The Building Research and Innovation for Development, Generating Evidence, and Training (BRIDGE-Train) program supports partnerships between higher education institutions in USAID Partner Countries and in the U.S. to develop research, innovation, and training centers for knowledge development aimed at addressing local and national development priorities.
The Center for Applied Research and Innovation in Supply Chain-Africa (CARISCA)
In Ghana and across Africa, supply chain decisions are often made by professionals with little or no formal supply chain training, leading to inefficiencies in product and services delivery that result in increased prices and decreased availability of essential goods. Poor infrastructure and last mile transportation challenges limit rural development and disempower informal operators across multiple sectors. These challenges also limit the potential for agriculture-based economic growth and reliable healthcare delivery. Thirty to fifty percent of the food produced in Sub-Saharan Africa is lost along the supply chain, contributing to food insecurity. In healthcare supply chains, hospitals and private sector actors face difficulties in understanding supply and demand patterns and forecasting needs.
In 2020, Arizona State University, in partnership with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana, launched the Center for Applied Research and Innovation in Supply Chain-Africa (CARISCA). Through training, innovation, and research, this new center addresses barriers to development caused by inefficient and ineffective supply chains, especially in health and agriculture.
CARISCA
Strengthens African higher education institution capacity for and adoption of innovative, locally relevant research.
Creates a strong network by engaging policymakers, the private sector, and civil society organizations in supply chain research, education, and knowledge transfer.
Develops relevant evidence-based training opportunities to benefit students and supply chain management practitioners in Ghana and beyond.
Learn more about CARISCA
Achieving Sustainable Partnerships for Innovation, Research, and Entrepreneurship (ASPIRE)
Guatemalans are currently facing a range of local and regional challenges—particularly acute poverty and migration pressures—which stem from a lack of quality employment options, high levels of socioeconomic inequality, and the exclusion of Indigenous Peoples from basic services and employment opportunities.
As part of the BRIDGE-Train program, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in partnership with Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG) and the Guatemalan Exporters Association (AGEXPORT) launched ASPIRE in 2021. The project is implementing an inclusive approach to create a network of innovation and technology centers in Guatemala and help address local and regional development challenges .
In Guatemala, ASPIRE is:
Expanding upon an existing innovation and technology center at UVG’s main campus in Guatemala City, adding two new centers at UVG’s satellite campuses in Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa and Sololá.
Engaging with local communities, the private sector, and government, and civil society partners.
Contributing to inclusive economic growth and job creation, entrepreneurship and innovation, and environmental sustainability with a focus on local and regional innovation.
ASPIRE seeks to create a replicable model for how Latin American higher education institutions and their collaborators can address development priorities through their research, teaching, innovation, and entrepreneurial activities.
