PEER Science is a competitive grants program that invites scientists in developing countries to apply for funds to support research and capacity-building activities on topics of importance to USAID and conducted in partnership with NSF-funded collaborators.

Proposals due Dec. 4, 2012. It is expected that solicitations for PEER Science will be issued at least annually. Single institution awards: $30,000 to $60,000 per year for one to three years. Multiple institution and/or multiple countries awards may receive up to $110,000 per year for up to three years. Funds may be used only to support costs for developing country researchers and institutions. Only PIs from developing countries are eligible to apply and must

1. be affiliated with and based at an academic, non-profit, or government-managed research institution in a PEER Science-eligible country, and

2. either be actively engaged or plan to be engaged in a collaborative research project with an NSF-funded U.S. researcher at a U.S. institution

Areas in which NSF and USAID have strong mutual interests include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Food security topics such as agricultural development, fisheries, and plant genomics
• Climate change impacts such as water sustainability, hydrology, ocean acidification, climate process and modeling, and environmental engineering
• Other development topics including disaster mitigation, biodiversity, water, and renewable energy

Proposals in these topical areas of interest may be submitted by applicants based in any of the 87 full PEER Science-eligible countries. Additionally, PEER Science invites proposals from applicants in the following specific countries or working on the following topical areas, for which USAID missions and offices have allocated resources to foster science and development goals: Indonesia, Biodiversity Conservation and Clean Energy in the Philippines, Water for the Middle East and North Africa, Biodiversity Research in the Lower Mekong, Maldives Climate Change Adaptation, and Biodiversity Conservation in Brazil.