Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE)

The Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE) program seeks to catalyze a higher level of international engagement in the U.S. science and engineering community by supporting innovative, international research and education collaborations. The program will enable U.S. scientists and engineers to establish collaborative relationships with international colleagues in order to advance new knowledge and discoveries at the frontiers of science and engineering and to promote the development of a diverse, globally-engaged U.S. scientific and engineering workforce. International partnerships are, and will be, increasingly indispensable in addressing many critical science and engineering problems. As science and engineering discoveries result more and more from international collaboration, U.S. researchers and educators must be able to operate effectively in teams comprised of partners from different nations and cultural backgrounds. The PIRE program will support bold, forward-looking research whose successful outcome results from all partners—U.S. and foreign—providing unique contributions to the research endeavor. It is also intended to facilitate greater student preparation for and participation in international research collaboration, and to contribute to the development of a diverse, globally-engaged U.S. science and engineering workforce. The program aims to support partnerships that will strengthen the capacity of institutions, multi-institutional consortia, and networks to engage in and benefit from international research and education collaborations.