The Bringing Research to Impact for Development, Global Engagement, and Utilization (BRIDGE-U) program supports partnerships between higher education institutions in USAID Partner Countries and in the U.S. to develop research and innovation centers. The centers promote the effective use of research to address local and national development priorities.
BRIDGE-U: Liberia — Applying Research for a Healthy Liberia
Devastated by a civil war and the Ebola pandemic, Liberia’s health system has dealt with severe resource constraints, shortages in healthcare workers, and other systemic challenges including gaps in evidence-based medical training and practices.
In 2021, Yale University, in partnership with the University of Liberia College of Health Sciences (ULCHS) and Vanderbilt University, launched the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Innovation (CTLI) to help address Liberia’s health systems challenges. By partnering with local public and private sector partners, CTLI does the following:
- Advances evidence-based teaching, patient care, and policy-making;
- Creates innovative commercial applications of health-related research findings;
- Builds the evidence base for how research outputs can be effectively translated into program and policy change in the health sector; and
- Generates sustainable financing and systems for health research and research utilization programs at ULCHS.
Learn More
USAID Announces $30 Million For Research and Innovation Centers in Central America and Africa
For more information on BRIDGE-U: Liberia, visit https://www.ulchs.org/center-for-teaching-learning-innovation
PERU Hub: Peruvian Extension and Research Utilization Hub
Rural farmers face challenges from climate change, severe weather, legacy land degradation, and socioeconomic pressures. Access to reliable, actionable information—like weather reports and maps for soil quality and land use suitability—helps farmers adapt to these challenges. USAID is committed to diversifying sustainable agricultural production and increasing crop resilience against climate volatility to enhance yields in the coming seasons. To help farmers in Peru adapt to these challenges, USAID launched a center focused on agricultural innovation: the Peruvian Extension and Research Utilization Hub, or PERU-Hub.
Led by Global South partner National Agrarian University La Molina, PERU-Hub is developing an agricultural technology transfer system—a process that promotes generating and applying research results for the Amazon region. The goal of the research and innovation center is to explore viable crops for farmers in the northern San Martin region of Peru to adopt with confidence, strengthening their livelihoods. PERU-Hub will serve as a model for the transfer and use of advanced food production technologies.
Focus Areas are:
- Agricultural Production
- Entrepreneurship
- Food Technology
- Integrated Production Systems
- Post-Harvest Management and Food Processing
Learn More
USAID Announces $30 Million For Research and Innovation Centers in Central America and Africa
PERU Hub website
Center for Teaching, Learning, and Innovation