This BAA serves to inform the public of the opportunity for possible funding from USAID for innovative applied research to address development challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Office of International Programs coordinates several grants for our faculty and staff to receive funding.
ACES Grant Programs
Seed Grants Program
The International Seed Grants Program was initiated by OIP to stimulate and promote strong relationships between our faculty and international faculty. Each project was funded through the Arlys Conrad Endowment Fund.
We are not currently accepting seed grant proposals. Check back during spring 2024.
View past seed grant program recipients
Joint Research Program
The International Joint Research Program is administered by OIP with the support of our Office of Research.
View past joint research program recipients
This program provides support to our faculty to work on projects abroad that are funded at a matching level to work on the same project. Our contribution will be made directly to the Illinois scholar and the matching support may be made to the collaborating researcher at the peer institution. Illinois researchers may request up to $20,000 to be used within 24 months. Collaborating researchers abroad must receive at least the same amount to work on the same project.
Research Proposal Themes
- Economic and Community Development
- Food Security (Availability, Access, & Utilization of Food by at-risk populations)
- Global Climate Change
- Energy
- Natural Resources and Sustainability
- Nutrition and Human Health
Pre-approved Peer Institutions
- Belgium: Catholic University of Leuven (KUL)
- Brazil: Federal University of Viçosa
- China: Zhejiang University, China Agricultural University, Beijing
- Ghana: University of Ghana at Legon
- Mexico: National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Autonomous University of San Luis Potosi (UASLP)
- The Philippines: University of the Philippines at Los Baños
- Singapore: Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
- Taiwan: National Taiwan University (NTU)
- International: IRRI, CIMMYT, ICRISAT
External Funding Opportunities
Grants
The Transdisciplinary Global South Community-Based Learning Program Development Grant will support costs associated with the development and implementation of transdisciplinary community-based learning programs focused on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals or other Global South issues (in alignment with the university’s Vision 2030 Global Strategy priorities). The grant is funded by the Office of the Provost and administratively supported by Illinois International.
The purpose of the grant is to develop University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign students’ global competencies through community-driven global experiential learning and service models. The grant will support costs associated with the collaborative design, planning, implementation, and evaluation of the proposed programs.
The International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) program supports international research and research-related activities for U.S. science and engineering students. The IRES program contributes to development of a diverse, globally engaged workforce with world-class skills. IRES focuses on active research participation by undergraduate and/or graduate students in high quality international research, education and professional development experiences in NSF-funded research areas.
The overarching, long-term goals of the IRES program are to enhance U.S. leadership in science and engineering research and education and to strengthen economic competitiveness through training the next generation of science research leaders. IRES focuses on the development of a world-class U.S. STEM workforce through international research experiences for cohorts of U.S.students.
Student participants supported by IRES funds must be citizens, nationals, or permanent residents of the United States.
Students do not apply directly to NSF to participate in IRES activities. Students apply to NSF-funded investigators who receive IRES awards. To identify appropriate IRES projects, students should consult the directory of active IRES awards.
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The International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) program supports international research and research-related activities for U.S. science and engineering students. The IRES program contributes to development of a diverse, globally engaged workforce with world-class skills. IRES focuses on active research participation by undergraduate and/or graduate students in high quality international research, education and professional development experiences in NSF-funded research areas.
The overarching, long-term goals of the IRES program are to enhance U.S. leadership in science and engineering research and education and to strengthen economic competitiveness through training the next generation of science research leaders. IRES focuses on the development of a world-class U.S. STEM workforce through international research experiences for cohorts of U.S.students.
Student participants supported by IRES funds must be citizens, nationals, or permanent residents of the United States.
Students do not apply directly to NSF to participate in IRES activities. Students apply to NSF-funded investigators who receive IRES awards. To identify appropriate IRES projects, students should consult the directory of active IRES awards.
Horizon Europe is open to U.S. participants bringing their own funding. However, in some cases and under certain conditions, U.S. participants can receive funding directly by the European Commission.
Regardless of situation U.S. participants will have access to the best research and innovation groups in Europe.
The Implementation Grant provides funding to support activities and/or programs across campus that seek to specifically address one or more actions under the priorities outlined in the Vision 2030 Global Strategy. Proposals that arise from collaborations across one or more academic or administrative units are highly encouraged.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until funds are depleted.
Fellowships
The FSP is part of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State’s flagship international educational exchange program, and pairs highly qualified U.S. academics and professionals with institutions abroad to share their expertise, strengthen institutional linkages, hone their skills, and gain international experience, while building capacity at their overseas host institutions though a short-term, project-based exchange.
The project, ‘Technology Transfer for Vertical Farming to 4 Universities’ (P009482), would involve three visits, approximately 42 days total in length, to the Catholic University of El Salvador in Santa Ana, El Salvador. Ideally the project would be conducted between April 7 and October 19, 2024, with flexibility depending on the selected candidate’s availability. Full project details are included in the attached Open Project Announcement.
The grant will include international round-trip economy class airfare, transit allowance ($100), all applicable visa fees, a daily honorarium ($200), enrollment in a limited health benefits program, lodging, meals, and in-country transportation.
Interested applicants should submit a Resume/CV and a completed “Submission of Interest” form (please see attached) to fulbrightspecialist@worldlearning.org no later than 11:59 PM ET on Monday, December 11, 2023, to be considered for this project. Further details and application instructions are included in the attached announcement – please note that U.S. citizenship is required to serve as a Fulbright Specialist.
The International Agriculture Education Fellowship Program (IAEFP) is now searching for fellows for programs in Ghana and Guatemala. This program is funded by the USDA Foreign Agriculture Service and is hosted by the Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture at Texas A&M University. This would be a perfect opportunity for graduating seniors, those looking for a year-long sabbatical, or other qualified individuals.
IAEFP is a fully funded, 10-month deployment for selected individuals. Fellows will begin training in the summer 2024, deploy to Ghana and Guatemala in the fall, and return in late spring 2025. While in the country, fellows will live in communities to work as agriscience teachers, establish youth development programs with sustainable agricultural projects, and work with community leaders to identify other agricultural development needs.
Other
The Staff Global Exchange Program provides professional development opportunities to enhance global competencies and institutional capacities in alignment with the priorities of the university’s Vision 2030 Global Strategy. The program is achieved through staff exchanges between the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a partner institution abroad. The exchange model provides mutually beneficial opportunities to share best practices and expertise, and in turn gain a more global perspective on various university services.