Description: The proposed TA will support project preparation of a series of ensuing ADB projects in the human and social development (HSD) sectors education, health, and social protection in Southeast Asian developing member countries (DMCs). The initial focus will be on operations included in the country pipelines up to 2025. The TA will also provide technical support to build capacity and strengthen implementation of selected ongoing projects. It will also support analytical work and knowledge management. Knowledge will be shared with and among DMCs.Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy: The TA will support Human and Social Development Sector Office operations in Southeast Asia. It will assist in sustaining post-pandemic recovery in education, health, and social protection while addressing the challenges of climate transition. In line with ADB's country partnership strategies, the TA will support project preparation, capacity building, and knowledge and policy advice for ensuing projects from 2023-2025, while supporting the implementation of ongoing projects. Lessons from previous TA facilities underscore the need for a flexible approach in addressing the emerging short- and medium-term investment and knowledge requirements of Southeast Asian DMCs in the human and social development sectors.

Description: The proposed Economic Management Improvement Program, Phase 2 (EMIP II) supports transformation of Uzbekistan's state-dominated economy by strengthening fiscal management,improving governance and operations of state-owned enterprises (SOEs), and enhancing public sector accountability. The program is aligned with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) countrypartnership strategy for Uzbekistan, 2019-2023 and operational priorities of ADB's Strategy 2030 that are (i) strengthening governance, quality, and capacity of public institutions to undertakepolicy reforms and promote private sector development; (ii) accelerating progress in gender equality; (iii) addressing remaining poverty and reducing inequalities; and (iv) tackling climatechange, building climate and disaster resilience, and enhancing environmental sustainability.The program is designed under a policy-based lending modality with two subprograms. While subprogram 1 focuses on improving the legal, regulatory, and institutional framework, subprogram 2 supports measures for effective and transparent fiscal management; SOE transformation, including strengthening of the competitive environment; and improving anticorruption and audit systems. The programmatic approach allows for comprehensive policy dialogue and flexibility in implementing logically sequenced structural reforms in a multiyear framework. The attached technical assistance (TA) of $250,000 supports the implementation.Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy: Since independence in 1991, Uzbekistan has pursued an import substitution model under a state-dominated economy, driven by commodity exports. Since 2017, Uzbekistan has undertaken structural reforms to facilitate transition towards a market-based economy under its National Development Strategy, 2017-2021 and Roadmap of Reforms, 2019-2021. A set of fundamental macroeconomic and public financial management reforms have been undertaken with support from development partners, including ADB's Economic Management Improvement Program (EMIP). Uzbekistan has maintained sound macroeconomic policies with low risk of debt stress and ample foreign exchange reserves, achieving average gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 6.8% during 2010-2019. Amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, Uzbekistan had a GDP growth rate of 1.9% in 2020 and 7.4% in 2021 with effective countercyclical response. However, long-standing development constraints prevail.

Description: The knowledge and support technical assistance cluster (C-KSTA) on Supporting Evaluations in Asia and the Pacific, 2020-2024, consisting of 3 subprojects, was approved by the Board of Directors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on a no-objection basis on 27 August 2020. KSTA 6701 (Subproject 1 of the C-KSTA) is underway and agreed funding set aside for a regional assistance program evaluation, a corporate evaluation, and two sector-wide evaluations and validations of country partnership strategy final reviews, from its original scope. Subproject 2 will also fund high-level and other evaluations to improve ADB strategies, policies, processes, and operations. In doing so, Independent Evaluation Department (IED) follows internationally accepted principles and standards.Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy: Subproject 2 is aligned with the C-KSTAs impact of improved development effectiveness of ADB operations, policies, and business processes. Its intended outcome is the increased use of and learning from evaluations and their recommendations by the Development Effectiveness Committee (DEC), ADB Management and staff, and broader stakeholders. The implicit theory of change holds that under the 2022-2024 work program, IED will deliver a combination of evaluations that are strategically and operationally relevant to Strategy 2030. These, along with their knowledge sharing and outreach, will in turn support more effective ADB policies, processes, and operations subsequently benefiting developing member countries (DMCs) in Asia and the Pacific.

