U.S.-Mexico Training, Internships, Exchanges, and Scholarships (TIES) Partnership Initiative

TIES Phase II/Cycle 2

Date Issued: March 7, 2006
Closing Date: June 2, 2006

HED anticipates making ten (10) awards of up to $300,000 each, incrementally funded at $100,000 per year over a three-year period, contingent on USAID funding.

1. Background

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded a Leader with Associate Cooperative Agreement in September 2005 to the American Council on Education (ACE), with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), the Association of American Universities (AAU), the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), and the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC). The agreement (AEG-A-00-05-00007-00) is sponsored by USAID’s Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade, Office of Education, and administered by the Higher Education for Development (HED) office, successor to the Association Liaison Office for University Cooperation in Development (ALO).

USAID’s historic partnership and collaboration with the higher education community has repeatedly demonstrated that institutions of higher education are important engines of development, economic growth, good governance, and healthy societies. The community’s contributions in the areas of training, applied research, program evaluation, policy analysis, and program implementation have been critical to USAID’s portfolio. USAID has provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years. For more information on USAID, click here.

2. The Training, Internships, Exchanges, and Scholarships (TIES) Initiative

Meetings between President George W. Bush and President Vicente Fox have focused on an emerging common development agenda between the United States and Mexico. In 2001, Presidents Bush and Fox inaugurated the Partnership for Prosperity, a key bilateral initiative, which focuses on promoting economic growth and higher living standards for the citizens of both nations. In this public-private alliance, both governments act as facilitators to leverage private sector expertise and resources to address shared development goals. The presidents stated that Partnership for Prosperity will, “help unfetter the economic potential of every citizen, so each may contribute fully to narrowing the economic gaps between and within our societies.”

The Training, Internships, Exchanges and Scholarships (TIES) initiative is an important component of the Partnership for Prosperity. USAID/Mexico, along with other sectors of the U.S. Embassy in Mexico, developed the TIES initiative to respond to goals set by Presidents Bush and Fox.

TIES seeks mutual, fully collaborative relationships between Mexican and U.S. higher education institutions and their public and private sector partners on both sides of the border. TIES enhances the capacity of higher education institutions of both nations to examine mutual development problems, work in strategic alliances to develop solutions, and assist Mexico in benefiting more broadly from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Training from these institutions will give Mexican participants the skills and the collaborative links necessary for them to respond more effectively to development challenges and opportunities.

Development of human capital is vital to strengthening Mexico’s competitiveness in the world market. Higher education partnerships are a vital means to strengthen Mexico’s current and future workforce and to respond to the opportunities offered by NAFTA and the global information economy. Capacity building initiatives that address Mexican competitiveness, target underprivileged areas, and fully engage the private sector, as addressed in the next section, are particularly sought.

TIES is part of USAID/Mexico’s 2003-2008 strategy and entails a college and university partnership component, which this RFA addresses, and a scholarship component for individual Mexicans at the community college level. The component titled “TIES Partnerships in Higher Education for International Development” focuses on establishing institutional partnerships between U.S. and Mexican colleges and universities in support of the Partnership for Prosperity and NAFTA opportunities.

Thirty-seven (37) higher education partnerships were awarded under TIES funding in Phase I. This exceeds the initial USAID/Mexico goal of establishing 35 higher education partnerships. Click here for descriptions of TIES partnerships.

Due to the success of the Phase I TIES partnerships, USAID/Mexico supports additional higher education partnerships in Phase II. Eight (8) partnerships were awarded up to $500,000 under Cycle 1 of Phase II in 2005, for a total of forty-five (45) partnerships to date.

3. 2006 Request for Applications (RFA)

HED anticipates making ten (10) awards of up to $300,000 each, incrementally funded at $100,000 per year over a three-year period, contingent on USAID funding.

Fiscal year 2003 was a transition year for USAID/Mexico as it moved into a new strategic plan. The program under the new USAID/Mexico Country Plan (click here) has five areas of focus. HED plans to make TIES awards under these focus areas (Please see the detailed description of the focus areas below):

1. Economic Development and Competitiveness
2. Environment
3. Rural, Small Producers
4. Democracy
5. Health

Applications must demonstrate the following: (1) training responsive to Mexican institutional and development priorities; (2) training to build capacity in eligible focus areas (see above), as identified by the Mexican institution and local stakeholders; (3) a fair and transparent process for selecting appropriate trainees – including Mexican nationals primarily residing in rural, poor areas of Mexico and/or of indigenous descent – with approximately half of the training opportunities and scholarships offered to women; (4) oversight provided by both institutions; (5) the trainees return to work in Mexico within a defined timeframe and to an established setting with follow-on support and monitoring from the partner relationship; and (6) private sector, NGO, and local government engagement in the partnership with significant cost-share contributions.

