Securing Water for Food: A Grand Challenge for Development

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Government of Sweden invite eligible organizations to respond to Securing Water for Food: A Grand Challenge for Development Competition. The objective is to enable the production of more food with less water and/or make more water available for food production, processing, and distribution in developing and emerging countries.

Through this program, they are seeking innovations that will improve water availability and efficiency along the food value chain, thus boosting food security, alleviating poverty, and stimulating inclusive growth. Innovators can come from anywhere in the world, but implementation must take place in a developing or emerging country.

Through Securing Water for Food, they hope to increase both the demand for and availability of innovative water technologies and approaches; increase adoption of those innovations at multiple levels (from small scale farms to large corporations); and improve the sustainability of innovations through robust partnerships and business-to-business relationships.

Applicants from any category of organization or institution, U.S. or non-U.S., are welcome to respond to this solicitation. Specific categories of organizations and institutions that are welcome to respond include, but are not limited to, for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, foundations, educational, industrial, and academic institutions, civic groups, and regional organizations. Government entities and individuals are not eligible to apply for funding.

Through this competition, Securing Water for Food anticipates disbursing $15 million USD in award funding. Individual awards are expected to be between $100,000 USD and $3,000,000 USD depending on the type of funding requested. The period of performance for individual awards is up to three years; the actual period of performance for each award will be determined at the time of award.

Concept Notes shall be received no sooner than 27 November 2013 and no later than 17 January 2014 at 5 p.m.

Read more: http://www.mladiinfo.eu