About the International Development
Empowering Global Collaborations
The ASU International Development Initiative works with ASU faculty experts to advance transformative partnerships in countries in the global south with universities, civil society and non-governmental organizations and private sector actors. Our approach emphasizes equitable collaboration with in-country partners, translation of faculty research and expertise into real-world impact, and alignment with the priorities of major development funders, especially USAID.
With over a decade of experience working with USAID, the U.S. Department of State and numerous international development organizations, we offer the structure, know-how and connectivity to facilitate ASU faculty members to impact lives throughout the world.
Opportunity pursuit
The International Development Initiative’s approach to opportunity pursuit connects faculty interests with donor needs. We survey the international development ecosystem, including the forecasted project opportunities of USAID and other donors, and thoughtfully assess and qualify potential projects by leveraging our awareness of donor priorities and processes, prospective partner interests and in-country and regional needs and dynamics. We communicate the most promising possibilities to ASU faculty and units and partner with them to design — and win — innovative and competitive bids.
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Identify and evaluate
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Capture
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Proposal
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Start up
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Implementation
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Close out
Our opportunity pursuit process includes:
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Identification
Finding, evaluating and qualifying opportunities at the intersection of donor and faculty interests after thorough investigation of the in-country political, cultural and partner landscape to understand risks and opportunities and ensure project feasibility.
New business capture
Developing relationships and negotiating with prospective partners, including in-country universities and organizations, international NGOs and international development implementing firms.
Proposal development
Facilitating design, production and submission of proposals in collaboration with partners and faculty members.
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Start up
Implementation
Closeout
Facilitating implementation
The International Development Initiative’s Global Implementation & Impact Division (GI&I) comprises dedicated personnel who leverage specialized expertise in project coordination and implementation so that faculty experts can focus on creating transformative outcomes in local communities.
GI&I also supports faculty by facilitating evidence-based operational improvement and communicating project outcomes to donors, the public and research communities. The GI&I team comprises highly experienced professionals with backgrounds in both for-profit and non-profit implementing organizations, as well as academia. Their expertise supports the operational components of implementation so as to ensure that expert faculty members able to focus on the key technical areas of project implementation.
Project management and implementation
As the operations center for the university’s international development projects, Global Implementation & Impact provides the essential management and administrative functions necessary for smooth, compliant and impactful project start-up, implementation and close out. GI&I liaises with faculty, donors, and project personnel and partners to handle key project functions including:
- In-country operations and legal
- Financial operations
- Security
- Compliance
- Reporting
- Quality assurance
- Tax and legal requirements
GI&I also supports in-country project personnel by onboarding them to ASU and by ensuring that their unique needs are met and that they are equitably recognized as full collaborators and partners in project implementation.
Maximizing impact
International development projects present unique opportunities to build a strong evidence base around what interventions make the greatest impact and to use this evidence to strengthen development practice. Through its comprehensive back-office support in ensuring smooth project implementation and achieving maximum impact, Global Implementation & Impact (GI&I) enables faculty members to focus on making a meaningful difference in the lives of individuals and communities worldwide. GI&I capitalizes on this opportunity with an eye for maximizing project impact through:
Leveraging data and evidence for continuous improvement
GI&I works with faculty experts and project teams to capture valuable lessons learned throughout the implementation process, ensuring that knowledge and experiences are effectively translated into improved practices within ASU and the broader development community.
Communicating outcomes
GI&I collaborates with faculty members to communicate the impact of their work in communities by developing success stories that showcase transformative outcomes.
Knowledge translation
GI&I acts as an on-ramp to research publications and partnerships by helping faculty to translate data from the field into tangible evidence of effectiveness and supporting new research collaborations.
Work areas
The International Development Initiative works across six areas at the intersection of ASU faculty expertise and USAID priorities: