The Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) Science program is once again accepting proposals from developing country researchers interested in collaborating with their U.S. counterparts. The deadline for proposals is December 16, 2013.

PEER Science is a partnership between the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) that is designed to address development challenges through international research collaboration. This competitive grants program will allow scientists in developing countries to apply for funds to support research and capacity-building activities in partnership with their NSF-funded collaborators on topics of importance to USAID. Areas in which both NSF and USAID have strong mutual interests include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Food security topics such as agricultural development, fisheries, and plant genomics
• Climate change impacts such as water sustainability, hydrology, ocean acidification, climate process and modeling, and environmental engineering
• Other development topics including disaster mitigation, biodiversity, water, and renewable energy

Proposals in these topical areas of interest are being accepted from researchers in 85 fully eligible developing countries. Additionally, PEER Science invites proposals from applicants in the following specific countries or working on the following topical areas, for which USAID missions and offices have allocated resources to foster science and development goals:

• Indonesia
• Biodiversity Conservation and Clean Energy in the Philippines
• Water for Asia and the Middle East and North Africa
• Building Biodiversity Research Networks in ASEAN
• Maldives Climate Change Adaptation
• Forestry and Climate Change in India

Regardless of the country or topic, all applicants must have a U.S. collaborator with an active NSF award. Complete eligibility details, proposal submission instructions, and a link to the online application site are available at http://www.nationalacademies.org/peerscience. PEER Science is being implemented by the National Academies on behalf of USAID, and potential applicants with questions are invited to contact the program’s staff at peer@nas.edu.