Since the last Lewis-Burke quarterly international newsletter in March of 2022, much has changed in Washington, D.C. with implications to U.S. higher education and the research and development enterprise. First, the Biden Administration released its budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2023, which would increase funding for almost all federal programs of interest to the research, education, and academic medicine communities relative to FY 2022 appropriations levels. Congress has been reviewing the budget request and the House is prepared to release its draft FY 2023 Appropriations bills in June. Second, with midterm elections approaching this fall, elected officials across the U.S. are moving towards campaign mode. The White House has been especially focused on highlighting their accomplishments, both domestically and internationally, including through the release of new strategies and action plans on globally significant topics such as water and food security. Third, governments and universities are responding to the war in Ukraine in ways that may impact Russian and Ukrainian students and scholars for years to come. Many institutions have ended collaborations with Russian institutions and partners due to objections to the invasion or due to domestic policies that have prohibited funding of scientific research that could aid President Putin’s regime. At the same time, many universities worldwide are preparing to welcome Ukrainian students and scholars whose education has been disrupted due to the ongoing conflict.
This newsletter provides an overview of the latest policy developments in Washington, D.C.; updates on federal agency news including new funding opportunities and announcements; and a brief overview of science policy news around the globe that may impact U.S. international research and education activities.
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A VIEW FROM WASHINGTON
This section provides an update on international policy developments in the federal government, the White House, and Congress. In addition, this edition also includes an update on international activities relevant to research and higher education.
Fiscal Year 2023 President’s Budget Request Includes Slight Increase to USAID and DOS
In late March, President Biden released the full fiscal year (FY) 2023 budget proposal to Congress. The budget request would provide $60.4 billion for the Department of State (DOS) and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a proposed 1.1 percent increase relative to the FY 2022 enacted level excluding emergency supplemental funding to address the COVID-19 pandemic or to support the people of Ukraine. The President’s budget request for FY 2023 promotes the Administration’s intent to engage internationally to address the COVID-19 pandemic, combat climate change, and counter global threats to democracy and the increasing ambitions of competitors including China and Russia. Details about the budget request of most interest to the academic community are included in the Lewis-Burke Analysis available here.
Over the past month, the appropriations committees in both chambers of Congress held hearings on the proposed DOS and USAID FY 2023 budgets. Committee members questioned both Secretary of State Antony Blinken and USAID Administrator Samantha Power on wide range of issues related to development and foreign policy including health, education, food security, nutrition, economic opportunity. This included significant questions about the U.S. response to the conflict in Ukraine as well as the global response to COVID-19. The House Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations and Related Programs expects to release and mark-up their draft FY 2023 Appropriations bill on June 22 and the full House Appropriations Committee will begin their mark-up of the bill on June 29.
Competitiveness Legislation Advances in Congress
Congress has formally begun the conferencing process for the competitiveness legislation by negotiating differences between the Senate-passed U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) and the House-passed America COMPETES Act. In April, members of a bipartisan congressional conference committee were announced to agree a final bill, with the aim of passing the legislation by July 4. However, given the differences between the Senate and House bills, that timeline is unlikely. As reported previously, both bills include provisions related to science and security and foreign interference, specifically focused on potentially burdensome reporting requirements that would apply to universities. COMPETES would give new exemptions from work-authorization caps for non-citizens with STEM doctoral degrees from U.S. institutions and create new visa programs for foreign entrepreneurs and their families.
President Biden Signs $40 Billion Ukraine Aid Package into Law
The Senate voted 86-11 to pass a $40 billion aid package to Ukraine, which President Biden then signed into law the same day. U.S. aid to Ukraine now totals $54 billion, including $14 billion that Congress approved earlier this year. The legislation provided $20 billion for military aid, $8.77 billion for the Department of State’s Economic Support Fund, and $4.35 billion to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for humanitarian aid including food assistance and refugee support. Lawmakers believe that this funding will be enough to sustain Ukraine through fiscal year 2022, which ends in September.
Administration Guidance to Limit R&D Cooperation with Russia
On June 11, the Biden Administration issued a press release announcing measures to limit U.S. research collaborations with Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. U.S. agencies have been advised to "curtail interaction with the leadership of Russian government-affiliated universities and research institutions, as well as those who have publicly expressed support for the invasion of Ukraine.” Researchers are advised to contact their funding agency for additional guidance. The full press release is available here.
