Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER)

government-funded researchers and address global development challenges. The program is supported by the U.S. Global Development Lab at USAID and implemented by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. PEER directly supports scientists in USAID-presence countries through institutional research awards ranging up to $300,000. U.S. scientific agencies such as NASA, NIFA, NIH, NSF, NOAA, Smithsonian Institution, USFS, USDA's Agriculture Research Service, and USGS, as well as universities and research institutes around the world, have partnered with scientists in developing countries through PEER awards. Since its launch in 2011, PEER has supported more than 250 projects in 45 countries with an investment of over $47 million. The goal of PEER is to help build capacity among local scientists and research institutions, strengthen research partnerships worldwide, and better translate data and evidence into policy. PEER focuses on various areas of research, including agriculture, biodiversity, climate change, disaster mitigation, education, energy, food security, infectious diseases, nutrition, maternal and child health, and water. Researchers have conducted projects in countries such as Mali, Tanzania, and Indonesia, addressing pressing issues such as malaria, cassava disease, and disaster mitigation. For example, in Mali, Dr. Alassane Dicko partnered with NIH to gather data on the optimal approach to implementing Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) on a large scale, while in Tanzania, Dr. Joseph Ndunguru researched how Cassava Mosaic Geminiviruses affect the cassava plant. PEER has also demonstrated its impact in building capacity among local scientists and research institutions. Approximately 30 percent of the lead scientists working on PEER grants are female, and more than 3,000 students are working on PEER research teams, 44 percent of whom are female. PEER researchers have contributed to over 700 publications and journal articles, and nearly 70 percent of PEER grantees secure further funding to continue their research. The program's success has led to the development of a platform for partnerships, which aims to facilitate the translation of research findings into policy and practice.