Possible Activities of TIES Partnerships

Possible components of institutional partnerships supported by the TIES initiative may include, but are not limited to:

• Master’s degree training in the United States for Mexicans;*

• Master’s degree training in Mexico with U.S. faculty or via distance education for Mexicans;*

• Dual degree programs for Mexicans with training in the United States or in Mexico;*

• Specialty training and sabbaticals in the United States for Mexican faculty;*

• Short-term training (workshops, seminars, professional training) in the United States and short-term training in Mexico for Mexicans;

• Internships in the private and public sectors, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), or research institutions in either country for Mexicans;

• Follow-on training in either country for Mexicans;

• Student research and/or student exchanges (with USAID support for Mexican nationals only);

• Joint faculty research and/or faculty exchanges;

• Coordination, technical meetings, observation trips in the United States and Mexico;

• Innovative use of technology and distance education;

• Public and private collaboration (including foundations);

• Collaborative community level outreach and replication projects in Mexico;

• Joint publications, media events; and

• English language training, as needed.

* Indicates program components in which scholarships can be proposed to count towards the total number of scholarships supported (see below).

Scholarship Criteria

Applicant institutions should propose seven (7) or more long-term graduate-level scholarships for Mexicans (leading to a degree, as appropriate) to be embedded within a partnership in addition to other training, internships, and exchanges.

Scholarships are tallied in units of two graduate-level academic semesters completed by single participant; no half scholarships may be counted. (N.B.: An individual who studies three (3) academic semesters is counted as one (1) scholarship; if an individual completes four (4) academic semesters, it is counted as two (2) scholarships, etc.)

Internships that are for academic credit may be counted toward scholarships, and summer sessions that are equivalent to a semester at the institution where they are undertaken may be counted toward scholarships.

Applicants should propose a fair and transparent process for selecting appropriate trainees – including Mexican nationals primarily residing in rural, poor areas of Mexico and/or of indigenous descent – with approximately half of the training opportunities and scholarships offered to women.

Monitoring, Reporting and Evaluation Plan

The application must describe a monitoring, reporting and evaluation plan for the partnership that includes:

• a brief baseline description of the institution’s current capacity to meet the identified development need(s);

• a concise monitoring plan that explains how progress toward partnership activities will be tracked;

• an external evaluation plan to capture expected outcomes and/or impacts;

• scholarship recipients’ level of satisfaction with their training; and

• scholarship recipients’ plans for using their new skills to address identified development issues once they return to their home institutions.
  

The cost of the external evaluation must be included in the budget.

4. Focus Areas for TIES Phase II/Cycle 2

Focus Area 1 Economic Development & Competitiveness (general category)
Focus Area 2 Environment
Focus Area 3 Rural, Small Producers
Focus Area 4 Democracy
Focus Area 5 Health

Following are brief descriptions for each focus area.

Focus Area 1
We expect that up to 3 partnerships will be awarded under the general category of Economic Development and Competitiveness:

In 2001, Presidents Bush and Fox launched the U.S. Mexico Partnership for Prosperity (P4P) to exemplify their bilateral commitment to broad-based economic prosperity. The identified development issue must directly support Mexican competitiveness and the U.S.-Mexico common development agenda as articulated through NAFTA and the Partnership for Prosperity.

USAID places priority on partnership programs that will enable Mexican institutions to contribute to one or more of the following areas:

• Expanding trade and investment between the two countries, including but not limited to partnerships between university, industry, and civil society that support the aims and policy framework of NAFTA.

• The sharing of knowledge and building of expertise within the legal community and future practitioners in intellectual property rights (IPR) and other key investment and commercial regulatory law areas.

• Recognizing the devastating short-term, medium, and long-term impact of hurricanes in the Gulf Coast, as well as Mexico’s Caribbean region, partnerships that would bring to bear cooperation between academic institutions, industry, and government to identify and develop viable long-term sustainable economic growth strategies that incorporate the impact of natural disasters in the region.

• Preparing new teacher trainers for Mexico's public education system. The Secretariat of Public Education (SEP) estimates that only about 15% of all the teacher trainers in Mexico's 156 Escuelas Normales Superiores (which prepare about 70% of Mexico's public school teachers) have a master's degree and less than 1% have a doctorate. In addition, about half are eligible to retire now and SEP expects to see large numbers retire in the next 5-7 years. A major push is required to prepare the next generation of teacher trainers. Successful applications should also include strengthening math, science and English as a second language curriculum.

Focus Area 2
We expect that up to 2 partnerships will be awarded for Environment:

The USAID/Mexico Environment Program focuses on the conservation of critical natural resources and biodiversity, with an emphasis on watershed management. Guiding the Environment Program is the premise that if economic opportunities are increased, particularly in areas where communities rely on natural resources, then forests, wildlife, and other resources can be conserved more effectively. To achieve the Environment Program’s planned results, activities will increase local capacity for community management of natural resources and watersheds. This will include training in basic business skills and planning, as well as the introduction of better practices for forestry, agriculture and other natural resource uses that reduce pollution and other environmental impacts, create jobs and add value to local products.

In addition to working at a local level, the Program also works to strengthen Mexico’s federal capacity to promote watershed management, reduce pollution, and support communities in areas of high biodiversity. The program seeks to create and support alliances that involve the private sector, NGOs, higher education institutions, and government institutions to facilitate the exchange of information and to increase the overall impact of USAID’s programs. Training Mexican students and professionals at all levels is an important goal of the program.

