University Partnership Program (UPP)

Executive Summary: The U.S. Mission to Kazakhstan announces an open competition for U.S. and Kazakh organizations to submit applications for the 2023-2024 University Partnership Program (UPP) to increase collaboration between U.S. institutions and Kazakh Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). This program seeks to support economic diversification and growth in Kazakhstan. Project themes include the commercialization of research, partnerships with the private sector, joint research and publications between U.S. and Kazakhstani universities, curricula modernization, and building Kazakh institutional capacities to partner with U.S. institutions. Background: For more than five years the U.S. Mission to Kazakhstan has funded the University Partnership Program (UPP) to connect U.S. and Kazakh higher education institutions, traditionally by awarding sub-awards to U.S. partners who applied for funding with Kazakh institutions. As a result, 33 Kazakh universities have partnered with 30 U.S. universities to strengthen educational programs, teaching approaches, institutional and research capacities, as well as pursue joint projects addressing issues such as air pollution, environmental protection, and economic diversification. In addition to the projects achieved under each UPP, many partnerships have successfully resulted in sustainable, continued partnerships separate from USG funding. For example, many partners have applied for other funding opportunities, such as Bolashaq Scholars or National Science Foundation support, to continue research and faculty collaboration. The Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs at the Department of State has conducted a regionally focused Monitoring & Evaluation study of the UPP program across several countries over multiple years. In addition, evaluation of previous projects has provided lessons learned and ways to focus the program implementation. For example, we learned that new curricula were not always adopted after being designed due to bureaucratic challenges. As a result, any curricula-based projects should focus on updating currently existing curricula, which is easier to adopt and teach than launching new curricula. We were pleased to see that UPP successfully served as seed money in many cases to support further, independent higher education collaboration and development. Problem Statement: Given recent and positive legislative changes in Kazakhstan that relaxed academic rigidity in curriculum design for Kazakh universities, Mission Kazakhstan endeavors to support U.S. universities in sharing expertise and best practices in areas to include: financial transparency, management accountability, diversifying sources of income, fostering of an R&D ecosystem and enterprise, building greater capacity for high quality research and the commercialization of research findings, and addressing the private sector needs and expanding collaboration with the private sector. The Mission believes helping Kazakh universities learn more about American university best practices in management, basic research, and financial accountability will instill democratic values at the institutional level and increase financial transparency, self-sustainability, and an entrepreneurial spirit, as well as increase the value in more inclusive management which empowers individual faculty members’ voices and shifts towards student-oriented services. Medium to long-term successes in Kazakhstan would include the implementation of international management practices, research standards, and student-oriented programs and services. Success will also be gauged on increasing the sharing of best practices among Kazakh institutions with each other. This would help Kazakh universities have well-run, efficient university management models which would be better placed to be an equal and contributing partner with U.S. universities and academic associations. This is also expected to increase the number of Kazakh students and scholars studying in the United States, and to contribute to a more competitive work force equipped with the skills to support economic diversification in Kazakhstan. Kazakh universities rely on the government as their primary funding source. In most cases, private student tuition fees do not sufficiently cover actual costs. Kazakh universities could benefit from using a diversified-income model used by U.S. universities, which would generate profit that could be reinvested into university operations. By adopting this model, Kazakh universities would raise their institutional profile, improve their facilities and equipment, be better positioned to support faculty professional development, and be able to offer more student services. Building partnerships with the private sector could also generate income through commercialization while at the same time offer practical experience for university students. Kazakhstan Ministry of Science and Higher Education have highlighted the importance of publishing articles and research in peer-reviewed journals. However, many Kazakh universities need additional support to further develop their research capacity to produce high quality research publications. Previous UniCEN workshops indicate there is high demand for training on research methodology, academic writing, and the publication process, particularly in STEM fields. The aim of the University Partnership Program this year is to help Kazakh universities develop well-run and efficient university management skills, modeled after U.S. tertiary institutions, and especially U.S. research universities, in order to raise Kazakh university international rankings and assist Kazakhstan’s effort to diversify its economy, thereby reducing its reliance on the oil and gas sector. This NOFO looks to support innovative project mechanisms that advance U.S.-Kazakh institutional partnerships in the form of sub-awards or activities organized directly by the implementer. This can include incubation hubs, basic research capability, or professional development centers. The program should focus on building greater institutional and research capacity in fields that support diversified economic growth through joint U.S.-Kazakh research collaboration including through curricula development, publications, research commercialization, and private sector partnerships. Project Audience(s): Public universities in Kazakhstan (private universities can be additional partners, but not the main partner), and U.S. universities – especially research universities, community colleges, and technical institutions. Beneficiaries can be students, teaching professionals, or university managers. Competitive proposals would consider working with several institutions to foster a network of bilateral institutions, not just one-on-one partnerships. Project Goal: · Build greater financial management and research capacity of at least two Kazakh universities in fields that support diversified economic growth in Kazakhstan, including agriculture, renewable energy, IT and STEM-related sectors through partnership between US- Kazakh higher education institutions. Project Objectives: Objective 1: Increase understanding of five to seven Kazakh university leaders and administrators on diverse university financial management systems or entrepreneurial models. Objective 2: Increase adoption of efficient and transparent university management models, including financial sustainability principles, of at least two Kazakh universities based on best practices in U.S. higher education. Objective 3: Improve understanding of U.S. best practices on research and commercialization models, that support diversified economic growth in Kazakhstan. Objective 4: Increase the production of quality research publications in at least two Kazakh universities that address private sector needs, including in agriculture, renewable energy, IT and STEM-related fields. Note: Competitive project proposals will include plans for preliminary discussions between American and Kazakh universities on potential roadblocks, challenges, and opportunities for collaboration, and local contextual nuances of Kazakh universities in order to design effective and competitive projects.
Categories: Other (see text field entitled "Explanation of Other Category of Funding Activity" for clarification).