Pandemic Preparedness Legislation Advances in the U.S. Senate
On March 9, Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Richard Burr (R-NC) introduced the PREVENT Pandemics Act. The legislation includes provisions designed to (1) strengthen federal and state preparedness; (2) improve public health preparedness and response capacity; (3) improve clinical trials; (4) improve vaccine distribution; (5) improve research on countermeasures; and (6) improve the critical supply chain and the national stockpile. The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee passed the PREVENT Pandemics Actby a vote of 20-2 on March 15. According to a joint statement by Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-WA) and Ranking Member Richard Burr (R-NC), the bill was a product of an effort that began nearly a year ago to examine what worked, and what did not, during the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The committee incorporated ideas from 41 bills. The bill is likely to be considered by the full Senate later this year. The House has yet to take up a companion package, however, the House Energy and Commerce Committee has introduced bills with similar policy objectives.
Among the provisions in the bill is the creation of a new task force to be called the “National Task Force on the Response of the United States to the COVID–19 Pandemic.” The goal of the task force is to examine, assess, and report on the nation’s preparedness for, and response to, the COVID–19 pandemic. While members of the task force must be citizens of the United States, Congress recommends that members have expertise in several areas, including national security, foreign relations, and global health. The task force may also assess international preparedness for and response to COVID–19, and Federal decision-making processes related to new global health threats. One year after the date of enactment of the bill, and at least every four years subsequently, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would be required to submit a strategic plan to the appropriations committees in the House and Senate, the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee in the Senate, and the Energy and Commerce Committee in the House of Representatives. Among the items the strategic plan will be required to identify are enhancements to global and domestic public health capacity, capabilities, and preparedness, including public health data, surveillance, workforce, and laboratory capacity and safety.
Biden Administration Elevates Water Security as an International Priority
In response to the growing pressure on global freshwater resources and the recognized impact of water shortages on U.S. national security, Vice President Kamala Harris announced the launch of the White House Action Plan on Global Water Security. This plan outlines an approach to advancing water security both domestically and internationally and outlines how the U.S. will leverage its resources and science and technology to inform policy approaches to U.S. diplomacy, development, and defense to enhance national security objectives. The plan also builds on previous efforts from the Administration to address water security issues, including those through the Lead Pipe Action Plan as well as other investments that were made through the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) passed in the fall of 2021. Several key components to the action plan include a commitment of the Administration to increase support to expand global access to safe water, hygiene, and sanitation services (WASH). The plan also outlines that to strengthen and inform decision-making processes, U.S. departments and agencies that conduct research and analysis on water resources and related stressors will share data more widely. Further, departments and agencies will also support partners governments to collect and use data to improve their decision-making and will be strengthening coordination to facilitate this work. To be successful in achieving its goals, the plan emphasizes the need to further enhance governmental coordination with non-governmental entities, including academic institutions.
President Biden Hosts U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit, Announces New and Expanded Education Programs
The U.S. hosted the US-ASEAN Summit in Washington, D.C. in mid-May to honor over 45 years of the U.S.-ASEAN relationship. The meeting was seen as key to maintaining momentum behind the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy. The White House announced $150 million in new or expanded initiatives for ASEAN at the summit across several topics including clean energy, infrastructure, forests, space, and education. Among those education and cultural exchange programs slated for significant increases include: the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) program; the Billion Futures Scholarships; the Fulbright U.S.-ASEAN Visiting Scholarship Program; and English language programs in Southeast Asia, including provision of capacity-building support for hundreds of thousands of English teachers in the region. New programs include an exchange program sponsored by the U.S. ASEAN Business Council Institute through which 20 academic fellows from universities across ASEAN will travel to the United States and Myanmar Scholarship Fund sponsored by the to support students in the United States whose higher education journeys were disrupted by the crisis in the Myanmar. Further details are included here.
World Health Organization Holds 75th World Health Assembly
The World Health Organization (WHO) held the 75th World Health Assembly from May 22-28 in Geneva, Switzerland in person for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Resonating with this year’s theme of “Health for Peace, Peace for Health”, the member states voted on a resolution condemning Russia’s military action in Ukraine which has resulted in major health care concerns for Ukraine and others such as the spread of infectious disease, global food insecurity, mental health impacts, as well as climate weaknesses conflicts. Another constant theme throughout the Assembly was a focus on the public health care workforce. A resolution to adopt the Working for Health 2022-2030 Action Plan was cosponsored by 56 member states, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations focused on strengthening and investing in health worker education and training into 2030. Other notable items discussed were the financing structure of the WHO, further work on pandemic preparedness including the establishment of the Standing Committee on Health Emergency (Pandemic) Prevention, Preparedness, and Response, and strengthening of clinical trials and trial diversity including a resolution that was passed by member states. More information on the 75th World Health Assembly can be found here.