1. Forestry Technology and Management:

Forestry is a vital, but underdeveloped resource in Mexico. USAID seeks to strengthen the forestry sector, particularly at the community level, in one or more of the following states: Oaxaca, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Chihuahua, Durango, and/or Michoacan. The program should introduce improved milling technologies and forest management techniques, while supporting the economic and environmental viability of Mexico’s biodiversity rich forests.

A partnership in this area will:

• Develop or strengthen existing master’s level training programs;

• Introduce and promote modern forestry practices that improve timber production and environmental management;

• Promote forest management related to the sustainable use of non-timber forestry products and tourism, as well as, other environmental services;

• Promote improved approaches to timber extraction, processing, and silvacultural practices for management of natural forests; and

• Develop seed banks and the use of germ plasma to accelerate replanting and improve production.

The program should collaborate with local, state and federal forestry institutions, such as the Secretary of the Environment’s National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR), and particularly CONAFOR’s Community Forestry Development Program (Programa de Desarrollo Forestal Comunitario) or PROCYMAF.

Success will be measured by documented increased benefits to community forest producers through new products, more efficient processing and/or identification of other services with the same or reduced rate of forest impact.

Contact to learn more about USAID’s programs in forestry:
Heather Huppe, Natural Resource Specialist, USAID/Mexico, hehuppe@usaid.gov

2. Water Quality and Sustainable Tourism in the State of Quintana Roo:

The state of Quintana Roo in Mexico has experienced in the past 30 years an impressive development of the tourism sector without taking environmental considerations into account sufficiently. This has been coupled with rapid population growth. Within the state, the eastern coast stretches over approximately 500 km, being an area of rich natural environment, including the Mesoamerican Coral Reef, the second largest reef system in the world. Unbalances and disturbances within coastal and inland ecosystems affect the fragile reef system, one of the world’s most bio-diverse marine areas. The tourism sector has been the main driver for rapid urban developments which have exposed the difficulty facing many cities and towns to keep up with the necessary social infrastructure concerning wastewater and solid waste management.

The northern area includes fast growing towns such as Playa del Carmen (20% annual growth rate) that are rapidly developing under an unsustainable model exemplified by Cancun. The southern area is less populated and development has taken different trends that encourages low impact tourism and reduced (or at least controlled) population densities, but this is now evolving very rapidly to a high density tourism model. Throughout the region sewage flows into underground water systems and additional pollutants leach from solid waste dumps.

Pressure for tourism-based development starting at Cancun and extending south is a real threat for the upcoming years and new planning processes should include environmental education systems for all levels of the Quintana Roo society; state and municipal governments, private sector and civil society representatives. New capacity building programs should include all these factors, improving local capabilities on solid waste management, wastewater treatment, and best practices for sustainable tourism.

In response to the expansion of tourism and rapid population growth in Quintana Roo, USAID seeks to promote collaborative efforts that bring academic, tourism and government sectors together to improve water quality and waste management. The program should focus on the state of Quintana Roo, but also consider a wider regional watershed vision that includes Yucatan and Campeche as part of the Yucatan peninsula watershed system.

A partnership in this area will:

• Provide training programs for students at a master’s level, as well as specialized training for professionals, government technicians and officials related to wastewater treatment, solid waste management and related environmental education;

• Identify and promote best practices related to wastewater treatment, solid waste management, and environmental management systems (pollution prevention, energy efficiency, recycling, green procurement, waste minimization, etc.), for state and municipal agencies, especially water utilities and waste management operators, and the tourism sector. Activities should include applied research, technical assistance and practical training;

• Promote the design and use of hurricane resistant water and sewage treatment plants, including both engineering aspects and identification of low risk sites; and

• Collaborate with and strengthen universities from the state of Quintana Roo.
  

The success of this activity will be determined by the amount of assistance that the program provides to state, municipal, rural communities and hotels; the number of Mexican students and professionals trained; and by the amount of water and solid waste emissions that are reduced.

Contact to learn more about Mexico’s water quality and sustainable tourism issues in Quintana Roo: Jorge Landa, Energy Advisor, USAID/Mexico, jlanda@usaid.gov

3. Reducing the Risk of Catastrophic Forest Fires:

Forest fires in Mexico destroy significant timber and other forest resources, impact watershed management, and destroy biodiversity. The complexity and variability of Mexico’s forests exacerbates the challenge of estimating fire risks and developing fire management plans. Mexico needs decision-making tools for fire management and control that will reduce the risk of catastrophic fires.

A partnership in this area will:

• Develop or improve a master’s level training program in Mexico;

• Include applied research and practical training for both students and professionals;

• Develop decision-making tools for forest and fire management;

• Develop and share basic information with practitioners related to fuels classification, fire modeling, fire risk assessment and the integration of forest management and fire risks;

• Develop and test models that predict and/or reduce fire vulnerability in targeted forest ecosystems or that predict fire behavior to more quickly and safely control fires; and

• Develop, test and promote methods to rapidly and economically restore burned areas.

The success of this program will be measured by increased use of information derived from Mexican examples in technologies and programs to control, manage, and prevent forest fires in Mexico.

