USAID-PEER

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. Former US president John. F. Kennedy created the United States Agency for International Development by executive order in 1961 to lead the US government’s international development and humanitarian efforts. It is dedicated to helping nations meet the needs of their citizens by providing health-care, education, and economic opportunity to end extreme poverty and promote democratic, resilient societies.

Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) is an international grants program that funds scientists and engineers in developing countries who partner with U.S. government-funded researchers to address global development challenges.

PEER not only catalyzes collaborative research and elevates the use of science and technology to further USAID’s development objectives, but also establishes long-lasting research relationships that build scientific research capacity, strengthen the research ecosystem in developing countries, and enable collaborators to become better partners in development. Since PEER’s launch in 2011, it has supported more than 250 projects in over 50 countries with an investment of about $50 million.

Partner Agencies
The PEER program is designed to leverage federal science agency funding from NASA, NIH, NOAA, NSF, Smithsonian Institution, USDA, and USGS by directly supporting developing country scientists who work in partnership with current or new col-leagues supported by these U.S. government agencies. Technical areas include water resource management, climate change, biodiversity, agriculture, energy, disaster mitigation, nutrition, maternal and child health, and infectious diseases. GE Global Research in Bangalore, India is Indian partner organization for PEER cycle 5 projects in India