Annual Performance Evaluation of the Higher Education Solutions Network (HESN) 2.0 Programs

(AFPI) under Award number 7200AA20CA0001. The AAAS Fellowship Program, Inc. (AFPI), in partnership with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), has been contributing scientific and technical expertise to the U.S. government since 1973. The Science and Technology Policy Fellowships (STPF) program at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) was first launched in September 1982, with over 600 fellows placed at USAID since inception. This project will supply USAID with fellows through the DISC program over the time period of the award. During the reporting period, AAAS STPF placed 20 first-year fellows in offices within USAID. These new fellows will join 20 renewal fellows and form the initial cohort of fellows placed at USAID via the DISC cooperative agreement and the contract with All Native Managed Services (ANMS). First-year placements were determined in May, and placements for the 2021-22 program year commenced on September 1, 2021. The STPF conducted its annual placement process during this reporting period. Finalist Interview Week was held virtually from Monday, April 12 through Friday April 16. Throughout the event, STPF staff assisted both finalists (over 165) and offices (over 30 USAID offices) through the process, with over 200 interviews pre-booked by USAID offices alone. After collecting rankings from finalists and offices, the offer period commenced on April 28 and continued through mid-May with 22 offers for USAID placements accepted. AFPI and STPF worked to onboard fellows to begin their employment with AFPI as of September 1st. This included verifying employment eligibility, hosting information sessions, and assisting the fellows with setting up their benefits. First-year fellows also attended STPF orientation in early September as well as an agency-specific orientation session. As part of orientation, all incoming fellows submitted a beginning of year report and then completed a post-orientation report. The STPF has placed a special emphasis on providing more resources for mentors and mentees so that the fellowship year is a mutually beneficial experience. To this end, STPF hosted a Mentor Welcome and Overview Webinar on September 29. This webinar helped participants learn more about the fellowships, STPF expectations for mentors, and best practices for welcoming and hosting fellows. Throughout this reporting period, AFPI has been responsive to requests related to its attainment of a Facility Security Clearance through the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA). However, there have been significant delays in processing and AFPI has not yet received the FCL. AFPI is currently working with its assigned investigators and has completed all required steps to their satisfaction. With the deadline for applications for the 2022-23 program year on November 1, STPF staff have been active in recruitment activities during this reporting period. This has included virtual outreach to universities and colleges and scientific and engineering conferences as well as a robust social media presence, targeted email outreach, and monthly Live Chat Series. STPF staff and AFPI staff work in close collaboration to implement the DISC program. This involves ensuring staff are informed of current policies and any changes to policies (both AFPI and STPF), coordinating the development and submission of required reports, and troubleshooting any questions or concerns raised by program participants. STPF outreach and recruitment partners include institutions of higher education, other nonprofit organizations, the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA), scientific societies, and more. For purposes of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) tracking, DISC's Year 1 (Y1) ran June 2020 - September 2021, and fellows were hosted only during the last month of the implementation period. Year 1 was a start-up period to allow AFPI to receive a Facility Clearance and to recruit fellows into the cohort. To ensure meaningful data, most MEL targets are set based on AFPI hosting a fellowship cohort. Year 2 will include reporting on actuals during October 2021 - September 2022 for fellows participating in the 2021-2022 program year (September 1, 2021 to August 31, 2022).