U.S Department of State: Applications Open for 2018 TechWomen Program – Nigerians can apply

Deadline: 1 June 2018

The Office of Citizen Exchanges, Professional Fellows Division, of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA or “the Bureau”) is inviting proposal submissions for the FY 2018 TechWomen program to empower, connect, and support the next generation of women leaders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

The exchange program uses a mentorship model to support emerging STEM leaders from Sub-Saharan Africa, South and Central Asia, and the Middle East and North Africa. Organizations applying for this federal award should demonstrate the capacity to recruit, select, and place in mentorships a total of approximately 100-110 women from select countries in these regions to participate in a five- to six-week intensive peer mentoring program in the United States.

The mentoring experience should focus on advancing the status of professional women in the STEM fields through project-based peer mentorships, skill building, networking opportunities, and enhancement activities.

Funding will also support follow-on activities in the participants’ home countries that inspire and encourage girls and university-age women interested or working in STEM based careers, engage young women using technology in their professions, and support former participants of the program.

Goals

The goals of the program are to:

• Empower emerging women leaders (“participants”) to advocate for their rights and reach their full potential in the science and technology industries;
• Create and maintain a sustainable professional network of support for women in the STEM fields in the United States and participating countries;
• Develop the field of technology, explore the role of the tech industry in economic stability, increase the trade capacity of the participating countries, and promote economic advancement;
• Build an understanding of technology’s integral relationship with the professional world and increase participants’ understanding of how Americans drive development in science and technology;
• Enhance U.S. science and technology companies’ understanding of challenges in other countries, providing them opportunities to hear first-hand from the international participants about the STEM and market climates overseas;
• Provide women in the STEM fields with tools not only to advance their careers and encourage innovation, but also to become role models for women and girls in their communities;
• Expand girls’ interest in STEM careers by exposing them to female role models; and
• Increase mutual understanding between key networks of professionals in different parts of the world

Eligibility Criteria

The below countries/territories are expected to participate in the FY 2018 TechWomen Program:

• ECA reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase proposed project configurations, budgets, and participant numbers in accordance with the program’s needs and availability of funds.
• In addition, the Bureau reserves the right to adjust and/or add additional countries and/or regions should conditions change in a  partner country and/or if other countries and/or regions are identified as viable
  alternatives and/or Department priorities.
  Sub-Saharan Africa (AF): Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Zimbabwe
  South and Central Asia (SCA): Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan
  Middle East and North Africa (NEA): Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, the Palestinian Territories, and Tunisia.

How to Apply

Applicants can apply via given website.

For further information, please visit grants.gov.