Contact to learn more about USAID’s programs in forest fires:
Heather Huppe, Natural Resource Specialist, USAID/Mexico, hehuppe@usaid.gov

Focus Area 3
We expect that one (1) partnership will be awarded for Increasing Opportunities for Rural Small Producers

Mexico has a history of initiatives linking small producers to high potential markets in northern and central Mexico. However, in many poorer states and in the south, small producers lack the national and global market opportunities available to larger producers due to low levels of education and literacy, poor infrastructure, a lack of sustainable financial services and other constraints.

USAID is interested in making small scale producers, particularly from the agricultural sector, more competitive by improving their access to financial and business development services (BDS are the non-financial services needed to improve enterprise opportunities -- e.g. production assistance, product design, product-specific market information and ICT services). Without access to sustainable finance, many small producers and micro and small entrepreneurs (MSE) in rural areas remain stuck in low investment/low return production cycles. Without access to market-driven BDS, they lack the skills, knowledge and information to take advantage of new market opportunities.

1. Linking Small Producers through Increased Access to Financial Services

Both financial institutions (e.g., microfinance institutions, credit unions, banks) and private value chain actors (e.g., buyers, processors, producer groups, or input suppliers), supply finance to small producers. However, due to high transaction costs and high perceived risk for financial institutions, the predominant source of finance for agricultural production is often agribusiness enterprises with direct links to and vested interest in agricultural producers. USAID seeks innovative ways of building on these existing relationships in order to help financial institutions to broaden the array of financial instruments available to small farmers and rural entrepreneurs.

Partnerships should identify, document, and pilot successful and innovative models of integrating small farmers and rural non-agricultural micro and small entrepreneurs (MSEs) into high potential markets by improving their access to sustainable financial services, in one or more of the following states: Oaxaca, Guerrero, Chiapas, Tabasco, Michoacan, and the highland areas of Puebla. The partnerships should focus on the links between financial services and value chain competitiveness with specific attention to ensuring benefits for low-income small producers and rural MSEs.

A partnership in this area will:

• Identify and promote opportunities to link small producers and market integration initiatives with improved financial services;

• Produce case studies for replication elsewhere in Mexico to document successful or innovative approaches that engage the private sector, producer or entrepreneur associations, universities, and NGO partners;

• Pilot new initiatives with the private sector, producer or entrepreneur associations, and NGO partners;

• Use field research and pilot initiatives to build specializations in Mexican universities through a master’s-level program in rural finance or rural development; and

• Provide student internships to work with financial institutions, small producer associations, business service providers, or market development facilitators.

Applications should demonstrate an understanding of value chains and value chain finance, as outlined in the USAID documents, “Value Chain Approach to Poverty Reduction: Equitable Growth in Today’s Global Economy” and “Value Chain Finance - RAFI Note # 2”. Both documents can be downloaded at www.microlinks.org/RAF:

Contact to learn more about USAID’s programs in Development Finance:
Geoffrey Chalmers, Development Finance Advisor, USAID/Mexico, gchalmers@usaid.gov

2. Strengthening Competitiveness of Small Scale Producers

In order to remain competitive in increasingly national and global markets, small scale producers need to diversify, add value to their products and seek opportunities in special niche markets. This requires access to a wide range of information on markets, prices and new production techniques. Universities, in partnership with other actors (private sector, NGOs, and government), can support the agricultural sector by providing or facilitating access to a wide range of sustainable business services, including technical and market information.

A partnership in this area will:

• Strengthen the competitiveness of the trade-led rural economy by linking large numbers of micro and small enterprises (MSEs) and agricultural producers into new markets;

• Provide or facilitate access to technical and market information to support diversification and niche marketing;

• Develop Mexican capacity for technical production services;

• Identify and facilitate production contracts;

• Facilitate access to low cost and scaleable business services to different producer groups;

• Strengthen masters-level programs in agribusiness, agricultural production, and extension; and

• Provide practical training for farmers and producers’ groups.

Contact to learn more about rural development and economic growth issues:
Daniel Evans, Environment and Economic Growth Team Leader, USAID/Mexico, DanEvans@usaid.gov

Focus Area 4
We expect that up to 3 partnerships will be awarded for Democracy:

Governance

1. Improving Quality through Customer Satisfaction. One of the goals of NAFTA and the Partnership for Prosperity, has been to improve the competitiveness of the Mexican economy. Several Mexican universities have founded Quality Centers that focus on quality improvement programs as a way to stimulate economic growth and competitiveness. U.S. academics have found a link between competitiveness of businesses and customer satisfaction. They have also found that public service delivery can be dramatically improved with a focus on customer satisfaction.

A partnership in this area will:

• Develop a methodology for measuring customer satisfaction that will allow benchmarking among agencies, states and with the U.S. and other countries;

• Support government agencies in focusing service delivery and regulatory transactions on citizen input;

• Create academic awareness of the link between customer satisfaction and competitiveness; and

• Improve quantitative and methodology coursework of Mexican master-level programs in the above listed areas.

