University Research and Entrepreneurial Skills Program | DOS GEO 18 GR 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for DOS GEO 18 GR 001

The University Research and Entrepreneurial Skills Program is a U.S. Department of State grant opportunity run through the U.S. Mission to Georgia (U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi). It is designed to support a one- to two-year project that strengthens how Georgian universities and their communities turn academic research and ideas into market-ready products, services, or ventures. The overall intent is to move beyond research as an end point and help Georgian scholars and students develop practical commercialization and entrepreneurship skills that can translate university innovation into real economic and societal impact.

At its core, the program targets capacity-building for Georgian professors, researchers, and both undergraduate and graduate students. Proposals are expected to foster an entrepreneurial mindset and innovative activity on campuses by helping participants learn how to assess market needs, position research outcomes for real-world use, and navigate early-stage business development. The grant emphasizes hands-on training areas that are often missing from traditional academic preparation, including marketing, finance fundamentals, revenue generation, and practical approaches to building small businesses that can survive in a competitive, market-oriented environment. In other words, the project is not only about teaching theory; it is about equipping participants with the tools to take an idea from the lab or classroom into a viable pathway for adoption, partnership, or commercialization.

A major feature of the opportunity is its focus on building a broader knowledge-transfer ecosystem across Georgian universities. The Embassy is looking for projects that do more than train a single cohort at a single institution. The expectation is that applicants will help create networks, practices, and collaboration mechanisms that encourage universities to share know-how, connect researchers with mentors and industry contacts, and normalize commercialization as a legitimate extension of academic work. This includes creating structures that can support continued entrepreneurial activity after the grant ends, such as shared training modules, mentorship arrangements, or cross-university collaboration models that make technology transfer and startup support more routine rather than ad hoc.

Sustainability is a central requirement. The opportunity specifically calls for a framework that can evolve into a lasting entrepreneurial skills program built around a consortium that links Georgian and American universities. The idea is to establish an ongoing partnership model, not just a short-term exchange, where institutional relationships, training approaches, and knowledge-transfer practices can be maintained over time. The solicitation also anticipates that private sector entities and/or non-governmental organizations may participate through in-kind contributions, which signals a strong preference for proposals that bring industry or civil-society actors into the process to provide mentorship, resources, real market insight, or access to commercialization pathways.

Eligible applicants include U.S. nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education) and other applicants as described in the opportunity’s eligibility clarification, while the program narrative explicitly welcomes proposals involving U.S. and Georgian universities, educational institutes, NGOs, and private sector partners. Funding is offered as a discretionary grant under the Department of State’s education-related programming (CFDA 19.900). The opportunity number is DOS GEO 18 GR 001. The maximum award amount listed is $300,000, with the Embassy expecting to make one award, indicating a competitive process where a single, well-structured project will likely be selected to serve as the flagship effort for this initiative.

The application deadline in the announcement was June 15, 2018, with electronic submission required (either in addition to or instead of hard copies) by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a targeted investment in Georgia’s university innovation pipeline: strengthening commercialization skills, building institutional linkages and knowledge transfer practices, and creating a durable U.S.-Georgia consortium model that helps research and ideas travel further toward market adoption and sustainable entrepreneurial outcomes.

• The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Georgia in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "University Research and Entrepreneurial Skills Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.900.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 23, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 15, 2018 All applications must be submitted in electronic form in addition to or instead of the hard copies on or before June 15, 2018, 1159 p.m. Eastern Standard time.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $300,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for DOS GEO 18 GR 001

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