REQUEST FOR INFORMATION - Securing Water for Food: A Grand Challenge for Development

On September 2, 2013 in Stockholm, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency Government (Sida), will launch Securing Water for Food: A Grand Challenge for Development. The Grand Challenges for Development (GCD) program is an innovation and acceleration initiative that began in 2011. Through GCDs, USAID and its partners are sourcing and accelerating the best science and technology-focused innovators, entrepreneurs, and businesses that have the potential to solve specific development challenges. Innovators can come from anywhere in the world. Implementation must take place in a developing or emerging country. Securing Water for Food is the fifth GCD launched over the past two years and focuses on the water/food nexus. Through this program, we are seeking innovations that will improve water efficiency along the food value chain (see diagram below), thus boosting food security and alleviating poverty. The United States Government, represented by the Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of Science and Technology (OST), and the Swedish government, represented by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), known henceforth as the Founding Partners, are seeking comments and/or questions from interested parties around the world to help us improve the attached program description in this Notice.