2. Regulations and Competitive Business Advantage: While the political debate on structural reforms continues in Mexico, municipal and state governments have recognized that over-regulation can choke economic growth. Many governments have begun to work with business owners to see how they can stimulate investment by improving the regulatory climate in their areas. North American, Eastern European and Asian countries are pioneering how they can assure regulatory outcomes like clean water and air while maintaining a competitive business advantage and improving their competitiveness rankings on international indices. Much can be learned from these success stories.

A partnership in this area will:

• Strengthen master-level programs in public administration, public policy or business administration in the specific area of national competitiveness and economic development, particularly the microeconomic foundations of competition and enabling regulatory regimes that improve productivity of firms; and

• Build capacity to analyze and highlight the need for regulatory reform in areas such as contract law, labor law, tax and credit policy, property registration, trade policy, and streamlining regulatory transactions for business operations.

Contact to learn more about Mexico’s governance issues:
José Cruz-Osorio, Governance Advisor, USAID/Mexico, jcruz-osorio@usaid.gov

Rule of Law

Legal Education: Mexico is undergoing a profound change in the criminal justice system. During the past year, Mexico initiated the transition from a written, inquisitorial system, in which judges decide cases based on reading documentary evidence, to an adversarial system centered on oral arguments by prosecutors and defense attorneys. The Federal Congress, several state governments (e.g., Chihuahua, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Jalisco, Zacatecas, and Tamaulipas), and the Assembly of the Federal District of Mexico are currently developing, drafting and debating criminal justice reform proposals. The State of Nuevo Leon has already passed an initial phase of reforms to the state code of criminal procedure which incorporates oral adversarial proceedings. More states are expected to pass criminal justice reforms in 2006 continuing and building the momentum of this trend. As a result of these reforms, law schools throughout Mexico are interested in developing new legal education programs that will prepare the next generation of lawyers to practice law in the new oral, adversarial justice systems of the country.

USAID is seeking up to two (2) new partnerships to address legal education. Each will introduce specialized training programs that incorporate the art of drafting codes of criminal procedures and strengthening oral trial advocacy skills in the designated jurisdictions in Mexico. In the case of Oaxaca the partnership will specifically focus on encouraging indigenous law graduates to provide legal services in their communities of origin to help overcome cultural and linguistic barriers to accessing the justice system.

1. Partnership covering the States of Chihuahua, Oaxaca, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas and/or Zacatecas will:

• Support the development of special legal education courses on comparative law, evidence based prosecution, interview and counseling, mediation, arbitration and forensic science;

• Support the development and implementation of legal aide clinical programs, as well as specialized clinics for students in legal education programs to practice prosecutorial and defense skills; and

• Establish annual Moot Court competitions inviting law students from all universities to participate.

• Work in as many of these 5 states as possible.

2. Partnership promoting access to justice and representation in indigenous communities in Oaxaca

Oaxaca is the most ethnically and linguistically diverse state in Mexico. There is a strong need both to prepare indigenous law students in Oaxaca and provide a support network so that they can return to their communities and provide professional legal assistance. Access to justice for the indigenous population in Oaxaca is necessary to reduce the numbers of human rights violations in the state.

The partnership promoting legal education and indigenous representation in Oaxaca will:

• Introduce specialized training programs that incorporate oral advocacy skills to strengthen legal education programs in Oaxaca, Mexico;

• Support the development of special legal education courses on evidence based prosecution, interview and counseling, mediation, arbitration, forensic science, and restorative justice;

• Support the development and implementation of legal aide clinical programs; and

• Provide grants placing law students to represent clients from their communities and under legal supervision during their last year of study, as well as specialized clinics for students in legal education programs to practice prosecutorial and defense skills in their respective communities.

3. Mental Health Services to Crime Victims

Situated just across the U.S.-Mexico border from El Paso, Texas, Ciudad Juárez is the subject of intense focus. Over 370 young women have been killed here and in Ciudad Chihuahua since 1993. Investigations into these crimes at times have been incomplete, with weak or absent evidence, and instances where the disposition of remains is unknown or questioned. The need for mental health support for victim’s families is acute.

A partnership in this area will:

• Strengthen master's level program(s) in the State of Chihuahua in the areas of psychology, sociology, and social work to strengthen mental health services available to survivors of trauma, including domestic violence, sexual assault crimes and torture in Ciudad Juarez, Ciudad Chihuahua and the Sierra Tarahumara;

• Provide immediate services to families of the missing women in Ciudad Juárez and Ciudad Chihuahua. Establish plans for longer term collaboration and capacity building to strengthen and increase access to mental health services for individuals who are survivors of trauma (including, but not limited to, low-income individuals and victims of crime) and their families;

• Contemplate a consortium of organizations which would include the U.S. and Mexican university partners, as well as local NGOs representing, and providing services to, victims (of crime and other trauma) and their families;

• Include a research component that addresses the roots of violence toward women victims and develop treatment strategies to determine which interventions are most effective in combating violence against women, especially domestic violence and sexual assault;

• Train lawyers, state officials, and others (such as educators, staff of NGOs and local organizations) working with victims’ families, other trauma survivors, and victims of violence in the mental health consequences of these kinds of cases and in interview techniques that are sensitive to their experiences; and

• Develop an integral “one-stop shop” for women victims of violence similar to the Family Justice Center in San Diego, California.

