Deadline: September 30, 2026
The Middle East Regional Cooperation Program is seeking applications to support scientific research and innovation partnerships between the United States, Israel, and countries across the Middle East and North Africa.
The program focuses on supporting joint applied research projects that address shared regional challenges, advance U.S. economic, technological, and strategic interests, strengthen U.S. technological leadership, expand opportunities for U.S. businesses, promote the use of U.S. technologies, build long-term partnerships, encourage commercialization and broader adoption of research outcomes, and create opportunities for economic growth, peaceful collaboration, and long-term stability in the region.
MERC brings together researchers, technical experts, and institutions to develop projects that move beyond basic research and demonstrate clear potential for practical application. Projects must include organizations from Israel and at least one eligible MENA country or territory.
The program encourages U.S. participation when it contributes technical expertise, supports market expansion for U.S. companies, or helps connect research outcomes to markets. Projects should include a clear plan for using and scaling results and demonstrate how outcomes benefit the United States and participating countries.
The estimated total program funding is $10,000,000, with awards ranging from $100,000 to $2,000,000.
Eligible applicants include public and private educational institutions, corporations and for-profit organizations, not-for-profit organizations including think tanks and civil society or non-governmental organizations, public international organizations, and governmental institutions.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
