Artificial Intelligence for American Competitiveness and Economic Security (AI-ACES) in South Asia

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA), has issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the "Artificial Intelligence for American Competitiveness and Economic Security" (AI-ACES) program. This initiative offers a cooperative agreement of $2,000,000 to $5,000,000 over a 36-month performance period. Applications are due by August 2, 2026. The program's primary goal is to advance U.S. strategic interests in South Asia by deploying secure, American-made AI technology within the critical infrastructure and strategic economic sectors of at least three partner nations (selected from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka). By doing so, the initiative aims to counter Chinese technological and financial influence, enhance data governance, and promote American AI standards. Key objectives include identifying and procuring U.S. AI technology, developing local workforce skills, establishing common certifications, and providing policy support to create robust governance frameworks that protect national data sovereignty. Eligible applicants include U.S. and foreign non-profit organizations, higher education institutions, and for-profit businesses. Applications must include a detailed proposal narrative, a monitoring and evaluation plan, and comprehensive budget documentation. Evaluation criteria prioritize the quality of the program idea, organizational capacity, program planning, budget reasonableness, and sustainability. The Department of State will maintain substantial involvement in the program's execution, including approving annual work plans and key strategic decisions.

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA), has issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Artificial Intelligence for American Competitiveness and Economic Security (AI-ACES) program in South Asia (Opportunity Number: DFOP0018586). This program aims to advance U.S. strategic interests and directly counter Chinese technological influence by deploying secure, American-made AI technology across partner governments' critical infrastructure and strategic economic sectors. Eligible applicants—including non-profit organizations, higher education institutions, and for-profit businesses—must target three or more priority countries from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The program will be awarded as a cooperative agreement with up to $5,000,000 in total available funding for a performance period of up to 36 months. Program objectives focus on identifying and deploying American AI infrastructure, developing local workforce skills, establishing common certifications, and supporting robust policy environments such as national AI strategies and cross-border data agreements. Key performance indicators include the adoption of U.S. data governance standards, training at least 100 small- and medium-sized enterprises to deploy American AI solutions, and procuring U.S. IT equipment to preclude reliance on Chinese-linked alternatives. Applications are due by August 2, 2026, and must include a proposal narrative, a detailed itemized budget, and a project monitoring and evaluation plan. Evaluation criteria prioritize the quality of the program idea, organizational capacity, budget realism, and project sustainability.

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA), has issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the "Artificial Intelligence for American Competitiveness and Economic Security" (AI-ACES) program. Under opportunity number DFOP0018586, this open competition will award one cooperative agreement worth between $2,000,000 and $5,000,000 for a performance period of up to 36 months, with applications due by August 2, 2026. The primary goal of AI-ACES is to advance U.S. strategic interests in South Asia by deploying secure, American-made AI technology within the critical infrastructure and strategic economic sectors of at least three partner countries (including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, or Sri Lanka). In doing so, the initiative directly counters Chinese technological and financial influence in the region. To achieve this, the program focuses on two main objectives: identifying and deploying American AI infrastructure while enhancing regional data governance and cybersecurity standards, and building a robust policy and educational environment. Key activities include policy development, on-the-job mentorship, and workforce upskilling to establish the American AI technology stack as the regional standard. Eligible applicants include U.S. and foreign non-profit organizations, higher education institutions, for-profit businesses, and public international organizations. Applications must include a detailed proposal narrative, a comprehensive budget, and a monitoring and evaluation plan. Proposals will be evaluated based on program feasibility, organizational capacity, budget reasonableness, and long-term sustainability.

This document is a standardized, blank timeline and activity-planning template designed for government RFPs, federal grants, or state and local project proposals. Spanning a 24-month horizon across 2023 and 2024, the template provides a structured visual framework for applicants to outline their project's schedule and implementation strategy. The template is organized into three primary sections: * **Administrative Metadata:** Fields at the top designate space for the applicant's Organization Name and the Project Title. * **Project Objectives and Activities:** A sequential matrix allows applicants to map out specific tasks, subdivided into Objective 1 and Objective 2, with five corresponding activities (Activities 1.1 through 1.5) under each objective. * **Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E):** The bottom portion designates specific rows for tracking essential administrative and oversight functions, including performance indicator data collection, risk monitoring, reflection and decision-making sessions, and progress reporting. Ultimately, this tool serves as a critical compliance and planning resource, enabling grant applicants to demonstrate a clear, month-by-month operational roadmap and a robust monitoring framework to ensuring successful project execution and oversight.

This document is a blank project timeline template designed for federal, state, or local government grant applications and RFP responses. It provides a structured, visual framework for organizations to map out their project schedules, objectives, and key activities over a 24-month period spanning 2023 and 2024. The template is divided into three primary sections: * **Administrative Header:** Placeholders for the organization's name and the specific project title. * **Objectives and Activities:** A matrix to detail major project objectives (Objective 1 and Objective 2) along with five corresponding activities for each, tracked monthly across the two-year timeline. * **Monitoring and Evaluation:** Dedicated rows to schedule critical administrative and oversight milestones, including performance indicator data collection, risk monitoring, reflection and decision-making sessions, and progress reporting. Ultimately, this document serves as a standardized planning tool to help applicants demonstrate a clear, organized, and measurable implementation strategy to government evaluators.