The Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Office of Assistance Coordination
(NEA/AC), seeks applications to support and strengthen American-style IHEs
in Iraq. With this announcement, NEA/AC seeks to support multiple awards
with the objective of building and increasing the institutional capacity of
IHEs in Iraq. Proposals shall address ways to develop new and ongoing
partnerships between IHEs in Iraq and higher education institutions in the
United States. Focus should be given to building the capacity of IHEs and
educational systems in Iraq to approach American higher education
standards found in U.S. universities, community colleges, and vocational
schools. Proposals will be structured to establish sustainable partnerships
and curriculum and resource advancements which in the short-term
produce meaningful institutional improvements and in the long-term help
achieve formal accreditation by U.S. authorities. Additionally, projects will
provide financial assistance to recruit and retain students who are
representative of Iraq’s diverse ethnic, geographic, and religious
communities who would otherwise not have the financial means to attend
college. Where possible, proposals should seek to support disciplines and
skills relevant for the adaptation to and mitigation of the impacts of climate
change. These may include but need not be limited to programs related to
civil and energy engineering, earth sciences and natural resource
management, public policy and law, and public health.
Proposals should facilitate professional skills development, including
improving English proficiency among students and faculty; virtual or inperson exchanges with U.S.-based IHEs or other regional American-style
IHEs; capacity building for faculty and administrators in areas like research,
curriculum and pedagogic development, governance, management and
administration; practical training and education for specific skilled careers;
and career development services for students, including career advisory,
internship opportunities, and soft-skills training. Proposals should also
address ways to enhance students’ critical thinking and problem-solving
skills; promote tolerance of different opinions and beliefs to foster
community resilience and development; provide students from diverse
religious, ethnic, and geographic backgrounds with professional skills that
enable them to be engaged members of their field and citizens of their
state; and develop facilities and resources to support student access and
performance including expanded library resources, sufficient living
accommodations, updated textbooks/curriculum, web-based enrollment
applications, virtual classes and exchanges, and online learning tools.
To support the U.S. Strategy on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS),
proposals must address the distinct needs of women as students and faculty
to increase access to higher education through targeted recruitment and
assistance efforts; provide tailored assistance to ensure completion of
graduation requirements; develop students’ professional and leadership
skills which promote economic empowerment; and may support
professional advancement of women in fields of academia.
Proposals should contribute to the following objectives in Iraq:
strengthening relationships across ethnic and religious divisions, promoting
tolerance, opposing and reducing vulnerability to extremist ideology, and
fostering economic development.