Description: This knowledge and support technical assistance (TA) will further the timely and coordinated generation and delivery of knowledge solutions and policy advice to developing member countries (DMCs) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and to subregional groups, to address the devastating health, social, economic, and financial impacts of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The TA will help Southeast Asian DMCs' economic recovery and renewal, promote inclusive growth, and support the formulation and implementation of COVID-19 recovery strategies, policies, plans, and other knowledge products and services through in-depth analysis, stakeholder consultations, and high-level policy advice. The TA will also increase ADB's operational efficiency and policy impact, and improve the efficacy of ADB's knowledge products, services, and support in Southeast Asia, while expediting DMCs' collaboration with solution providers from the private sector, academia, civil society, research institutes, and other development partners.Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy: The TA supports ADB's Strategy 2030 operational priorities of tackling remaining poverty and reducing inequalities (OP1); accelerating progress in gender equality (OP2); dealing with climate change, building climate and disaster resilience, and boosting environmental sustainability (OP3); making cities more livable (OP4); strengthening governance and institutional capacity (OP6) and fostering regional cooperation and integration (OP7). Under OP7, the TA focuses on (i) greater and higher quality connectivity between economies, (ii) expanded global and regional trade and investment opportunities, and (iii) increased and diversified regional public goods.

Description: Support preparation of the program.The program is a complex and multisector undertaking, for which the government has requested technical assistance (TA) to support its preparation. The TA will help the government prepare full-scale due diligence in technical, economic, financial, social, environmental, and institutional aspects, including in-depth local socioeconomic and ecosystem assessments, as well as prepare the program road map, policy framework, undertaking, and provide necessary capacity development. The TA will contribute to operational priorities (OPs) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 under Strategy 2030 and to the ongoing country partnership strategy (CPS) objectives for Nepal, 2020-2024. It is also aligned with government priorities, ADB's country-level objectives and was confirmed and included in Nepal's country programming mission in 2023.Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy: The proposed Green and Resilience Financing Facility Investment Program (GREFF) is a large-scale, transformative, and integrated initiative responding to the growing demand and urgent need to address the effect of climate change in Nepal. The program's concept was developed in response to the request of the Government of Nepal to upscale climate financing for adaptation and increase access to grant and highly concessional resources from both climate and development finance. It aims to bridge the financing, capacity, institutional, and technical gaps in implementing Nepal's National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and the adaptation measures mentioned in the Second Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), and the green, resilient, inclusive development (GRID), while promoting mitigation, biodiversity, air quality, and food security as co-benefit. The facility will offer a blended pool of financing sources (including grants, concessional loans, and credit guarantees from both climate and development finance), technical support, and knowledge solutions to deliver predictable and accessible finance and knowledge solutions to governments, civil society, and the private sector.

Description: The Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative (PSDI) provides advisory and capacity-building assistance to help Pacific developing member countries (DMCs) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) improve their business enabling environments. This in turn supports inclusive, private sector-led economic growth. The three consecutive phases of PSDI implemented since 2007 have helped Pacific DMCs carry out reforms and introduce new policies to improve conditions for private sector development and investment, responding to related needs and opportunities as they evolved. PSDI has expended $60.83 million during the first three phases which funded more than 600 subprojects. This included grant cofinancing of $54.73 million from Australia and New Zealand which reflects the importance and value their governments place on introducing reforms and building capacity for private sector development in the Pacific. The technical assistance (TA) for Phase IV (PSDI IV) will build on Phase III achievements across six core areas of focus: access to finance, business law reform, state-owned enterprise reform, public-private partnerships, competition and consumer protection, and the economic empowerment of women. PSDI IV will retain these areas of focus and also respond to climate change and labor mobility by incorporating these issues into relevant subprojects. A 2018 review of PSDI by ADB's Independent Evaluation Department (IED) found that the first three phases helped provide several important inputs necessary for establishing modern, functioning private sectors in Pacific DMCs. While concluding that PSDI remained relevant and well-aligned with these DMCs' needs, IED made recommendations aimed at improving outcomes. These recommendations have been incorporated into PSDI IV. PSDI IV is consistent with ADB's Strategy 2030 and aligned with the strategic priorities of ADB's Pacific Approach, 2016-2020. The TA is included in the Pacific Regional Operations Business Plan, 2019-2021. Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy: Despite progress, sustained engagement is needed to shift and remove the many barriers to healthier private sectors in Pacific DMCs. Most Pacific DMCs are remote, small in size and population, and vulnerable to shocks. Geographical dispersion and distance from major markets limit competition and increase costs. Economies are narrow and rely heavily on the public sector and large, often struggling SOEs. Complex legislation and weak policies, along with human and institutional capacity constraints, raise the cost of doing business, make it hard for financiers and investors to assess risks, suppress business access to finance, and slow economic growth. Policy reforms have proven critical to improving these business environments so far. Private investment and growth trajectories have been lifted through PSDI I-III, and trade and connectivity within the Pacific and other markets has increased. Pacific DMCs are seeking further assistance under PSDI IV to accelerate and expand these reforms and address the numerous challenges that remain.