4. Forensic Science & DNA Analysis. The governments of the States of Chihuahua and Oaxaca have expressed their commitment to addressing violent crime. Most of these crimes have not been fully investigated, nor have the latest DNA technology and forensic science techniques been used to identify the victims. The State of Chihuahua recently announced plans to improve training for personnel responsible for the collection and handling of evidence, and to improve the forensic analysis capacity of the state-run DNA laboratory. The State of Oaxaca currently has no capacity for forensic investigation and analysis.

A partnership under this program area will:

• Develop or strengthen a master's level program in Forensic Science and DNA Analysis at universities in the States of Chihuahua and Oaxaca.

• Provide technical assistance and on-the-job training to increase the forensic science and DNA analysis capacity, as well as the facility management capacity of the DNA laboratories of the State of Chihuahua and other Mexican states.

• Support a Mexican institution, university, or consortium to develop a long-term program to address training and policy issues related to forensic science and DNA analysis at a national level in Mexico.

• Provide training to Mexican justice sector officials (prosecutors, judges and defense attorneys), as well as to human rights defender NGOs in the proper application and uses of DNA analyses and forensic science as evidence in criminal investigations and criminal trials.

Contact to learn more about Mexico’s Rule of Law issues:
Rafaela Herrera, Rule of Law Advisor, USAID/Mexico, rherrera@usaid.gov

Focus Area 5
We expect that up to two (2) partnerships will be awarded for Health:

USAID works with Mexico on the prevention and control of two important public health challenges for both the United States and Mexico: Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. There is also an interest in supporting collaboration on health issues such as infectious disease surveillance and preparedness to address such potential threats as avian influenza or other human flu pandemic, prevention of accidents and injury, reducing obesity and diabetes, and improving opportunities for people with disabilities. The TIES university partnerships fulfill a key role in the health program by promoting bi-national collaboration on mutual health concerns and issues, developing and improving professional skills and capabilities, forging links between academia and health systems, and facilitating the application of academic knowledge and research to community needs, with the potential for improved information, policies, and services.

1. Early Infectious Disease Surveillance and Warning Capabilities. Support a university partnership to address and enhance early Infectious Disease Surveillance and Warning capabilities, with attention to the potential global threat posed by Avian Influenza or other human flu pandemic, as an intrinsic element of overall public health emergency preparedness efforts. The partnership would focus on strengthening public health infrastructure and capabilities, ranging from readiness assessment, surveillance, epidemiology, and laboratory capacity to information technology, risk communication, policy formulation, and education and training.

2. Obesity and Diabetes Awareness and Prevention. Support a university partnership to develop graduate level training and professional certification around obesity and diabetes awareness and prevention, with preference to projects that contemplate attention to contributing life style factors. The program design should include a research component and other activities aimed at motivating and assisting communities to adopt preventive solutions to these problems, including improved awareness, detection, control and referral.

3. Accidents and Injury Prevention. The Border Health Commission identified injury prevention – specifically, reducing mortality from motor vehicle crashes as well as childhood mortality from injuries – as one of the most pressing health issues of the U.S.-Mexico border region. For 2003 in Mexico, mortality due to traffic accidents was the 4th leading cause of death in the population 15-64 years old. For school age children, traffic accidents were the number one cause of death, while accidental drowning was #3 and accidental falls and poisoning were also significant causes of mortality in this age group. Prior research has shown high rates of alcohol involvement in fatal crashes, low rates of seatbelt use, and low awareness of safety in general.

Support a university partnership in a Mexican border state to develop a program in accident and injury prevention in the U.S.-Mexican border region that will address 1) household, 2) automotive/pedestrian, and 3) occupational safety, with special emphasis on the promotion of a “culture of prevention and safety” at the community and family level.

4. Services for Persons with Disabilities. Support a university partnership to address the unique needs of persons with disabilities by training health and para-health professionals/care providers in family-centered care and specialized services including but not limited to: physical and rehabilitative therapy, special education techniques, vocational training and job coaching. Preference will be given to partnerships which contemplate community and workforce integration for people with disabilities, and which involve local partners in designing and sponsoring programs for vocational training, internships, and job placement.

Contact to learn more about USAID’s programs in Health:
Nancy Alvey, Health Team Leader, USAID/Mexico, nalvey@usaid.gov

5. Application Format, Submission and Review

Application Format
How to Submit and Application
Peer Review
Application Review Guidelines

Application Format

Use the Application Checklist to ensure you have included all necessary elements.

Please provide the contents of the application in the following order:

1. Title Page (Please complete HED form in full and obtain signatures of authorized officials.)

2. Table of Contents

3. Abstract (not to exceed 3 typed, double-spaced pages, 12-point font, 1-inch margins)

4. Narrative (not to exceed 20 typed, double-spaced pages, 12-point font, 1-inch margins) Address the criteria listed in Application Review Guidelines I-VI (see below).

5. Appendices (Attachments beyond the stated appendices will not be read nor taken into consideration):

• Annual workplan for the funding period (use HED form).

• Summary and annual budgets (4 forms only, use HED form).

• Budget detail (use HED form).

