Description
The U.S. Embassy Riyadh Public Diplomacy Section seeks a U.S. academic institution to serve as the prime recipient of a cooperative agreement that will manage the UNITE program. UNITE will fund 4‑5 university‑industry partnership projects that address Saudi workforce gaps in high‑growth sectors (AI, critical minerals, cybersecurity, emerging technologies, workforce development). Each project receives up to $25,000 seed funding plus a required 1:1 cost‑share from partners, and must deliver a concrete U.S.–linked output such as a curriculum, technical roadmap, or standards brief. The prime recipient will oversee a phased 18‑month effort: mobilization & project selection, onboarding & design, co‑design & deliverable production, transition & sustainability, and final reporting. The award ceiling is $150,000, with an anticipated start date of October 1 2026.
• Eligible applicants: U.S. not‑for‑profit, higher‑education institutions, NGOs, public‑international orgs.
• Funding instrument: Cooperative Agreement (substantial U.S. Embassy involvement).
• Total available funding: $150,000 (award floor $90,000).
• Performance period: 18 months (project end by March 31 2028).
• Required deliverables: curriculum/module, technical roadmap, or standards brief; market‑entry toolkits; final reports.
• Cost‑share: each project team must match the $25k seed award dollar‑for‑dollar.
• Evaluation criteria include idea quality, Saudi partnership strategy, organizational capacity, budget reasonableness, and sustainability plan.