FUNDING AND ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES This section provides information on federal agency activities of interest to the international research and education community across higher education. Presented below is information on student and faculty visas and international education; federal funding and agency engagement opportunities; and issues related to global health.
Student and Faculty Visas and International Education
ICE Extends Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) 2020 Guidance
The U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) recently announced an extension of its March 2020 Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) guidance to the 2022-2023 academic year. The March 2020 guidance allows for international students with F and M non-immigrant visas to take classes fully remotely either inside or outside of the United States without being in violation of their visas. The guidance was issued in response to the public health emergency caused by COVID-19. ICE’s updated guidance is available here. NAFSA: Association of International Educators, compiled several helpful SEVP resources, which are accessible here.
Former National Security Leaders Urge Congress to Ease Immigration Policy for ForeignScience Talent
A bipartisan group of former national and homeland security executives wrote to the House and Senate conferees for the Bipartisan Innovation Act in a plea to exempt foreign nationals with advanced STEM degrees from statutory green card limits. Citing initiatives touted by both Republicans and Democrats, the group reminded Congress of the contributions made by foreign nationals supporting the defense industrial base and suggests that, by including such a provision, the U.S. will attract and retain international talent and improve its global technological and competitive edge. While the House-passed America COMPETES Act (H.R. 4521) included an immigration provision of this kind, a similar provision was not offered in the United States Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) (S.1260), passed by the Senate in June 2021. Although most Members agree that nurturing STEM talent serves to increase America’s competitiveness, conferees suggest the immigration provisions are amongst the most controversial in the package currently under debate. Senate conferees continue to state publicly that USICA has the best chance for passage given its overwhelming support. A copy of the letter can be found here.
Federal Funding and Agency Engagement Opportunities
Fulbright-Hays Faculty Research Abroad (FRA) Fellowship Program
The Department of Education (ED) issued a notice inviting applications (NIA) for fiscal year (FY) 2022 for the Fulbright-Hays Faculty Research Abroad (FRA) Fellowship Program. The Fulbright-Hays FRA Fellowship Program offers institutions grants to fund faculty members seeking to enhance their area studies and foreign language skills by conducting research abroad. The FRA program aims to improve and support the development of the study of modern foreign languages, as well as area studies. Further details including absolute and competitive priorities and eligibility requirements can be found in the full announcement. ED estimates granting 10 awards between $25,000-$40,000 for a project period up to 18 months. Applications will be available May 9, 2022 and are due no later than July 13, 2022. More information on the FRA Fellowship program can be found here.
NSF Dear Colleague Letter (DCL): CHE FY22 International Supplement
NSF released a DCL from the Division of Chemistry inviting supplemental funding requests to strengthen or build international collaborations with existing NSF awards. Supplemental request received after May 1 (annually) will be considered in the following fiscal year. Additional information can be found here.
NSF Accelerating Research through International Network-to-Network Collaborations (AccelNet)
The NSF AccelNet solicitation that supports strategic collaborations between U.S. research networks and complementary networks abroad has a deadline of October 10, 2022 (and annually thereafter). NSF plans to support 10 to 14 awards support at up to $250,000 for two-years for the Design Track; and up to $2 million for three to five years for the Implementation Track. More information is available here. A list of previous AccelNet awards is here, and a webinar on the program is available here.
International Research Experiences for Students (IRES)
The NSF IRES program supports international research and research-related activities for U.S. science and engineering students. Track I – IRES sites are funded at up to $300,000 with proposals due September 20. Track II – Advanced Studies Institutes are funded at $150,000 with proposals due September 27. More information is available here.
NSF Dear Colleague Letter: Collaboration Opportunities between NSF and the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization
The National Science Foundation (NSF) released a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) in collaboration with the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) calling for joint proposals from American and Australian researchers on responsible and equitable artificial intelligence. Proposals should have separate budgets for American and Australian researchers, with a maximum allowable budget of $600,000 USD and $850,000 AUD respectively. Proposals must be collaborative and submitted to NSF’s Core Programs in Computer and Information Science and Engineering by September 21, 2022.
Global Health Opportunities
NIH Fogarty Releases RFI for Promoting Equity in Global Heath Research
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Fogarty International Center and seven partner Institutes and Centers released a request for information (RFI) on promoting equity in global health research. Through this RFI, NIH is seeking input from the international scientific, academic, and public health communities (especially from scientists and institutions in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs) on current NIH practices or new practices that could be updated/implemented to “enhance collaborative international research equity.” Comments are due electronically via this online comment form by August 1, 2022. Questions may be sent to Blythe.Beecroft@nih.gov.
