The second application cycle of the Global Innovation Initiative, a higher education grant competition created to strengthen higher education research partnerships between the U.S., the UK and four other countries: Brazil, China, India, and Indonesia, is now open. This initiative provides exciting grant opportunities for post-secondary educational partnerships on topics of global significance in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in the following four areas: energy, climate change and the environment; urban development; agriculture, food security and water; and global health. 

Accredited U.S. post-secondary educational institutions are invited to apply for one of approximately six grants of up to $200,000 each, and must apply together with at least one higher education partner in the UK, and one in Brazil, China, India, and/or Indonesia. For more information about the initiative and how to apply, please visit www.iie.org/GII. Proposals are due by 5:00pm EST on October 31, 2014. Grant recipients will be announced in Spring 2015.

The initiative is funded by the U.S. Department of State, UK Department of Business, Innovation and Skills and the British Council, which also serves as the implementing partner in the UK. In the United States, the Institute of International Education implements the grant program in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Two parallel, but separate grant competitions are being offered in the U.S. and UK, and an institution from either country is required to take the lead on the partnership. Partnership proposals with a U.S. lead institution may apply through the U.S. competition and those with a UK lead institution may apply through the UK competition. More information about eligibility and the application process can be found on the Global Innovation Initiative’s website. 

Through this joint effort, the U.S. and UK aim to raise the bar for international collaboration while developing a new cadre of globally-savvy individuals, enhancing global research capacity, strengthening institutional cooperation, and promoting the exponential benefits of multilateral partnerships. For more information or to download the proposal documents, please visit www.iie.org/GII or contact Morgan Clark at GII@iie.org.