Curriculum and University Partnerships (CUP)

Curriculum and University Partnership (CUP) A. Basic Information 1. Overview Funding Opportunity Title Curriculum and University Partnerships (CUP) Funding Opportunity Number 2025VE-002A Announcement Type Initial Announcement Deadline for Applications July 1, 2025 Assistance Listing Number 19.040 – Public Diplomacy Programs Length of performance period Up to 18 months Number of awards anticipated 1 award (dependent on amounts) Award amounts Up to $200,000 USD Total available funding Up to $200,000 USD, pending availability of funds Type of Funding FY25 Smith Mundt Public Diplomacy Funds Anticipated project start date October 1, 2025 Funding Instrument Type: Grant Project Performance Period: Project should be completed in 18 months or less Priority Region: Venezuela This notice is subject to the availability of funding. 2. Executive Summary The Public Diplomacy section of the Venezuela Affairs Unit announces an open competition for U.S. Institutes of Higher Education (HEIs) or U.S. not-for-profit organizations to submit applications for the Curriculum and University Partnerships (CUP). We seek proposals that build the curriculum development capacity of faculty at Venezuelan academic institutions through collaborative online curriculum-design partnerships that cultivate university partnerships between these institutions and their U.S. counterparts. Proposals should be submitted to [email protected] by July 1, 2025. B. Eligibility 1. Eligible Applicants The following U.S. organizations are eligible to apply: ● Accredited U.S. public and/or private higher education institutions (consortia applications are eligible). ● Registered U.S. non-profit educational institutions and/or organizations with programming experience. NOTE: Proposals that include Spanish-speaking staff and the ability to conduct sessions in Spanish will be prioritized. 2. Cost Sharing or Matching Cost sharing is anticipated. Proposals that include cost-sharing will be assigned additional review points that will be used to break ties among applications with equivalent scores after evaluation against all other factors. 3. Other Eligibility Requirements All organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) issued via SAM.gov as well as a valid registration in SAM.gov. Please see Section D.3 for more information. Individuals are not required to have a UEI or be registered in SAM.gov. C. Program Description A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION This program will focus on building collaborative curriculum development opportunities at Venezuelan universities, building curriculum design capacity; connecting Venezuelan academics with their U.S. counterparts and catalyzing university partnerships. This program supports the VAU’s higher education engagement goals to expand partnerships between U.S. and Venezuelan higher education institutions. This approach acknowledges that fortifying existing links and promoting new U.S.- Venezuelan partnerships at the university level will make the United States safer, stronger, and more prosperous. We seek proposals that will utilize COIL 1 and other online collaboration tools to develop up to six new curricula projects at Venezuelan universities and establish the building blocks of international partnerships among program participants and their U.S. counterparts. 1 COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) refers to "online learning in an international setting, with interactive involvement of students and faculty from different international and intercultural backgrounds in and outside the classroom" (Leask, 2020:188). Benefits of COIL: International studies show that COIL has a relevant impact on the personal and academic development of participants and that it is valued by various stakeholders, including teachers, students, and employers. In addition, the involvement in COIL projects enables teachers to: establish or strengthen international partnerships, integrate innovative and challenging practices into their courses, convey an international dimension to learning, collaborate with peers, increase class dynamism, and improve student interest and satisfaction rates. (https://collab-edu.com/hub/coil/p/whatiscoil) Theory of Change: If universities in Venezuela increase their ability to collaborate and enhance their curriculum development capacity; and if these universities develop a campus-wide culture of international collaboration, then Venezuela will be better positioned to build comprehensive university partnerships with U.S. counterparts. Key Deliverables: The 18-month CUP grant seeks to accomplish the program’s goals through the following deliverables: Online Engagement and Mentoring Sessions on the main components of a successful university curriculum development process, including (but not limited to), 1) Needs Assessment; 2) Goal Setting; 3) Curriculum Design; 4) Implementation; and 5) Evaluation/Revision (as needed). In addition, these online sessions should include a wide range of topics that focus on how to foster a culture of learning and international collaboration, including: ● Value and importance of integrated and multi-disciplinary teaching and learning, including leadership support for a campus-wide strategic vision; ● Case studies of successful U.S. university curriculum development and implementation initiatives that led to achieving international standards, improved student outcomes and institutionalized support; ● International education and partnership strategies; ● Additional topics could include curricula review strategies, student/faculty/administration stakeholder engagement; private- sector/practitioner integrations, critical thinking/problem-solving capacities; and ● Other key areas that support this effort. International Partnership Facilitation/Professional Networking Activities that support new academic collaborations and university partnerships (or enhance existing partnerships) between Venezuelan academic leaders and their U.S. counterparts. The grantee will recruit and introduce potential U.S. university counterparts to facilitate these curriculum partnerships. This will include working with the Venezuelan participants to shape and design their curriculum projects and develop their initial partnership strategies. NOTE: Proposals that present a broad group of U.S. universities and innovative/creative online networking strategies efforts will be prioritized. Curriculum Design through COIL will be implemented and mentored by the grantee through online support, regular consultations, and other professional oversight as appropriate. In-Person Curriculum Workshop for up to 12 Venezuelan university academics and administrators from six Venezuelan universities and six U.S. counterparts. The grantee will organize a Colombia-based academic conference to build on the online capacity-building sessions and physically bring together international partners for each of the six curriculum projects. The workshop can include travel and participation costs for U.S. experts and collaborative partners to travel to Bogota, Colombia, for this program. Implementation and Assessment support for program participants to guide the implementation of these curricula projects and the assessment and revision process as necessary. NOTE: Spanish language capacity is not required, however, proposals that include key staff with bilingual capacities (Spanish/English) will be prioritized. Program Participants in partnership with the VAU Public Diplomacy section and local educational counterparts, the program will engage up to 12 academics and/or administrators (living and working in Venezuela) from up to six Venezuelan universities. Recruitment and selection will be jointly conducted by the grantee and the VAU. In consultation with the VAU, the number of participants in each program component may change depending on local conditions and budget considerations.