Agency Updates
U.S. Department of State Hosts Event on Emerging International Security Issues
In recent remarks, U.S. Department of State, Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security Bonnie Denise Jenkins highlighted the agency’s priorities as they relate to new and emerging challenges to international security. The nine priority areas Undersecretary Jenkins outlined were: fortifying arms control, nonproliferation, disarmament, and related activities; reimaging security sector governance and security assistance; addressing emerging technologies with a national security lens; protecting and promoting the technological, military, and economical advantages of the United States and its allies; protecting and advancing the U.S. civil-nuclear industry; strengthening existing alliances and building new partnerships; building up the State Department’s “brain trust” to address new challenges to international security; examining “new” areas of conflict in international security; and strengthening the Arms Control and International Security Bureaus.
Undersecretary Jenkins promoted potential engagement opportunities in relation to her priorities, including planned outreach to academia and industry regarding proper vetting of foreign students and researchers working on emerging technologies. She also highlighted the Foundational Infrastructure for the Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) program, announced the establishment of a “brain trust” to address new and emerging international security challenges, and raised the re-establishment of the International Security Advisory Board, which will have academic institutions as members. If you are interested in being connected with the State Department to discuss serving on the International Security Advisory Board, contact Rebecca@Lewis-Burke.com.
USAID Leaders Announce Efforts to Enhance Resilience of the Food System and the Supply Chain
During the 184th meeting of the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development (BIFAD) on May 23, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced its plans to initiate a new Feed the Future Innovation Lab. The lab will aim to mitigate and address the impacts of climate change on the global food, agricultural, and nutrition systems, to reduce the impact of agriculture and food systems on climate change. This will be anchored by USAID’s Climate Change Strategy 2022-2030 and the U.S. Government Global Food Security Strategy 2022-2026. Consultations to inform the innovation lab will launch this month and will continue through the next UN Framework Convention on Climate Change conference (COP27) this November. The development of this new initiative coincides with several other U.S. food security-related announcements in response to food system vulnerabilities due to the war in Ukraine. This includes the May 19 announcement of the U.S. led Roadmap for Global Food Security at the Global Food Security Ministerial Meeting at the UN Headquarters and the June 1 release of a U.S. Department of Agriculture food supply security framework.
USAID Chief Scientist Sponsors Seminar Series Focused on Research for Development
Dr. Ticora Jones is building her platform as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Chief Scientist and has announced her intention to run a monthly science seminar series that will feature examples of how research has informed the development agenda. The series is open to all members of the development and scientific community including USAID officials as well as academics. On June 22, there will be a seminar focused on research to improve response to malaria epidemics in Ethiopia (registration available here). On June 29, there will be a seminar on insect farming as a solution to food insecurity in fragile countries. Dr. Jones is receptive to suggestions for seminar topics. If you have ideas for potential topics, please reach out to Rebecca@Lewis-Burke.com.
U.S. Agency for International Development and Department of State Release Equity Action Plans
In response to the President Biden’s Executive Order 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, roughly 90 federal agencies have released individual equity action plans to address racial equity including the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). In USAID’s Equity Action Plan, the organization continues to work on integrating equity into the agency’s policies, strategies, and practices to create a more inclusive environment at the agency. The plan builds off five new strategies that advance equity. This includes USAID’s strategy for expanding and diversifying capacity-building efforts and support for increasing partnerships with Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) in USAID federal programs through the MSI Partnership Initiative. In the Department of State’s Equity Action Plan, they outline the need to address systemic racism and the importance of incorporating equity into the Department’s mission. This equity plan also builds off five new strategies that the State Department is taking to embed racial equity and support underserved communities into U.S. foreign policy including support in its contracts and grants process for underrepresented communities. USAID’s Equity Action Plan Summary is available here. The Department of State’s Equity Action Plan is available here.
BARDA Releases 2022-2026 Strategic Plan
In May, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) released a new five-year strategic plan for 2022 through 2026. The strategic plan reiterates the agency’s preparedness and response mission and emphasizes the value and need for investments in domestic and global partnerships, as well as workforce development. Notable for global health investments, BARDA plans to establish a $500 million global health security fund through BARDA Ventures. BARDA Ventures is a public-private partnership that “employs venture capital practices and methods to develop innovative medical countermeasures for public health emergencies that also have commercial markets. The structure enables proceeds from these investments to be reinvested in the fund and, in turn, used to support development of other new technologies.” BARDA is also hosting a webinar series on best practices on engaging with BARDA.
