Boston nonprofit Seeding Labs has received a $3 million grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to help support research in 100 universities in Africa and developing countries over the next three years.
Using donated equipment and resources from its corporate and academic partners in the United States, Seeding Labs will help equip science researchers and laboratories in Kenya, Cameroon and Uruguay among others. Kenya’s Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) is among the beneficiaries.
JKUAT and others will receive laboratory equipment and supplies and the students and researchers will get training and networking opportunities in a move expected to enhance science education in the developing world and support research projects with long-term development impact.
According to Dr. Nina Dudnik, Founder and CEO of Seeding Labs, “The size and strength of the scientific community in the developing world has been underestimated for too long. USAID’s visionary investment in Seeding Labs is a vote of confidence that our strategy for identifying under-represented scientists and supporting their efforts to tackle local challenges is a smart investment for the future of global development.”
The program will support talented individuals tackling their own communities’ problems and Seeding Labs helps ensure that the most appropriate solutions are found faster, fosters education and job creation and promotes a truly global scientific community.
“USAID is excited about this new partnership with Seeding Labs not only because of the innovative way the program seeks to redistribute resources to researchers in the global south, but also because of the innovations that will come out of the newly equipped labs. Seeding Labs embodies USAID’s belief in the strength of science, technology, innovation and partnerships in inciting change,” added Dr. Alex Dehgan, Science and Technology Adviser to USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah.
The USAID Research Partnerships for Development program working with various partners under the Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) program funds developing country researcher on food security, climate change, biodiversity, water, disaster mitigation and renewable energy.