Program objective

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of International Transportation & Trade seeks proposals from qualified applicants to enter into a cooperative agreement with the Department of State to support collaboration between and among American and Southeast Asian university educators and students within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region as part of the U.S.-ASEAN Smart Cities Partnership (USASCP) Transportation Program and Mekong-U.S. Partnership (MUSP)’s Regional Connectivity Program in a University Partnership Program (UPP). Qualified applicants will support the success of the USASCP City Pair work plans by developing partnership opportunities whereby university students in the ASEAN region are empowered to take on meaningful work that both benefits their academic advancement and the goals of the city pairs and/or Mekong Regional Connectivity Program. Qualified Applicants will collaborate with ASEAN universities and related stakeholders (local governments, etc.) to support knowledge transfer activities that build local capacity to take on activities similar to those identified in the USASCP Work Plans and Mekong Regional Connectivity Program. They will support a shared knowledge base across the ASEAN community that reduces barriers to the implementation of mobility innovations inspired by or related to the USASCP projects and regional connectivity related to the Mekong Regional Connectivity Program. Furthermore, qualified applicants will foster innovation in areas including system integration, partnerships, innovative business models and equity of service delivery within the ASEAN region. Qualified applicants will identify and respond to project-specific challenges, serving as a central point of contact with USDOT and related stakeholders to collaboratively address implementation challenges.