Department of State Global Engagement Center Publishes Counter-Disinformation Research Needs
In direct outreach to its network of supporting academic institutions, the Department of State’s Global Engagement Center (GEC) shared a new agenda for international counter-disinformation research. Over 40 individuals across nine U.S. agencies and ten partner nations and international governmental organizations participated in an International Working Group that produced the agenda. Participating nations and organizations included Australia, Canada, Estonia, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, NATO’s Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence, New Zealand, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom. GEC provides no funding or intention to fund any research under this agenda; it is provided purely to focus academic efforts to understand and deter adversarial disinformation campaigns. Research areas included:
Regional priorities in Eastern Asia, Russia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and global.
Producers and disseminators of disinformation.
Priority languages.
Effects on specific demographic audiences.
Methods and tactics for the spread of disinformation.
Distrust, hate, and violence.
Enabling technologies.
Assessment criteria for the impact and effects of disinformation.
Solutions/interventions and means to assess their impact/effects.
Target communications platforms.
United States and Austria Sign MOU on Advancing Apprenticeship, CTE, and Vocation Training
The U.S. Departments of Labor (DOL), Commerce (DOC), and Education (ED) and Austrian Federal Ministries for Digital and Economic Affairs, Education, Science and Research, and Labor announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on “advancing apprenticeship, career and technical education (CTE), and vocational and professional education and training (VPET).” The purpose of the MOU is to encourage bilateral collaboration between the United States and Austria to support the development of equitable, effective, practice-oriented apprenticeships. The MOU hopes to enable sharing of best practices to strengthen and diversify apprenticeship and other CTE programs and create stronger pathways for Austrian and American students into well-paying careers.
WHAT WE'RE READING This section provides a snapshot of global news of interest to the U.S. higher education community.
U.S. R&D and Innovation on the Global Stage
Two recent reports from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) describe the current position and recent trends of U.S. R&D funding and performance relative to global competitors. Both reports highlight that U.S. R&D performance remains the global leader, but that China’s annual rate of increase is larger than the U.S. rate. The AAAS report notes that China has not yet reached U.S. levels of R&D but leads the world in published output in math and physical science and engineering. The AAAS report is available here. The NSF report notes that the U.S., China, Japan, Germany, South Korea, France, India, and the United Kingdom (U.K.) jointly accounted for about 75% of global R&D performance in 2019, but that the “global concentration of R&D performance continues to shift from the United States and Europe to East-Southeast and South Asia.” The NSF report also highlights the role of different R&D funders in the U.S., highlighting that the share of federally funded basic research has consistently declined, from 52% in 2010 to 41% in 2019, as the business sector has increased its funding for R&D. The NSF report is available here.
UK Research and Innovation Budget Announced Through 2025
In March 2022, the United Kingdom (U.K.) government announced the budget for U.K. Research and Innovation (UKRI) for the next three financial years. UKRI will see an increase of 14 percent over that period, taking the budget for UKRI to $11.1 billion (£8.8 billion) in 2024-5. UKRI investments will focus on six objectives: “to foster world-class people and careers, places, ideas, innovation, and impacts, and ensure that UKRI is a world-class organization.” More information is available here.
Horizon Europe Urged to Resolve UK Participation Rules
United Kingdom (U.K.) universities have written to the European Commission calling for a decision regarding UK participation in Horizon Europe, the EU’s flagship program that supports research and innovation. While the U.K.’s associate membership status was agreed in principle, the situation has been complicated by post-Brexit arrangements for Northern-Ireland. While U.K. researchers have been highlighting the importance of U.K.-EU research collaborations throughout the Brexit process, there are concerns that political disputes are now severely affecting scientific collaborations. More information is available here. In addition, on June 8, the European Research Council (ERC) wrote to U.K. grant winners to share news that their grants had been terminated. More information can be found here.
BRICS Forum for Sustainable Development Held in Beijing
In April, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with the Academies of Sciences of South Africa, Brazil, Russia, and India, hosted the BRICS Forum on Big Data for Sustainable Development in Beijing. The purpose of the forum was to provide a platform for over 400 scientists, policymakers, and members of international organizations to strengthen cooperation surrounding sustainable development, as well as share knowledge and experiences. Topics for the forum were wide ranging and included food security and poverty alleviation, digital economy, urban development, climate actions and disaster reduction, and biodiversity conservation. An overarching theme was ways in which BRIC countries could use big data to address global challenges surrounding sustainable development and implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda.
