Request for Applications: Nepal

 Introduction

Nepal faces unique challenges related to the environment as its population continues to grow. Eighty-five percent of Nepalis depend on agriculture and forest products for their livelihood. An increasing number of families are struggling to feed themselves on smaller and less desirable plots of land. The country depends mostly on wood to meet its energy needs, and yet possesses an estimated potential 83,000 megawatts of hydropower resources, less than one percent of which has been developed. Addressing these challenges will require a cadre of trained professionals dedicated to environmental protection and the sustainability of Nepal’s natural resources.

USAID has supported over 1,300 community forestry groups (an estimated 500,000 people) in a program to preserve biodiversity, reduce global warming and improve the management of over 100,000 hectares of forest. USAID/Nepal is also assisting the government of Nepal to administer environmentally sound hydropower development with transparent systems attracting international private sector business interests.

Nepal’s conservation movement received a tragic setback with when many of its key leaders lost their lives on September 23, 2006, in a helicopter crash in eastern Nepal. Among the victims were USAID, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and Nepal government officials who were key academic and professional leaders in the field of forestry and natural resources conservation.

As a tribute, USAID/Nepal plans to support a “Center of Excellence” at Tribhuvan University’s Institute of Forestry (IOF) in Pokhara to ensure quality education and training for future generations of champions of natural resources conservation. A Center of Excellence at IOF is expected to attract the attention and participation of academics, professionals, select private sector representatives, NGO and foundation personnel, government representatives, and local leaders throughout the region. It is envisioned that the Center will attract world-class international faculty to collaborate on teaching and applied research, and will be able to generate income through such activities as hosting international workshops, seminars, and conferences.

The WWF, through its endowment fund, intends to provide full scholarships for 4-5 undergraduate students (“Mingma Sherpa Scholars”) to attend the IOF. The students will be chosen by the WWF from disadvantaged communities from throughout Nepal.

Partnership Description

USAID/Nepal’s goal is to strengthen the capacity of IOF to prepare the next generation of researchers, faculty and professionals. The HED partnership will link a U.S. higher education institution with Tribhuvan University and, potentially, private sector partners, to establish the Center and increase the capacity of IOF to advance the academic disciplines of forestry and natural resource conservation.

The U.S. and Nepal partners will work together to define the mission and focus area(s) of the Center (e.g., participatory conservation; conservation and poverty alleviation; natural resources management). It is especially critical that women and those from underserved communities have access to the Center and its training opportunities. The Center’s students should be well prepared to engage in their chosen professions upon graduation.

The proposed partnership should meet the following objectives:

• Establish a regional “Center of Excellence” (to be named after those who lost their lives in the helicopter crash) at IOF dedicated to sustainable energy and natural resources conservation;
• Strengthen the professional skills and knowledge of the IOF faculty through faculty exchanges and mentoring activities, resulting in the development of new courses, course modules, and/or degree programs which balance natural resources conservation (especially of water and forests) and national energy needs;
• Train and enable IOF faculty to provide mentoring to IOF undergraduates, especially the scholarship students identified and supported by WWF, through a structured program developed by the partnership;
• Develop a special program aimed at mentoring women in order to help them better integrate into IOF; and
• Develop a plan for the Center’s sustainability as a result of partnership activities.

The partners are expected to organize an Annual Planning and Progress Review Workshop to be held in Nepal.

Since HED partnership funding is not intended for infrastructure development, in-kind donations of library materials, computers, software, textbooks, journals, and other resources from the U.S. partner are encouraged. Applicants are also encouraged to seek support from the private sector and other sources.

The application must describe a monitoring and reporting plan for the partnership that includes an initial baseline assessment and shows how progress towards objectives will be measured. The plan must also include an end-of-partnership impact assessment plan.

The primary contact at IOF is:

Ishwar Chadra Dutta
Tel: 061-431179
E-mail: icdutta@yahoo.com
Correspondence with Dr. Dutta should be copied to the Dean’s office: ofdean@fewanet.com.np

The following USAID/Nepal staff member may be contacted for further information on this collaborative partnership:

Sribindu Bajracharya
E-mail: sbajracharya@usaid.gov

Eligibility

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. U.S. colleges and universities may apply individually, or in partnership with other institutions. HED encourages applications from or with the participation of minority-serving institutions.

