Middle East Regional Cooperation Program (MERC)
The Middle East Regional Cooperation Program (MERC)
was created in 1979 to promote cooperation between Israeli, Egyptian
and American scientists. Since 1989, projects have expanded to include
other Arab nations. The U.S. Agency for International Development allocates
$7 million to fund the program and has provided 24 grants totaling $20
million since 1999.
The goals of MERC are to contribute to development
and improvement of the quality of life in the Middle East Region through
the application of research and technology; and to contribute to the peace process through the establishment
of cooperative relationships that will last beyond the life of the project.
MERC funds cooperative projects in the areas of agriculture, health,
environment, economics, and engineering. Funds may be provided for grants
of up to $3 million over five years, although proposals of more modest
size are strongly encouraged. Awards are based on technical merit and
the contribution to peace and development in the region (all full research
proposals will also undergo external scientific peer review). In this
regard, genuine Arab-Israeli cooperation and regional significance are
key elements of all MERC projects.
Projects must include at least one Israeli and one
Arab partner. To date, the program has also funded activities with participation
from Jordan, Morocco, West Bank/Gaza, Lebanon, and Tunisia. Projects
involving three or more regional partners are also allowed. Partners
may come from academic, private sector, non-governmental, or governmental
institutions. The major focus of the MERC Program is on fostering direct
cooperation among Middle Eastern individuals and institutions.
The only non-regional partners allowed are U.S. institutions,
although U.S. participation is not a requirement. If an American partner
is included, their role in the project implementation should be limited
to providing technical assistance and must be justified on the grounds
of their specific technical qualifications in the subject area of the
proposal.
Ideally, MERC projects should apply research and technology
to regional problems rather than issues of strictly local or even global
concern. Examples of the types of development impacts MERC aims to achieve
include, but are not limited to: economic growth that increases incomes
of the disadvantaged; improved environmental management; strengthened
and harmonized national policies; increased food production; water conservation
and efficient use; and reduction of the burden of disease through better
treatments or health management strategies. Examples of projects include:
A) Research to develop techniques to increase food
production using minimum water, and using low levels of saline water
while producing quality fruits, vegetables and ornamentals.
B) Development of low cost and affordable technologies
for the treatment and reuse of domestic wastewater for agriculture.
C) A project to increase food and industrial crop
production in arid lands.
D) Development of agricultural techniques and technologies
in Morocco (this was the first project outside Egypt).
E) Monitoring and modeling of saltwater intrusion.
F) Protection and management of wastewater reuse
of a mountain aquifer.
G) AWater Data Banks Project to operate compatible
water data collection and dissemination programs.
H) The creation of a binational marine park in the
Gulf of Aqaba and a peace park at the Dead Sea.
One example of a MERC project that received nearly
$3 million from 1993-1997 was a collaboration involving scientists at
Virginia Tech and the National Research Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture
in Cairo, Egypt, and the Weizman Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel. These scientists sought ways to eliminate crop devastation
by a parasitic weed known as Orobanche. Interdisciplinary studies focused
on basic biological relationships between parasitic weeds and crop hosts.
State of the art methodologies were utilized, including extensive biotechnology
and genetic engineering research. MERC involved resting and evaluating
classical and molecular monitoring techniques linked with damage estimation,
integrated agronomic practices, and chemical and biological control
techniques. The Department of Plant Pathology, Physiology, and Weed
Science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia
Tech played a major role in project implementation.
A second project involved researchers from Egypt's
Plant Pathology Research Institute, Israel's Hebrew
University, the Palestinian
Authority's Bet Lehem University, Jordan's Al-Balqa' Applied University, Lebanon's American University of Beirut, Beirut, Tunisia's University of Tunisia, and Americans from the University of Wisconsin-Madison
and National Germplasm Resources Laboratory. The general goal was to
stablish standardized virus detection methods for the Middle East, particularly
Egypt, Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Jordan, Lebanon, and Tunisia.
The specific goals were to:
1. Develop reliable, sensitive detection methods
for the major viruses infecting selected propagative materials, i.e.,
potato, tomato, banana, grapes, and stone fruits.
2. Establish a collection of virus antisera and
virus detection probes for distribution to private sector and to government
institutions in addition to those involved in this project.
3. Establish a Plant Pathogen Detection Lab in the
Palestinian Authority, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia.
4. Standardize methods among the virus testing labs
by building confidence in the virus detection methods through training
and exchange visits and meetings between scientists from the different
collaborating countries.
5. Expand collaborative efforts between Arab countries
and Israel.
6. Implement a fee-based structure for programs
where appropriate.
Ultimately, the MERC Program strives to build sustained
Arab-Israeli cooperation. Most of all, the program places a premium
on projects based on true intellectual partnerships that can be sustained
well beyond the lifetime of the grant.
Middle East Regional Cooperation (MERC) Program
U.S. Agency for International Development
EGAT/IP
Room 2.11-152 RRB
1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, D.C. 20523-2110 USA
Sources: USAID |