University Research Program (University Capacity Building Program, UCBP) | DOS GEO 24 008 07012024

Opportunity Information: Apply for DOS GEO 24 008 07012024

The University Research Program, also called the University Capacity Building Program (UCBP), is a U.S. Embassy Tbilisi Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) grant opportunity designed to strengthen how Georgian universities manage, develop, and fund research. Through a 12-to-18-month professional development program, the project aims to help Georgian higher education institutions build or expand the practical infrastructure needed for modern research administration and research development, including grant offices, pre-award support systems, proposal development processes, and stronger external engagement with donors, alumni, industry, and government. The larger idea is to help Georgian universities better connect their education, research, and public engagement missions so that university-based research can more directly support innovation, commercialization, entrepreneurship, and ultimately economic growth in Georgia, using successful U.S. university models as examples.

Eligible applicants are U.S. nonprofit, non-governmental organizations and accredited American higher education institutions that can design and manage the full program. The award is structured as a cooperative agreement, meaning the U.S. government (through PDS) expects to be actively involved during implementation, including oversight roles connected to monitoring, evaluation, and learning. The funding opportunity is issued by the U.S. Mission to Georgia under CFDA 19.900, with an award ceiling of $250,000 and an expectation of up to five awards. The application deadline listed is August 9, 2024, under funding opportunity number DOS GEO 24 008 07012024.

The program focuses on Georgian participants who are positioned to change institutional practice: university administrators responsible for research and sponsored programs, development and grant officers, external affairs staff, and higher education decision-makers and relevant government officials involved in higher education management. A major feature is that the project is not limited to general training; it is meant to be capacity-building that translates into real institutional structures and routines, including diffusion of better practices across Georgia. The Embassy anticipates many participants will not have working-level English, so proposals are expected to budget for high-quality interpretation, preferably simultaneous, and to plan activities accordingly.

The UCBP is organized into four connected phases. First, the implementer conducts a needs assessment to map the current capacity of research administration and development offices (or equivalent functions) across the participating Georgian universities. Second, the program provides online mentoring and practical workshops that build core skills in areas such as effective grant writing and proposal development, identifying and responding to funding opportunities (including U.S., non-U.S., and EU sources), budgeting (direct and indirect costs), strategic communication with donors, alumni engagement, and fundraising fundamentals. Third, participants complete a 14-day U.S. study tour (including travel) that includes Washington, DC and encourages visits to universities in non-coastal U.S. cities, with an emphasis on seeing functional organizational structures and partnership models in action, and on developing joint initiatives, alumni engagement approaches, and donor communication plans. Fourth, U.S. experts conduct a reciprocal visit to Georgia for about 10 days (including travel) to reinforce implementation, deepen collaboration, and help build a sustained community of U.S.-Georgian researchers and university administrators.

Substantively, the grant prioritizes the nuts-and-bolts of research development and sponsored programs operations. Supported topics include how research administration is organized and functions at U.S. universities, how to scan for and interpret sponsor requests (private versus government, domestic versus international), how to respond to RFPs, how to write competitive proposals, how to build realistic and compliant budgets, and how to structure administrative support such as pre-award services and proposal development workflows. The program also emphasizes collaboration and external partnerships: partnering with other universities on joint research proposals and projects, institutionalizing grant or research development offices that can liaise with the private sector (including through online platforms), building professional networks that strengthen the university-private sector-innovation triangle, and nurturing campus-based entrepreneurial ecosystems that create regular, practical forums where academics and entrepreneurs can align interests. Applicants may propose additional activities beyond the listed topics as long as they clearly strengthen the project’s impact, and proposals must include a detailed timeline that shows how each component builds on the previous phases.

Expected results are framed around creating sustainable institutional capacity rather than one-time training. Key outcomes include giving partner institutions a clear understanding of why a strong research administration and development office matters, providing enough practical knowledge for participants to set up or significantly improve those offices within their universities, and enabling participants to identify appropriate funding opportunities and respond effectively across multiple funding systems (including EU sources). A train-the-trainer approach is encouraged so participants can pass skills to colleagues and build internal grant teams over time. The project also seeks to increase each partner university’s research capacity by moving toward joint proposals, projects, and programs, and by establishing stronger U.S.-Georgian university partnerships that can lead to ongoing collaborative research and multi-directional exchanges. Additional intended results include developing and adopting an alumni engagement strategy and action plan with U.S. partner universities, and introducing effective public-private partnership models that institutionalize ties between universities and business associations, improving universities’ connections with employers and government partners.

Operationally, proposals must account for study tour and participant support costs, including airfare, lodging, international travel insurance, the B1/B2 visa fee, and meals and incidental expenses. Participant selection is also not fully autonomous: the names of proposed Georgian participants must be reviewed and approved by PDS in advance of U.S. travel. For monitoring and learning, the PDS Grant Officer Representative is expected to facilitate the study tour, with the Embassy covering the GOR’s expenses. Overall, the UCBP is a structured, multi-phase capacity-building effort aimed at helping Georgian universities professionalize research support functions, expand external partnerships, and create a stronger pipeline from academic research to innovation and economic benefit.

• The U.S. Mission to Georgia in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "University Research Program (University Capacity Building Program, UCBP)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.900.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-07-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-08-09. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $250,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for DOS GEO 24 008 07012024

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: