RAWABIT: The U.S.-Jordanian University Cooperation Network

Through the RAWABIT project, the University Cooperation Network’s (UCN) participating Jordanian and U.S. universities seek to improve their institutional capacity, internal funding, and risk management to undertake serious collaborative reforms guided by U.S. and global best practices in these areas. Universities and affiliated scholars and researchers in both countries can benefit from an open and transparent atmosphere of information and peer-to-peer collegiality.

The overarching goal of RAWABIT is to formalize and institutionalize the UCN’s operations in support of intensified cooperation around higher and postsecondary education with a special focus on ensuring better job opportunities and economic outcomes for targeted populations of university students in Jordan especially young woman.

The RAWABIT Project of the United States-Jordan University Cooperation Network (UCN) offers two categories of small grants:

1- Travel Grants (funding up to $5,000; up to five grants will be awarded in 2023).

2- Partnership Development Grants ($5,000-$10,000 for teams; up to five will be awarded in 2023).

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A- Background:

• In 2016, a team led by the Eurasia Foundation and funded by the U.S. Embassy in Jordan assessed US-Jordan university partnerships. Key findings of the assessment established that there were few sustained partnerships; those that existed were mostly unidirectional (Jordan to US); and there was a weak infrastructure to support existing and potential linkages.
• As a result of that assessment, the U.S. Embassy in Jordan funded the initial phase of the University Cooperation Network (2018-2021) with two hubs at Virginia Tech and University of Jordan. Under this project, an informal network was established with about ten universities in the U.S. and ten in Jordan.
• After funding for that project concluded, in 2022 NEA funded the PULSE (Partnerships for University Leadership and Student Engagement) project, with a hub at the University of Jordan, culminating in a July 2022 conference on paths forward and partnership grants. PULSE was the bridge between the original UCN and the new UCN to be housed at the Fulbright Jordan Commission.

B- Objectives:

• Institutionalization and formalization of the University Cooperation Network (UCN) to build on current and potential relationships between Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the United States and Jordan.
• Increase capacity within Jordanian HEIs to embrace and adapt U.S. best practices and prepare students for employment in expanding sectors of Jordan’s economy.
• Enable HEIs in Jordan to offer curricular and co-curricular programs that incorporate the demands of the private sector and workforce needs to prepare students for employment in vital and growing sectors of Jordan’s economy.

C- How to Apply for RAWABIT Grants:  

Applications are now being accepted and will be reviewed on a rolling basis. We hope to make a first round of awards by the end of May 2023, with funding available for travel or planning meetings in the late spring and summer of 2023.  

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1. Travel Grants: ‍

Travel Grant proposals can be submitted by one or more individuals from either country.

Applications (350 words maximum) should include a description of proposed travel, with an explanation of the purposes of travel and how it will contribute to the development of U.S.-Jordan partnerships, new university linkages, or exchange opportunities. If funding is for travel to an academic conference, please provide the dates, name and location of the event or conference, and indicate whether the applicants have already been accepted for inclusion in the conference program. It is also essential to clarify how participation in that conference would support binational academic partnership development. Each applicant should include a brief (1-2 pages maximum) CV or resume.

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2. Partnership Development Grants:

Partnership Development Grant proposals must be submitted by a binational team, with one co-lead or co-PI (principal investigator) from each country.

Applications (750 words maximum) should include a brief (1-2 pages maximum) CV or resume for each applicant or co-PI in addition to the proposal. Each proposal should include 3 sections:

1. Summary of the proposed partnership project (250 words maximum), with discussion of how the team has been formed, previous cooperation, and plans to involve other faculty, researchers and students.

2. Significance of the proposed partnership project (250 words), and relevance to mutually beneficial development objectives (with discussion of how the project could impact policy, applied research, or student learning).

3. Plans for sustainability (250 words): how do the co-PIs plan to expand and sustain their partnership? Please list specific follow-on funding, with deadlines and amounts, that each team will pursue, along with other plans to sustain and develop the partnership.

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D- Partnership Opportunities:

We don't have any third-party partnerships available right now. Please visit our website frequently to discover new opportunities.

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E- Additional Guidance:  

For any questions you can:

1- Email our team at: rawabit.po@fulbright.org.jo.

2- Call our team at: +962-6-592-2088 or +962-6-592-2188 (EXT. 27)

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_Disclaimer:

^{This media product is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Department of State. The contents are the responsibility of the Fulbright Commission in Jordan and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of State or the United States Government.}

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