Located within ASU’s central administration, Knowledge Enterprise, the International Development Initiative leads the university’s efforts to secure and implement sponsored projects in the international development space. Our work helps the ASU live out its charter on a global scale.

Driving global change through impactful collaboration

The International Development Initiative at ASU is dedicated to driving global change through a collaborative, accountable and impact-driven approach to addressing the world’s development needs. We work in partnership with universities, governments, the private sector and non-governmental entities to solve development problems and act as an engine of transformational change around the world.

Embedded within and supported by the most innovative university in the United States, the ASU International Development Initiative develops powerful, enduring collaborations that leverage ASU’s global presence and reflect its commitment to taking responsibility for the communities it serves. We draw upon a vast network of local partners and international development implementers to develop principled, innovative and impactful approaches to tackling some of the world’s most pressing development challenges, led by ASU faculty experts working across multiple sectors, in alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and donor priorities.

$350 million


in USAID projects since 2014

100+


global university partnerships

50+


international development projects

Our work

The International Development Initiative draws upon a vast network of local partners and international development implementers to develop principled, innovative and impactful approaches. Our work is supported by ASU faculty experts working across multiple sectors aligned with USAID priorities, including:

Projects

Group of young people pose for the camera

Young African Leadership Initiative Legacy Localization

RLCs in Kenya, Senegal, Ghana, South Africa; Alumni chapters in 49 countries in sub-Saharan Africa

Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Legacy Localization seeks to unite the work of multiple YALI stakeholders to conceive a pan-sub-Saharan African entity named YALI Africa to develop the next generation of African leaders through the harmonization and strengthening of a comprehensive leadership training program in 49 countries in Africa.

Center for Applied Research and Innovation in Supply Chain-Africa (CARISCA)

Ghana

The Center for Applied Research and Innovation in Supply Chain-Africa (CARISCA) is an innovative partnership between ASU and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) that works to strengthen local capacity for improved supply chains in Ghana and throughout Africa.

LibrES: for an El Salvador without gender-based violence

El Salvador

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a significant issue in El Salvador, affecting up to two-thirds of Salvadoran women and girls. The USAID-funded LibrES program, led by ASU in partnership with local organizations, universities and United Nations agencies, leverages individual and systemic approaches to contribute safer and more productive lives for women and vulnerable populations in El Salvador, thus decreasing the likelihood of irregular migration to the United States.

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Partner with us

Whether you are an ASU faculty or staff member or prospective partner, we would like to explore opportunities to collaborate and advance your vision.