University Partnership Program (UPP) | DOS KAZ AST AEECA 24 005

Opportunity Information: Apply for DOS KAZ AST AEECA 24 005

The University Partnership Program (UPP) is a U.S. Mission to Kazakhstan grant opportunity designed to deepen and modernize collaboration between U.S. and Kazakh higher education institutions, with a strong emphasis on making Kazakh universities more resilient, industry-connected, and capable of supporting Kazakhstan's long-term economic diversification. Building on work funded since 2017, UPP has already helped establish a wide network of institutional partnerships (34 Kazakh universities partnered with 31 U.S. universities) that strengthened teaching methods, academic programs, and research capacity, while also supporting joint projects in areas like air pollution, environmental protection, and broader economic development. A notable theme of the program is sustainability: many past partnerships continued beyond U.S. government funding, and this solicitation aims to keep pushing partnerships toward lasting, self-supporting models.

A central problem the opportunity is trying to address is that many Kazakh universities rely heavily on government support and student tuition, and often lack a clear strategy for engaging the private sector in ways that lead to applied research, commercialization, and alternative revenue streams. The program frames U.S. universities as useful counterparts because they have long experience working with industry, running research commercialization pipelines, and managing diversified-income models. By transferring practical know-how in areas like industry partnership development, incubators, and research management, the program aims to help Kazakh universities reinvest new revenues back into university operations, improve facilities and equipment, expand student services, and create more opportunities for faculty development. This is also positioned as especially important as Kazakhstan transitions to a per-capita university funding system introduced in November 2021, which increases pressure on universities to be competitive, student-oriented, and aligned with labor market needs.

UPP is looking for proposals that use flexible, innovative mechanisms to advance U.S.-Kazakh partnerships. Activities can be implemented through sub-awards to partner institutions or organized directly by the implementing organization. Examples of acceptable mechanisms include (but are not limited to) incubation hubs, efforts that strengthen basic research capabilities, and professional development centers. While curriculum work can be included, the program signals that competitive curriculum proposals should focus on improving and updating existing curricula rather than creating entirely new programs from scratch. Overall, the strongest proposals are expected to connect academic improvement to real-world application, workforce development, and commercialization pathways, rather than treating university-to-university cooperation as purely academic exchange.

The primary audience includes public universities in Kazakhstan (with private universities allowed as additional partners but not as the lead Kazakh partner) and U.S. universities, with particular interest in research universities, community colleges, and technical institutions. Beneficiaries can include students, faculty and teaching professionals, and university administrators or managers. The solicitation also highlights that stronger applications may involve multiple institutions and intentionally build a network, encouraging sharing of best practices among Kazakh institutions rather than limiting benefits to a single campus.

The overall goal is to strengthen the institutional and research capacity of Kazakh universities in high-growth fields that support workforce development and diversified economic growth, using joint U.S.-Kazakh partnerships and research collaboration. The opportunity defines three concrete objectives. First, it aims to equip at least five Kazakh university administrators with practical skills and knowledge to attract investment and collaborate effectively with U.S. universities and research centers, which points to training in partnership-building, financial and operational planning, and engagement with external funders. Second, it seeks to improve at least two Kazakh higher education institutions' ability to revise existing curricula and course content using U.S. best practices, emphasizing real-work application and hands-on learning that responds to youth unemployment and workforce needs. Priority fields include coding, IT, STEM, agriculture, and digital media, though the list is not exhaustive. Third, it intends to facilitate at least two joint U.S.-Kazakh research projects in high-growth fields that show commercialization potential, meaning projects should be oriented toward outcomes that could plausibly attract private investment, licensing, startup creation, or other pathways to market use.

Competitive proposals are expected to show that U.S. and Kazakh partners will hold preliminary discussions before launching major activities, explicitly surfacing likely roadblocks, operational constraints, and local context issues in Kazakhstan. This signals that the funder wants realistic partnership planning, with an understanding of regulatory, institutional, and market conditions, rather than assuming U.S.-style models can be copied without adaptation. Longer-term success is described in terms of universities adopting international management practices and research standards, offering more student-oriented services, increasing transparency and accountability through diversified revenue approaches, and strengthening peer-to-peer knowledge sharing across Kazakh institutions. The program also anticipates broader downstream impacts, such as a more competitive workforce that supports economic diversification and potentially increased academic mobility, including more Kazakh students and scholars studying in the United States.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is a discretionary grant issued as a cooperative agreement by the U.S. Mission to Kazakhstan (Funding Opportunity Number: DOS KAZ AST AEECA 24 005; Assistance Listing/CFDA: 19.900). The application closing date listed is 2024-07-15. The award ceiling is $360,000, with one expected award, indicating a single lead implementer will likely manage and coordinate a portfolio of partnership activities. Eligible applicants are broad and include U.S.- or Kazakhstan-based organizations such as civil society/non-governmental organizations, think tanks, and public or private educational institutions, giving flexibility for a capable implementing organization to act as the coordinator and grant manager for the university partnership network.

• The U.S. Mission to Kazakhstan in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "University Partnership Program (UPP)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.900.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-05-29.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-07-15. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $360,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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