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MERC
19.502
N/A
The Middle East Regional Cooperation (MERC) Program funds peer-reviewed, collaborative, scientific research projects on development topics between Israel and its Arab neighbors across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Objectives of the program include: (1) Supporting applied actionable research that generates results relevant to regional development; (2) Fostering the implementation of research results and innovations to improve quality of life and achieve development impact in the MENA region; (3) Building science and technology capacity in developing countries in the MENA region; (4) Increasing direct Arab-Israeli cooperation by establishing strong working relationships that last beyond the life of the project.
This chart shows obligations for the program by fiscal year. All data for this chart was provided by the
administering agency and sourced from SAM.gov, USASpending.gov, and Treasury.gov.
For more information on each of these data sources, please see the
About the data page.
In FY 2023, MERC supported 48 grants (45 grants for multi-year applied research projects and 3 grants for scientific workshops) covering a wide range of development topics including sustainable agriculture, water resources management, public health, renewable energy, and environmental conservation. Each grant included teams of scientists from Israel working with counterparts from one or more MENA-region countries.
The number of joint Arab-Israeli events and exchanges, at 84, well exceeded FY22’s total of 22. This increase in events was a result of the resumption of travel following the COVID-19 pandemic and the increase in the overall number of active awards. Grantees met to plan research activities, share techniques, and train students and young scientists.
In FY 2023, 13 new grants were issued. Additionally, as a result of increased outreach efforts and new opportunities for cooperation following the Abraham Accords, MERC received many more pre-proposals in FY 2023 as compared to the previous year, 102 versus 74.
MERC supported grants that yielded technical outcomes with relevance to climate adaptation, sustainable natural resources management, and addressing public and environmental health concerns. Examples of technical accomplishments under MERC Program supported grants in FY 2023 include: (1) researchers developed a low-cost roving device based on a boogie board with a camera, sonar, and remotely-controlled propellor system to precisely map shallow seagrasses toward understanding the effects of climate change on the marine environment; (2) a project team studying the transmission of Leishmaniasis tropica developed a method to identify the species of sand fly responsible for patient infection; and (3) a broad regional consortium developing protocols for the production of high-quality juvenile gray mullet fish successfully reproduced captive mullet broodstock and produced more than 200,000 juveniles. Under other awards, support for knowledge transfer and institutional capacity building strengthened capacity for conducting research in areas such as crop genetics, marine conservation, and public health.
Single Audit Applies (2 CFR Part 200 Subpart F):
For additional information on single audit requirements for this program, review the current Compliance Supplement.
OMB is working with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) and agency offices of inspectors general to include links to relevant oversight reports. This section will be updated once this information is made available.