Description: This knowledge and support technical assistance (TA) will help develop inclusive and resilient social protection systems in Asia and the Pacific region by (i) strengthening social protection systems and policies, (ii) developing resilient and integrated solutions that can amplify development impacts and support inclusion, and (iii) providing catalytic support to develop inclusive and resilient social protection projects. The TA will help Asian Development Bank (ADB) developing member countries (DMCs) design and expand social protection measures through capacity building, knowledge generation, and support for project development. The TA will contribute to ADB's Strategy 2030, operational priority 1 (addressing remaining poverty and reducing inequality) and will support implementation of the Social Protection Directional Guide 2022-2030. It will build on outputs of two ongoing but soon-to-close TA operations on social protection implemented by the Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department: (i) Strategies for Financing Social Protection to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals in Developing Member Countries and (ii) Enhancing ADB's Support for Social Protection to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. This TA will complement ADB's contribution to an inclusive recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, strengthening resilience to existing and new risks, and augmenting ongoing efforts by ADB's regional departments to develop a robust pipeline of impactful support to social protection systems in Asia and the Pacific. Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy: Social protection is one of the most effective measures to reduce poverty and inequality, and promote inclusive development. Many social protection systems in Asia and the Pacific still have limited coverage, expenditure, range of programs, and ability to deal effectively with the impacts of crises and shocks (e.g., health, financial, and disaster). ADB's Social Protection Indicator (SPI) estimates that about 53.5% of social protection's target population in the region is covered by at least one social protection benefit. Expenditure is growing - largely the result of the expansion in social insurance that primarily benefits workers in the formal sector - but is still low (about 5.5% of gross domestic product). Investment in key areas, such as labor market programs, remains inadequate. Large segments of the population without coverage comprise mainly women, workers in the informal sector (70% of the labor force in the region; about 64% of women in the region work in the informal sector), and migrant workers. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of strengthening social protection systems and service delivery. ADB estimates that the COVID-19 crisis pushed an additional 78 million people into poverty in Asia and the Pacific, reversing gains in poverty reduction over the previous 3-4 years before the pandemic. Most countries deployed social protection measures as a pillar of their response, particularly to protect the most vulnerable. The post-pandemic world brought about a set of new polycrises, including slow economic growth, global inflation exacerbated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, rising geopolitical tensions, food insecurity, and elevated risk of social unrest. Rapid demographic transitions in some countries have increased the need for old age income security and appropriate health and social care services. The region is also facing structural changes and disruptions from climate change and must prepare for future shocks and stresses. Many ADB DMCs have underdeveloped social protection systems and face fiscal constraints that limit their ability to manage risk and strengthen the adaptive capacity of systems and populations. This underscores the importance of strengthening sustainable financing mechanisms and developing adaptive and shock-responsive social protection systems that can mitigate the impacts of climate, economic, environmental, and political crises. To increase resilience and address multifaceted constraints, interventions require integrated approaches with social protection programs to help amplify the development impacts in other sectors. Examples include (i) social protection for economic inclusion programs, (ii) digitalization that improves the management of programs and delivery of services, (iii) expansion of social care and support services addressing lifecycle vulnerabilities, and (iv) social protection integrated with food security programming. These factors highlight the opportunities for developing a pipeline and strengthening social protection programs and systems in ADB DMCs. ADB's Independent Evaluation Department (IED) noted that, under Strategy 2020, ADB's social protection lending and TA were primarily crisis-driven and did not seek deeper engagement to develop and strengthen national social protection systems. The low priority that ADB and its DMCs gave to social protection resulted in a small and scattered social protection portfolio. System strengthening requires sustained engagement in DMCs through (i) country partnership strategies (CPSs); (ii) broader dialogue on macroeconomic and fiscal reforms; and (iii) continued development of knowledge, effective partnerships to support operations, and cofinancing. In response to these lessons, this TA will help ADB be a more effective development partner in social protection in the region.

Description: The project aims to improve early childhood development (ECD) and maternal mental health in Meghalaya. It will help Meghalaya ensure that children aged 0-6 years receive nurturing care for their growth and development.The project is aligned with the following impact: early childhood growth and development and maternal mental health in Meghalaya improved. The project will have the following outcome: access to quality and age-appropriate childcare and maternal mental health care improved. The project will have the following outputs.Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy: Meghalaya, a northeastern state in India, is home to 3.3 million people (80% rural and 86% tribal), with almost 70% of individuals engaged in agriculture and allied activities. The state per capita income is 87,653 (India's national average is 132,115) and 34% of the population lives below the poverty line. About 0.5 million children are 0-6 years old. The state has a high burden of malnutrition for children aged 0- years. The prevalence of stunting increased from 44% in fiscal year (FY) 2016 to 47% in FY2019 (national average of 36%). About 45% of children and 54% women were found to be anemic in FY2020.At the national level, the Prime Minister's Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment was launched for implementation during FY2022-FY2026. The state government of Meghalaya included ECD as one of the key priorities in the state's health policy and launched the ECD Mission in 2021. The mission has a multisector approach and a strong governance structure to ensure effective collaboration among health, women and child development, education, and climate resilience departments.

