of Tibetan manuscripts.

● Implement the digitization of Tibetan cultural systems and methodology through detailed assessment systems to make them robust, reliable, and useful for planning, implementation and monitoring.

● Enrich Tibetan digital library ecosystems (consortium of all stakeholders in support of preservation of Tibetan cultural resources through digital technology and artificial intelligence).

II. RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS

USAID is keen to seek new and innovative ways to address the need to maintain the Tibetan identity through preservation, protection, and restoration of the rich repository of Tibetan cultural resources and exploring the possibility of creating one common platform for digitizing these resources based on integrated and sustainable approaches. Understanding the possibilities and strategic solutions including how digital technology could be transformative for these efforts will allow USAID to develop a more robust program to support the Tibetan community. Therefore, USAID is seeking information on how USAID/India can best provide the support needed to address the immediate need for preservation of centuries old rare Tibetan manuscripts and other cultural artifacts leveraging the strength of artificial intelligence. In your responses to the questions below, please provide any relevant sources for the information, including peer-reviewed or literature, expert opinion, project evaluation reports, position papers and other documents.

Respondents may answer any or all of the questions below [10 pages maximum excluding the cover page].

1) What are some of the key issues that would be relevant to consider for informing strategic planning and programming of the digitization of Tibetan manuscripts?

2) What are the possible approaches and outcomes for the digitization of Tibetan manuscripts and rare documents, keeping in mind the Tibetan context in the present geopolitical scenario?

3) How would the recommended approaches help to create a sustainable model of digitization of Tibetan resources that can be replicated for preservation of Tibetan culture in the long run?

4) What are some of the exemplary efforts you can refer to in the implementation of similar initiatives in the region or globally?

5) How can the broad contours of digital technology, such as, artificial intelligence be possibly explored to facilitate the digitization of Tibetan manuscripts and overall preservation of Tibetan culture? Please provide a brief description.

6) For ensuring sustainability of Tibetan digital libraries and archives, what would be the other potential area of interventions that would help in designing a program for the digitization of Tibetan resources apart from digitizing Tibetan manuscripts and documents, recording and digitizing oral history interviews, training of rare artifact conservation?

7) What are some of the most promising scalable technologies/technical innovations that have been witnessed in the digitization spectrum in the region and how these can be possibly replicated in the digitization of Tibetan manuscripts? Please provide a brief description of it.

8) What are some of the challenges which may constrain the use of technology to preserve culture and identity in the Tibetan context?

9) Please identify the critical stakeholders/advocacy and networking groups that will need to be engaged in the preservation of Tibetan manuscripts through digitization?

No other documents or information are requested at this time. USAID asks respondents to not send any additional information other than what is requested above and to kindly adhere to the page limits mentioned.