Eligible Applicants: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility"

Additional Information on Eligibility: Responses to this RFI are not restricted.

Description:

Request for Information: 72026322R00003

Scholarships and Training Activity

Issuance Date: February 24, 2022

Response Due Date: March 10, 2022

Response Email Address: jamilewis@usaid.gov 

The United States Agency for International Development in Cairo, Egypt (USAID/Egypt) is contemplating a new eight-year activity to provide undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing education opportunities that will build a stronger workforce in sectors critical to Egypt’s economic growth. USAID/Egypt is seeking feedback on the notional lines of effort and questions outlined below. 

This Request for Information (RFI) intends to provide public information to parties interested in USAID/Egypt’s programs and to collect information and recommendations. USAID/Egypt is NOT planning on providing any funding based on the responses received; USAID/Egypt is simply inviting those involved or interested in this concept to provide information no later than March 9, 2022 (17:00 local Cairo time) to the Contracting Officer, Justin Gunnoe (jgunnoe@usaid.gov) and the Contracting Specialists: Jamie Lewis (jamilewis@usaid.gov). 

Please send all responses to this RFI via email by the date indicated above with the subject 72026322R00003. Responses must be limited to five (5) pages and include the organization’s name, address, point of contact, and email address. You will receive a confirmation acknowledging receipt of your response, but will not receive feedback on any comments or suggestions. 

We welcome feedback on the attached notional lines of effort and we appreciate insights on the following questions:

1. What factors should be considered in relation to Egypt- versus U.S.-based education and training to best support the achievement of results?
2. What strategies could be most effective in attracting more qualified young Egyptians to under-populated degree programs essential to the achievement of Egypt Vision 2030?
3. What Government of Egypt ministries and other public and private institutions should be targeted to best support Egypt’s public health and climate change priorities? 
4. What high-quality climate-related fields of study are currently available in Egypt’s higher education institutions?
5. How could private sector engagement enhance this activity?
6. What are the critical gender and inclusion considerations for this activity?
7. What are the risks associated with this type of activity? How can these be mitigated?
8. Would your organization be interested in submitting a proposal or application for this activity? What institutions might you consider as part of a broader partnership?

Thank you for your assistance and valuable feedback to USAID/Egypt.

Attachment: 1 - USAID/Egypt Scholarships and Training Preliminary Activity Overview

Attachment 1

USAID/Egypt Scholarships and Training Preliminary Activity Overview

Activity Goal

This activity will build a stronger workforce in sectors critical to Egypt’s economic growth. It will support inclusive and holistic human capacity development for targeted Government of Egypt (GOE) ministries and other governmental institutions, providing strategic postgraduate education and training opportunities for mid-career professionals. It will simultaneously attract a new generation of Egyptian youth into degree programs uniquely tailored to better meet current and future public and private sector needs through merit- and needs-based undergraduate scholarships. Collectively, these efforts will produce a new cadre of leaders to accelerate Egypt’s long term development and economic growth.

Activity Results

The activity goal will be achieved through the accomplishment of the following three interrelated results. Each result will be guided by U.S. Government and GOE development priorities, with a special emphasis on strengthening sectors that contribute to public health and climate change outcomes.

Result 1 - GOE ministries and other government institutions at the forefront of Egypt’s strategic development have greater leadership and technical capacity to develop and implement policies and practices to advance national priorities. 

Illustrative Activities

• Institutional needs assessments to inform the development of comprehensive and inclusive human capacity development plans.
• Study tours to the U.S. or other countries in the Middle East and North Africa region to build knowledge bases and create networks around key priorities and challenges.
• Scholarships for identified individuals to pursue English language training, master’s degrees, post-doctoral studies, and professional diplomas and certifications.
• Professional leadership and technical short-term training for targeted divisions, teams, or groups, delivered through university programs and visiting scholars.

Result 2 - Emerging leaders in priority sectors modernize their knowledge, skills, and practice to more effectively tackle Egypt’s evolving public and private sector challenges and advance Egypt’s regional and international competitiveness.

Illustrative Activities

• Broad sector assessments that complement Result 1 needs assessments and engage the private sector to identify sub-sector areas of focus and potential sponsoring organizations.
• Competitively awarded scholarships for mid-career emerging leaders to pursue master’s degrees, post-doctoral studies, and short- and long-term training. 
• National and international network strengthening through post-scholarship conferences, professional associations, and speaking engagements.

Result 3 - Young Egyptians of high financial need gain market-relevant knowledge and skills in fields that position them to effectively fuel Egypt’s long-term inclusive economic growth.

Illustrative Activities

• Labor market assessments in priority sectors.
• Nationwide outreach and communications campaigns.
• Competitively awarded undergraduate scholarships to attend public and private higher education institutions in Egypt.
• Comprehensive student support services, including English language strengthening.
• Study abroad opportunities in the United States.
• Education to employment transition programming and support, including entrepreneurship training.