Application Review Criteria

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

I. Alignment with the Goals of the RFA and Overall Design
(10 points)

• Appropriateness of partnership design, activities, and outputs to meet the goals and objectives specified in the RFA; and
• Feasibility of the implementation plans and timetable.

II. Institutional Capacity Building (20 points)

• Quality of design for establishing a Center of Excellence at the Institute of Forestry;
• Quality of plans to design and implement new courses and modules at IOF;
• Likelihood that the proposed Center will attract world-class faculty to the Center to collaborate on teaching and applied research; and
• Clarity of plans to sustain the Center through workshops, seminars, conferences, and other activities.

III. Human Capacity Development (20 points)

• Quality of plans to strengthen faculty knowledge and skills, including training to provide mentoring to targeted students; and
• Provision of activities to help women better integrate into IOF.

IV. Strength of Key Personnel, Institutional Commitment and Collaboration
(20 points)

• Quality of key personnel, including relevant expertise and commitment to partnership activities;
• Extent of institutional commitment (engagement of faculty, students, and/or administrators) among all partners, in the United States and overseas;
• Degree of collaboration in implementing activities; and
• Fit with existing strengths and mutual interests of the partnering institutions.

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

• Cost sharing and leveraging of cash or in-kind contribution from U.S. partners, and other contributions from additional partners; and
• Demonstrated cost-effectiveness and balanced budget with equitable distribution of funds to both U.S. and Nepal partners.

VI. Monitoring and Reporting Plan (20 points)

• Appropriateness and strength of the plans for monitoring and reporting;
• Effectiveness of the methodology for collecting baseline data and tracking partnership activities and results;
• Clearly articulated plan for an external evaluation to track the partnership’s achievement of objectives and impact; and
• End-of-partnership plan for assessing long-term impact of activities.

Total Points: 100 points 

Terms of the Solicitation  

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

Cost Share

The minimum suggested total cost share from all U.S. partners is 15 percent of the requested award amount. Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate their ability to leverage additional resources from other sources. Reported cost share must be auditable. Non-auditable contributions may not be used to meet the minimum, but can be indicated separately and attached to the budget detail form.

Partnerships among higher education institutions with private sector partners 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.

In-kind contributions may include, but are not limited to: waivers of tuition and fees for students participating in academic exchanges; donation of library and classroom materials to the partner; ICT infrastructure and Internet Service Provider subscription subsidy for the partner and exchange students; faculty salaries; travel and/or per diem for faculty and administrators to participate in professional exchange and development programs; and, indirect costs. Contributions not meeting the terms of “cost share” should be indicated in a separate statement of contributions.

Execution of Awards

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) office, under USAID Cooperative Agreement AEG-A-00-05-00007-00. The institution recommended for award will receive a draft version of the subagreements to review. The Awardee will be expected to submit a marking plan as part of the subagreement that clearly indicates the support provided by USAID for activities conducted under the award.

Please note that no award or cost share funds may be expended prior to a fully executed (i.e., signed by both parties) subagreement between ACE and the designated U.S. institution unless preaward expenses have been approved as a part of the negotiation of the subaward. Activities are expected to commence immediately after the subagreement is executed.

Award funds 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 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 for attendance at one HED annual conference during the award period. Conferences are 2.5 days in length and held in Washington, DC. Partnerships are expected to send one representative from the U.S. institution(s) and one representative from the overseas institution(s). Additional project personnel may attend, subject to approval by HED, if they are funded by other sources.

TraiNet Requirements

To comply with the Department of Homeland Security, U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of State, and USAID 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 policy. USAID 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 4-6 weeks for the processing of visas when planning activities in the United States.

TraiNet management requires a significant commitment of staff time and applicants are encouraged to take this into consideration when developing the program budget.

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. Participants entering the United States on J-1 visas are required to obtain HAC from the official USAID vendor. Institutions may not use award funds to cover their own institutional HAC insurance. Click here for information on the USAID HAC insurance program.  The cost of HAC for participants must be included in the budget.

Reporting

Awardees will be required to submit to HED: