Middle East Regional Cooperation (MERC)

Assistance Coordination

Funding

Estimated total program funding: $10,000,000

About

The Middle East Regional Cooperation (MERC) Program supports joint scientific research and innovation partnerships between the United States, Israel, and countries across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The program funds applied research projects that address shared regional challenges while advancing U.S. economic, technological, and strategic interests. MERC is designed to bring together researchers, technical experts, and institutions to work on projects that go beyond basic research and demonstrate clear potential for application, commercialization, and broader adoption. MERC prioritizes efforts that strengthen U.S. technological leadership, expand opportunities for U.S. businesses, promote the use of U.S. technologies, and build long-term partnerships in the region. The program places strong emphasis on collaboration. All projects must include organizations from Israel and at least one eligible MENA country or territory. MERC welcomes U.S. participation, particularly when it adds technical expertise, supports market expansion for U.S. companies, or helps connect research to markets. Projects should demonstrate a clear plan for using and scaling results and how the outcomes benefit priorities of the United States and the participating countries. Overall, MERC aims to strengthen regional cooperation by supporting high-quality scientific partnerships that produce tangible results. By connecting U.S., Israeli, and MENA organizations, the program helps build networks, promote innovation, and create opportunities for economic growth, peaceful and mutually beneficial collaboration, and long-term stability in the region.

Eligibility

The following organizations are eligible to apply: - Public and private educational institutions - Corporations and for-profit organizations - Not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations - Public International Organizations and governmental institutions

Applicant types

Grants.gov eligibility code 25

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Notice-specific evidence check

What an applicant must verify for Middle East Regional Cooperation (MERC)

Applicant evidence

Applicant type: Other eligible applicants

Opportunity boundaries

Recorded funding: Estimated total program funding: $10,000,000
Recorded deadline: October 1, 2026; confirm time zone and submission system.
Recorded focus: Science, technology and research

Before investing in an application, connect every eligibility claim, required registration, submission component and deadline to the current official notice. Open the recorded official source →

Application checklist

How to apply for Middle East Regional Cooperation (MERC)

The steps below turn the recorded grant fields into a pre-submission check. They do not replace the current Notice of Funding Opportunity or its amendments.

Recorded eligibility

• Applicant types: Grants.gov eligibility code 25.
• Geographic scope is not structured in this record.
• Notice summary: The following organizations are eligible to apply: - Public and private educational institutions - Corporations and for-profit organizations - Not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations - Public International Organizations and governmental institutions

Focus areas: ST

Recorded deadline

September 30, 2026 — confirm the time zone and submission system

A missing or rolling date is not permission to assume an open application window.

1. Confirm fitMatch your applicant type, location, project scope and any cost-share or registration rule to the official notice.
2. Read the noticeCollect the current guidelines, amendments, budget rules, required attachments and submission instructions.
3. Check timingRecord the deadline time zone, internal review date and any earlier registration or portal cut-off.
4. Submit thereUse the official application route and save the confirmation or submission reference.

Official sources

Recorded source: https://www.grants.gov/xml-extract

Open official notice →

Last directory verification: Sep 13, 2026.