Development Innovation Accelerator Factsheet

This approach is a departure from traditional USAID partnerships, as it begins before the concept stage and maintains constant engagement with the partner throughout the award process. The Accelerator gives the Agency flexibility in crafting the final relationship with the partner, which can take various forms, including contracts, cooperative agreements, grants, public-private partnerships, and memoranda of understanding. The DIA can be used by the Lab, Missions, Bureaus, or any offices within USAID to engage public, private, for-profit, and non-profit organizations, as well as institutions of higher education, public international organizations, non-governmental organizations, U.S. and non-U.S. government organizations, and international donor organizations. The Accelerator was most recently publicized through a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), which is a competitive approach to consider proposals that harness scientific research and innovation to solve critical development challenges. Awards under the Accelerator BAA are based on individual addenda that coincide with the Lab, Bureau, or Mission's strategy or CDCS. Each addendum describes the specific research area of interest, the evaluation criteria, and application details. The Accelerator BAA focuses on the Lab's nine STIP priorities and will be managed by the Lab. Other Bureaus and field missions can benefit from the BAA by identifying and funding their own research priorities, then coordinating the release of BAA amendments through the Lab. The Accelerator BAA was issued on May 14, 2014, with an open end date, and subsequent addenda were issued on June 9th and July 18th. The announcements are available on www.fbo.gov and www.grants.gov. By leveraging non-traditional resources, expertise, and innovations, Accelerator partnerships increase the impact and reach of USAID's interventions. Partnerships with USAID may generate a wealth of valuable business and development results, as the Agency brings unique assets, such as long-term country presence, technical expertise, and funding, to these partnerships. Public, private, for-profit, and non-profit organizations, as well as institutions of higher education, public international organizations, non-governmental organizations, U.S. and non-U.S. government organizations, and international donor organizations are eligible to apply under the Accelerator BAA. Organizations must be properly vetted by USAID before any awards are made, and may be expected to provide a reasonable amount of cost share or matching funding to ensure projects can leverage the expertise, talent, and innovations of partners. The Accelerator consists of an umbrella BAA with individual Critical Development Challenge Addenda (Addenda) underneath, and interested parties respond to individual Addenda by submitting a statement of interest.