• Proposed scholarships chart (use HED form).

• Other partnership activities chart, including training, internships, and exchanges (use HED form).

• Résumés of each of the proposed U.S. and Mexican institution director(s) and other expert personnel, not to exceed 2 one-sided pages per person.

• Signed letters of support from the presidents, chancellors, or other chief executive officers of the cooperating institutions in the United States and Mexico, in addition to a signed letter from the proposed U.S. partnership director, and letters of support from other participating organizations.

• Signed letter from appropriate official at applicant institution verifying that all costs cited conform to established institutional policies and practices.

How to Submit an Application

Applications must be received at HED by 5:00PM, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), June 2, 2006. Faxed or electronically transmitted applications will not be accepted. All elements of the application must be received by the deadline. Faxed copies of the application title page and letters that include all necessary signatures may be used as a placeholder in the application, provided signed originals are received at HED within seven (7) calendar days of the deadline.

NOTE: HED has a new mailing address. Applications should be sent to:

2006 Request for Applications: TIES Phase II/2

Higher Education for Development
1331 H Street NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20005

Applicants should submit the original application plus seven (7) hard copies of the complete application package containing title page, abstract, table of contents, narrative, and appendices (all on loose-leaf paper, clipped together — no three-ring binders, staples, or plastic bindings), and a diskette or CD (with files saved as Microsoft Word/Excel for PC) containing the entire application, including all budget forms, budget narrative, and other appendices.

Once an application has been received, there is to be no contact with the HED program office until the completion of the peer review process in order to ensure fairness to all parties concerned.

Peer Review

Applications will be reviewed by panels comprised of higher education and international development experts and a representative of USAID. Awards will be made on the basis of reviewers’ recommendations of merit, and USAID concurrence. Peer review of applications is slated for June 2006.

Letters of communication from members of the U.S. Congress in support of an application are discouraged as these may be thought to prejudice the peer-review process. Such letters will not be forwarded to peer reviewers.

Notification about awards is expected following the completion of peer review. Upon final announcement of awards, the person named in the application as partnership director may submit a written request for copies of the peer reviewers’ scores for the application. No personal reviews will be granted, and no comparative score tabulations will be shared.

Application Review Guidelines

Peer reviewers will use the following criteria to evaluate the applications:

I. Strategic Objective and Focus (15 points)

Soundness of case made for addressing an identified strategic objective and development focus, outlined in the RFA, which contributes to increased and more equitable long-term growth and competitiveness of Mexico.

II. Partnership Design and Potential Results (25 points)

Coherence, appropriateness, and feasibility of the partnership; appropriateness of activities implemented with new and proven approaches and techniques; probability that programs will enhance curriculum, research and service to the private and public sectors as well as Mexican communities; well-conceived implementation plan and timetable; and overall likelihood of achieving significant development results.

III. Scholarships and Training (25 points)

Quality of master’s degree training and/or other training/research to enable Mexicans to take advantage of opportunities created under NAFTA and the Partnership for Prosperity, and fit of master’s degree program within an institutional framework; extent to which partner institutions provide oversight of training and plan for trainees to return to Mexico within a defined timeframe and to an established setting with follow-on support and monitoring from the partner relationship; number (7 or more) of graduate level scholarships for two academic semesters of training (leading to a degree, as appropriate); demonstrated relevance of the training to assist partner institutions directly address the development issue they have identified; a fair and transparent process to select scholarship and training recipients – including Mexican nationals primarily residing in rural, poor areas of Mexico and/or of indigenous descent – with approximately half of the training opportunities and scholarships offered to women.

IV. Partnerships, Mutuality, and Sustainability (20 points)

Strength of institutional commitment (engagement of faculty, students and administrators) within alliances between the U.S. and Mexican institutions; strength of multiple partners to assure enduring relationships and continued impact of joint U.S.-Mexican efforts (private sector firms and foundations, NGOs and community-based organizations other higher education institutions, and the public sector); extent to which partnership activities provide participating Mexican higher education institutions and other partners with a legacy that can be used to continue to address the development focus as part of curriculum and development programs; quality of plans for U.S.- Mexican higher education partnership to continue to be active in developing or assisting these legacy programs in Mexican partner institutions.

V. Cost Sharing and Cost Effectiveness of Overall Budget (15 points)

Quality and quantity of the U.S. institutional cost sharing for scholarships, waivers of tuition and other academic costs, and other contributions from the additional U.S. partners (private sector firms, foundations, NGOs, and other higher education institutions); quality and quantity of the Mexican institutional cost sharing for proposed activities, including scholarships and other programs, and other contributions from the Mexican partners (private sector firms, foundations, NGOs and other higher education institutions) to meet requirement for significant contributions from partner organizations; demonstrated cost-effectiveness and accuracy of budget with a clear, detailed explanation provided in the budget narrative.

VI. Monitoring, Reporting and Evaluation Plan (10 points)

Concise and thorough baseline description of the institution's current capacity to meet identified development needs; a clear monitoring plan that describes activity progress; quality of plan for external evaluation to capture outcomes/impact; evidence of a mechanism to measure recipient satisfaction; evidence of a report procedure for recipients to describe how they will use new skills when they return to their home institution.

