On December 8, 2021, USAID announced a new partnership with seven universities around the world, including the Feinstein International Center at Tufts University. This alliance will build the evidence base for early actions that save lives before disaster strikes. With $3 million in support from USAID, this consortium of universities will encourage innovations that help humanitarian organizations and communities act early to respond to emergencies.

Erin Coughlan de Perez will lead this new project for Tufts. The partners will collaboratively evaluate real-time anticipatory action programs—or programs that focus on anticipating and preparing for disasters to mitigate their impact—to identify the most effective ways to help the most vulnerable people before a crisis pushes them further into life-threatening situations. The goal is to help communities in more than 60 countries over two years. The project will also conduct research to support and strengthen the design, data collection, analysis, and reporting of evaluation results of anticipatory action efforts.

Next year, one in twenty-nine people are projected to need humanitarian assistance to survive—a record high. To meet the vast needs, research like this is critical as the international community looks for innovative, cost-effective ways to save more lives and support the early recovery of vulnerable populations.

The consortium of universities includes Tufts University, Makerere University in Uganda, National University of Lesotho, University of the Philippines, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, University of Namibia, and Eduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique.

Meet the collaborators in this short video.

Read the overview 4As consortium to learn more.