To achieve the objective of fostering high-quality, locally led research that addresses critical development challenges in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) while also contributing to generating actionable, evidence-based solutions that support USAID’s global development objectives, SPARK supports research in the following categories:

Research Grants support low-and middle-income country (LMIC) and U.S. higher education institutions (HEIs), research organizations, and researchers in collaborative research projects to develop and disseminate research products for up to one year. SOLICITATION FOR THIS GRANT CATEGORY OPENS ON JANUARY 21, 2025.

Research Partnership Grants aim to support collaborative research partnerships between LMICs and U.S. HEIs, research organizations, and researchers to conduct collaborative research and support partnership development for up to two years. Information on the solicitation for this grant category can be found here.

Research Scaling Grants facilitate LMIC and U.S. partners to scale research and support research and innovation infrastructure and ecosystems, including possibly equipment procurement, for up to three years. Information on the solicitation for this grant category can be found here.

Research Connection Grants support researchers from LMIC as well as U.S. researchers from underrepresented institutions. The grants will fund campus visits, conferences, expenses related to research dissemination, partnership development, and co-creation for up to a year. Information on the solicitation for this grant category can be found here.

Partnerships

SPARK prioritizes supporting and cultivating equitable, sustainable partnerships between researchers and HEIs in LMICs and the U.S. The SPARK grants portfolio is designed to offer opportunities for new partnerships to develop, existing partnerships to deepen, and for SPARK-initiated partnerships to expand while strengthening local research ecosystems and capacity for sustainable impact.