On August 23, 2021, PEER released its latest call for proposals, which aims to support research projects that focus on the impacts of COVID-19 and potential solutions that can emerge from this pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented global challenges and uncovered weaknesses in the ability of governments, the private sector, and local and international actors to deliver services and resources across many systems. This has been true in food and agriculture, healthcare, and education, among other sectors. However, the pandemic also has inspired innovation in areas such as digital technology and social organization, and there are many examples of countries or communities effectively coordinating to confront this threat. This PEER funding opportunity looks to support locally-led research projects that (1) aid in our understanding of how shocks such as COVID-19 affect key sectors in developing countries and (2) test approaches to help communities and sectors respond to and mitigate the effects of COVID-19 or similar future shocks.

Projects funded under this year’s call for applications will receive one-year awards of up to US $70,000. In addition, they will receive personalized training and guidance from USAID’s Research Technical Assistance Center on developing evidence-to-action plans and communications products. The deadline for submission of pre-proposals is October 22, 2021. For further details please review the Request for Applications.