University Research Program

The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia is pleased to announce an open competition for assistance awards through this Request for Proposals (RFP) for a University Research Program. The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia invites U.S. and Georgian universities, educational institutes and non-profit/non-governmental organizations to submit proposals for a one- to two-year project to improve the standards of Georgian academic research in Georgian universities and educational institutes, and to encourage greater interaction between Georgian academic researchers, civil society, and government policy-makers. The project is meant to strengthen the quantitative and qualitative research skills and the academic writing of young Georgian scholars; raise Georgian scholarship to an international standard; and encourage the publication of Georgian scholarly research in Western academic and/or in Georgian peer reviewed journals in areas directly related to: domestic policy issues (i.e. health care, education, environment, civil service/personnel issues, local government, etc.) and comparative analyses (U.S.-Georgian). The proposal may also include teaching academic English and updating Georgian research library capacities and resources. The direct beneficiaries of this program will be young Georgian academics, primarily assistant professors, PhD candidates and Public Policy MA students, and the indirect beneficiaries will be their Georgian host universities. PAS will award approximately $250,000 for this one-to-two-year project, and may seek additional funding for future years. This project is designed to improve the standards of Georgian academic research at Georgian universities, and to encourage greater interaction between Georgian academic researchers, civil society, and government policy-makers. The project is meant to strengthen the quantitative and qualitative research skills and the academic writing of young Georgian scholars; raise Georgian scholarship to an international standard; and encourage the publication of Georgian scholarly research in Western academic journals or in Georgian peer reviewed journals; and encourage cooperation between Georgian academics and government policy-makers and civil society in areas directly related to the development of policy analysis, such as domestic policy issues (i.e. health care, education, environment, civil service/personnel issues, local government, etc.) and comparative analyses (U.S.-Georgian). The proposal may also include teaching academic English and updating Georgian research library capacities and resources.