R&D Consultant to fасilitate university-business partnership in Ukraine

About FHI360

 FHI 360 is a nonprofit human development organization dedicated to improving lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions.  Our staff includes experts in health, education, nutrition, environment, economic development, civil society, gender, youth, research, technology, communication, and social marketing- creating a unique mix of capabilities to address today’s interrelated development challenges.  FHI 360 serves more than 70 countries and all U.S. states and territories. In Ukraine FHI360 works together with other teams on the implementation of the USAID Economic Resilience Activity Project.

 Background (Project Background)

The purpose of the USAID Economic Resilience Activity is to improve the overall economic resilience of eastern Ukraine, which has experienced interruption of critical market linkages, economic decline of previously dominant industries, and massive population disruption. Resilience is “the ability of people, households, communities, countries, and systems to mitigate, adapt to, and recover from shocks and stresses in a manner that reduces chronic vulnerability and facilitates inclusive growth.”

Prior to the war, ERA had focused interventions on Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts. In 2019 after Russia commandeered a Ukrainian naval ship and established a blockade, ERA had also added the Sea of Azov (Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts and municipal centers closest to the sea) to its area of operations. With the February onset of war in eastern and southern Ukraine, Russia has significantly damaged or destroyed most of ERA’s previous implementation geography, including Mariupol, Sartana, Rubizhne, and Sievierodonetsk and occupied the cities of Berdiansk, Melitopol and Stanytsia Luhanska.

The further Economic Resilience Activity’s work will be centered on three pillars:

1. Stabilization and Inclusion: building the capabilities of vulnerable populations to be able to capitalize on entrepreneurial and micro, small and medium enterprises’ (MSME) economic opportunities.
2. Business Revival: helping MSMEs relocate and rebuild marketing and supply chains; and
3. New Economy: working with coalitions and leaders to build confidence in the sustainable Ukrainian state, articulate a vision for the future, and put in place the building blocks for a modern, diverse, and MSME-friendly economy post-war.

R&D in Ukraine

A robust Research & Development (R&D) ecosystem can help connect students, faculty and business owners to their economies, not just in the present but also in the future by envisioning and actualizing applications, technologies and processes which will contribute to a modern economy where young people see a future for themselves.

ERA works with several sectors that are primed for R&D partnerships. These include information technology, manufacturing, and agriculture. These also represent some of the largest segments of non-retail enterprises in east Ukraine. More importantly, two of these sectors tend to attract young people who see themselves as part of a technologically driven future, where their skills and knowledge can be recognized and deployed globally.  Agriculture is also a sector primed for increased HEI collaboration and R&D investment, not least because of its significance in Ukraine’s and the regions’ economy, but also because productivity in this sector has fallen far behind regional competitors due to outdated farming methods and a lack of innovation and investments in technology and is ripe for disruption that could be provided by R&D efforts.

Scope of Work

The USAID ERA project is in need to hire local or international consultant to provide guidance around a range of activities that will be implemented in year five of the project. To support UERA’s start of the R&D interventions, the Consultant will be primarily responsible for the technical oversight of the piloting of UERA’s R&D Guide in Eastern Ukraine by establishing R&D partnerships and developing working models that can be used as a basis for future R&D partnerships. The R&D Consultant will lead the partnership initiation between firms and education institutions in Eastern Ukraine and launch an R&D pilot leveraging the R&D Guide. As a result of the R&D pilot, it is expected one or more R&D-related contracts or agreements within ERA industry sectors.

Objectives and duties 

• Raise awareness within the program team on R&D benefits and best practices and develop case studies from Eastern Ukraine on successful R&D partnership models
• Research and identify potential firms and institutions for R&D pilot and oversee piloting phases
• Provide technical insights and expertise to UERA interventions, including but not limited to technical inputs to the project’s R&D Strategy

Time of performance: Part-time employment from March till May 2023

 Tasks & Deliverables/Milestones

Application

Required Documentation: Proposals must include the following components:

• A response to the SOW
• Proposed daily rate (budget)
• Bio data form
• CV

Please send required documents until COB 7 October 2022, Friday.

Email: [email protected]

By sending the application a candidate gives the consent for the personal data processing for recruitment processes solely.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the next stages of the recruitment process.

FHI 360 Disclaimers

• FHI 360 may perform a background check on any selected Consultant candidates.
• FHI 360 may cancel the solicitation and not award
• FHI 360 may reject any or all responses received
• Issuance of the solicitation does not constitute an award commitment by FHI 360
• FHI 360 reserves the right to disqualify any offer based on failure of the offeror to follow solicitation instructions
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• FHI 360 reserves the right to issue award based on initial evaluation of offers without further discussion
• FHI 360 may choose to award only part of the activities in the solicitation, or issue multiple awards based on the solicitation activities
• FHI 360 reserves the right to waive minor proposal deficiencies that can be corrected prior to award determination to promote competition
• FHI 360’s supplier terms and conditions can be found here while our consultant terms and conditions can be found here