Total Points: 110 points

6. Terms of the Solicitation

Eligibility Requirements
Cost Share Requirements
Execution of Awards
Annual HED Conference
TraiNet Requirements
Health and Accident Insurance
Reporting

Eligibility Requirements

HED welcomes applications from the member institutions of ACE, AACC, AASCU, AAU, NAICU, and NASULGC, and from other regionally accredited, degree-granting, U.S. higher education institutions. Institutions with current or completed TIES awards are eligible to submit applications that propose distinct new activities that offer innovative approaches to focus areas described in the RFA. New applications cannot simply be extensions of previous awards.

HED encourages applications from or with the participation of minority-serving institutions.

USAID/Mexico encourages:

• alliances with diverse partners, including government, NGOs, and the private sector;

• partnerships with Mexican autonomous higher education institutions; and

• applications from institutions that seek to foster partnerships with Mexican institutions that have not received a previous TIES award. Click here for a listing of the current partners.

Cost Share Requirement

The minimum expected total cost share from all U.S. partners is 25 percent of the requested award amount. Reported cost share must be auditable. Non-auditable contributions may not be used to meet the minimum, but can be indicated separately, attached to the budget detail form. Approximately $14 million in USAID/Mexico funds for TIES partnerships has leveraged over $17 million in cost share contributions. USAID/Mexico encourages similar commitments from TIES Phase II Cycle 2 partnerships.

Both the quality and the quantity of cost sharing and other contributions proposed in the application will be taken into account by the peer reviewers. Partnerships among higher education institutions with private sector partners including non-traditional partnerships are encouraged. Applicants should itemize all cost sharing, including waivers of tuition and other academic costs, faculty release time, stipends, professional development funds, internship value, travel, supplies, equipment, other direct costs, indirect costs, etc.

Cash and in-kind contributions will be accepted as part of the applicant’s cost sharing when such contributions are: (a) verifiable from the applicant’s records; (b) not included as contributions for any other federally-assisted program; (c) reasonable for the accomplishment of partnership objectives; and (d) not paid by the federal government under another grant.

Execution of Awards

The awards will be executed as subagreements between the designated U.S. university, college, community college, or consortium, and the American Council on Education (ACE), through the Higher Education for Development (HED) program office, under USAID Cooperative Agreement AEG-A-00-05-00007-00. Institutions recommended for awards will receive a draft version of the subagreements to review.

Awardees will be expected to submit a marking plan as part of the subagreement.

No HED award or any cost share funds may be expended prior to a fully executed (i.e., signed by both parties) subagreement between ACE/HED and the designated U.S. institution. Partnership activities are expected to commence immediately after the subagreement is executed. Partnership activities must be completed no later than August 2009.

Award funds for the partnership will be disbursed to the designated U.S. university, college, community college, or consortium, based on the applicant’s implementation of the work plan, stated budget, and submission to ACE/HED of financial, tax, and narrative progress reports. It is the designated U.S. institution’s responsibility to provide disbursements (reimbursements) for its collaborating partner(s) in accordance with the agreed-upon activity schedule and budget.

Annual HED Conference

Applicants must budget funds (travel and per diem) to cover the required participation of at least one representative each from the U.S. institution and the cooperating institution(s) in HED’s Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. or a TIES conference in Mexico during each year of the funded collaboration. (Additional partnership personnel may attend if they are funded by other sources.)

TraiNet Requirements

To comply with the Department of Homeland Security, U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and Department of State regulations regarding tracking and monitoring of Exchange Visitors, foreign nationals whose costs are paid, fully or partially, directly or indirectly using USAID program funds for training, non-training, and invitational travel, must enter the U.S. on a J-1 visa (non-immigrant Exchange Visitor visa) processed under one of USAID’s two program numbers, unless otherwise waived according to the procedure in ADS 252.3. J-2 visa applications for family members are not supported per USAID/Mexico policy. USAID/Mexico expects that all DS-2019 documents (paperwork needed for J visas) and in-country or third country training be processed through the USAID Training, Results and Information Network (TraiNet) system. Institutions may not directly access the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) to issue DS-2019 documents internally. Information regarding USAID’s J-1 visa requirements may be found on-line at the Participant Training website. Administrators must adhere to the regulations detailed under TraiNet, Visa Compliance System (VCS), the Student Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), and USAID’s Automated Directives System (ADS) 252-Visa Compliance for Exchange Visitors, and 253-Training for Development. U.S. institutions should allow at least 6-8 weeks for the processing of visas when planning activities in the United States for Mexicans.

USAID Health and Accident Coverage (HAC) Insurance Program

The U.S. institution is responsible for enrolling each participant traveling to the United States or a third country in the official USAID Health and Accident Coverage (HAC) insurance program. The cost of HAC for the Mexican participants must be included in the budget.

Reporting

Partners must submit to HED:

• Quarterly progress reports via e-mail;

• Financial expenditures and cost sharing reports at least quarterly; and

• A final report to HED within 30 days of the closing date of the subagreement.

© 2005-2010
Higher Education for Development (HED)

Send questions to HED.