Japanese PM to Invest in Local Startups
Prime Minister (PM) Fumio Kishida launched a new initiative to catalyze Japan’s stagnant startup ecosystem. Japan plans to expand its national endowment for university research to $82 billion and enhance the budget and investment portfolio for its venture capital arm, the Japan Investment Corporation. Kishida will also take innovative means by directing the government pension program to invest more in local Japanese companies. These efforts seek to augment the attractiveness of starting new businesses to Japanese students, most of whom shun the instability of the startup world for the security of big business. Kishida will also seek to draw more outside investment to Japanese startups through aggressive private equity tax breaks and new tech hubs. As Japan revitalizes the business ecosystem for its own early-stage startups, Kishida hopes to attract additional outside investment in a tech market that has typically been regarded as lifeless and uninteresting.
Digital Technology Tools and Capacity Assistance Promoted at Stockholm+50 to Address Global Challenges
A new initiative, the “Data Driven Environmental Solutions Hub” was promoted by the leadership of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and Swedish leadership at the Stockholm+50 international meeting. The initiative aims to support developing countries to tackle environmental challenges through access to and support for digital and technological solutions. The proposal, which would support the collection of data, development of analytics, and the establishment of systems and capacity support mechanisms was proposed to support both a physical center in Nairobi to coincide with the UNEP headquarters as well as an online support center. It is unclear at this stage the extent to which there will be strong donor support for this initiative, though if this gains momentum, there will be a demand for technically trained individuals to help staff this effort, as well as for new tools to make existing data accessible to inform policy decision making. More about this initiative is available on the UNEP website here.
Ukrainian President Requests Universities to Support Ukrainian Scholars and to Rebuild Higher Education
The Office of the President of Ukraine, along with a consortium of leading Ukrainian universities, launched the Ukrainian Global University Initiative to engage universities and scholars around the world to assist Ukrainian students and scholars continue with their education and scholarly work. Should a university or other educational institution join the consortium through singing a memorandum of understanding, they are enabling Ukrainian institutions to recommend students to be considered for admission or to consider accepting academics or other scholars for temporary appointment. To promote this initiative, Ukrainian President Zelensky appealed via video conference to leading U.S. institutions by way of the Association of American Universities (AAU) to join these efforts in mid-May, with more information here.
Artificial Intelligence Enabled Higher Education Service Platform Launches
In early May, a new artificial intelligence and machine learning enabled higher education search platform “Erudera” launched as mechanism to enable prospective students to learn about higher education options available to them and to apply for enrollment. The platform, which includes institutions across the United States, Australia, Europe and several other countries, may be helpful to universities as they attempt to increase international enrollment in their programs after applications decreased as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. More information can be found here.
African Research Universities Alliance Aims to Increase African Research Output and PhDs
The African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) recently launched its 2022-2027 strategic framework, with the goal of increasing Africa’s “global cutting edge-research” output to 5 percent over ten years. The strategy has four pillars: enhanced research, expanded and improved graduate student support, capacity building for university research management, and research advocacy. In addition to increased research output, the strategic framework calls for ARUA member universities to increase the percentage of faculty with PhDs from forty five percent to seventy five percent. Additional information on the ARUA strategic framework is available here.
Saudi Arabia Launches New Scholarship Program Strategy With Implications for U.S. Institutions
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia recently announced new strategy for the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program aimed to achieve the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 goal of sending 70,000 students abroad by 2030. The strategy includes a new program that creates a path for Saudi students to obtain scholarships to the top 200 higher education institutions in the world. However, this new strategy eliminates the support for English language studies at institutions of higher education in English-speaking countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom (U.K.) and Canada in favor of English language instruction at Saudi Arabian universities. The strategy could result in decreased enrollment of Saudi Arabian students at certain U.S. institutions. It is unclear if this policy would apply to Saudi Arabian students who are currently in the U.S. or if this would have implications for future students only. The English announcement of the strategy can be found here.
India Announces New Rules for Academic Collaboration
The University Grants Commission of India recently announced updated rules for academic partnerships between Indian and non-Indian institutions of higher education. The new rules for academic collaboration cover twinning, joint degree, and dual degree programs. The updated rules are part of the Indian government’s 2020 National Education Plan which aims to complete its goal of attracting top universities across the world as a way to increase India’s standing as a center for education. Additional information on this announcement can be found here.
