Abstract
USAID's Pakistan-United States Science and Technology (S&T) program provides research grants to Pakistani and American researchers to carry out joint research projects. The objective of these research partnerships is to build capacity at the institutional level in Pakistan and strengthen U.S.-Pakistan cooperative relationships in one or more of the following ways: (1) enhance the ability of Pakistan's science and technology community to spur human and economic development; (2) improve the quality, relevance, or capacity of education and research at Pakistani institutions of higher education in the field of science and technology; or (3) increase the capacity of Pakistani research institutions to support industry competitiveness. The S&T program has not been evaluated independently since 2008. As the program approaches its tenth year, USAID and Department of State (DoS) are interested in determining whether the purpose and approach of the S&T program model remain relevant, effective, and vital as contributors to improved U.S.-Pakistan relations and enhanced research capacity in Pakistan. The evaluation is expected to assess if U.S. Government investment in S&T research partnerships has: (1) sustainably strengthened scientific research capacity in Pakistan; (2) developed applied research products that have yielded benefits to industry, government, or individual quality of life; (3) fostered mutual understanding and goodwill between institutions and individuals in the U.S. and Pakistan as a result of academic collaboration; and, (4) yielded the achievement of project targets against the project's Mission Strategic Framework (MSF) indicators in a timely manner. The evaluation addressed each of these and a large number of sub-questions in detail, using a qualitative methodology based on multiple sources of information for triangulation. Specific evaluation findings, conclusions and recommendations are provided with detailed analysis for each evaluation question. (Excerpt, modified)