The Public Affairs Section (PAS) at U.S. Embassy Manama supports a variety of projects through its Small Grants Program, which is designed to support eligible universities and institutions (please refer to Section C) to submit applications to carry out programs to increase research cooperation between the United States and Bahrain in support of the economic and/or advanced technology portions of the Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement (C-SIPA) signed September 13, 2023. Please follow all instructions below. If you have any questions about the grant application process in its entirety, please contact:
[email protected]. Priority Region: Bahrain Program Objectives: The objective of this program is to create enduring research collaboration between the United States and Bahrain in support of the groundbreaking Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement (C-SIPA) signed September 13, 2023. This program should support topics directly related to Articles III and IV of the agreement, including: advancing economic integration; bilateral and multilateral economic and trade cooperation, supply chain resilience and infrastructure economic development fostering exchange innovative ideas, information, and skills scientific and technological capabilities emerging technologies artificial intelligence (AI) means of promoting secure networks, communications systems, software, and hardware, and development and promotion of a more secure, resilient, diverse, competitive, transparent, and sustainable digital and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure supply chain, particularly in global communications. Any research topic should focus on these issues as it affects the two countries (or, in the case of economic integration, as it affects the two countries and the region). The full text of the agreement may be found here: https://www.state.gov/comprehensive-security-integration-and-prosperity-agreement/ The budget should support staff time, virtual calls, and potential travel for U.S. university personnel to visit their counterparts in Bahrain, and/or for Bahraini university personnel to visit their counterparts in the United States. The program should result in a concrete outcome (including, but not limited to, a joint publication, a memorandum of understanding for sustained joint research, etc.). The Embassy encourages proposals that will also set the stage for future collaborations, including but not limited to additional research and publications, joint teaching endeavors, staff exchanges, additional memoranda, and/or student linkages. The budget should not support the purchase of equipment. Participants and Audiences: Participants should include U.S. and Bahraini research universities and relevant Bahraini educational institutes such as Bahrain Polytechnic.