March 22 to 25, 2015 

USAID’s Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) program in collaboration with USAID/Peru convened a regional meeting of nearly 50 scientists and engineers to discuss their innovative work and expand Latin America & Caribbean’s regional capacity for scientific research. The participants included 15 PEER researchers from Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic; U.S. government science agencies; the Gates Foundation; UNDP; the Japanese Science and Technology Agency; and National Instruments, who offers integrated hardware and software platforms that aid in research and innovation.

The meeting also provided the researchers with the opportunity to learn about the role their work could play in the planning and decision making of the USAID missions with a panel of staff from the missions in Peru and Brazil as well as a keynote speech from the Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy at Peru Lawrence Gumbiner.  “The reason science is such a powerful tool is because it knows no borders and needs partnership for its success," said Gumbiner to participants. USAID looks forward to the new partnerships that will result from the Latin America PEER Forum.