Description: The TA facility is estimated to cost $1,100,000, of which $1,000,000 will be financed on a grant basis by ADB's Technical Assistance Special Fund (TASF-other sources). The proposed transaction technical assistance facility (TA) will help the executing agencies and implementing agencies meet government and ADB financing requirements by supporting project preparation, increasing project readiness, building capacity in project implementation and overall portfolio management. The TA will support the following ensuing projects and provide initial implementation support after project approval to ensure smooth project implementation.(i)Uttarakhand Transmission Strengthening and Distribution Improvement Project(ii)Meghalaya Power Distribution Sector Improvement Project(iii)Tripura Generation Upgrading and Distribution Strengthening Project(iv)Other projects to be proposed by the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance for ADB Financing.Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy: The projects to be supported by this TA are aligned with the operational priorities of ADB's Strategy 2030, namely (i) addressing remaining poverty and reducing inequality by providing improved access to electricity and access to quality jobs, health and social services; (ii) tackling climate change, building climate resilience, and enhancing environmental sustainability; (iii) accelerating progress in gender equality by providing new opportunities using energy-based livelihoods; and (iv) promoting rural development and food security through enhanced power supplies to rural areas.

Description: ADB being a long-standing development partner of Kyrgyz Republic and helping government to achieve inclusive growth and good governance to reduce poverty. The corruption is an area which is globally considered a cause of poverty and also effect growth of private sector development. Promoting good governance and accountability functions in the country will help in achievement of ADB's investments to strengthen private sector for economic growth. The government is requesting ADB's support for the implementation of anti-corruption strategy and through this TA, ADB would be able to further strengthen its engagement with accountability institutions and other development partners who are supporting GOKR in combating corruption. The TA is in line with ADB's operational priority 6: strengthening governance and institutional capacity.Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy: In 2022, ADB has performed governance assessment (GA) for the Kyrgyz Republic. The assessment team evaluated the performance of multiple public financial management (PFM) country systems, including procurement, along with overall anti-corruption efforts being made by the government. The performance of most of the PFM systems was considered as adequate, though some weaknesses were noted related to procurement, public investment etc. One of the key issues highlighted in the GA was the Transparency International (TI) 2021 Corruption Perception Index, which ranks the Kyrgyz Republic at 144 out of 180 countries and territories assessed, which is significantly lower than 2020 rank of 124 out of 180 countries and territories. Another important issue raised in the GA was the exclusion of procurement done by the joint stock companies, and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) from the new Public Procurement Law (PPL). The GA suggest an opportunity to develop Chamber of Accounts of Kyrgyz Republic's (COA) capacity to ensure that the procurement activities related to SOEs are audited by the COA, as such audits will help to combat corruption in the country.

Description: This knowledge and support technical assistance (TA) will support development of a database on regional trade agreement (RTA) tariff commitments and several studies on the economic effects of mega-RTAs, the factors driving their successful implementation, and key policies to fully realize their economic benefits. These include market access aspects of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) such as tariff commitments, rules of origin, services trade liberalization, trade facilitation, e-commerce, nontariff measures, technical barriers to trade, and investment to improve understanding of their economic impact among policy makers, academics, the private sector, and civil society. These will support policy advice and capacity development of developing member countries (DMCs).The TA is aligned with the following impact: Improved implementation of trade agreements in participating ADB regional members. The TA will have the following outcome: Increased knowledge and awarenessamong RTAs stakeholders (policy makers, government, private sector, civil society, and the public) of trade and investment effects of mega-RTAs such as RCEP and CPTPP (with other RTAs). This will be done through elaboration and dissemination of at least three high-quality studies to promote understanding, policy dialogue (among governments, private sector, civil society, ASEAN and ASEAN+3 Secretariat, multilateral organizations, and ADB-supported subregional cooperation programs such as the Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation Program), and raise capacity of policy makers to maximize RTA net benefits and manage costs. The proposed recommendations and database will support (i) further knowledge, such as flagship reports and other databases, and (ii) ADB's operational work, such as identification of regional public goods and subsequent investment projects, beyond the implementation period of the KSTA. The TA will also deliver the following solutions and outputs: (i) Knowledge products with regional and country level policy recommendations delivered; (ii) Database on trade agreements with dashboard and visualization established; and (iii) Capacity building activities with public and private RTAs stakeholders delivered.Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy: As global and regional economies prepare to reopen and begin recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, trade uncertainty persists, including in readjustments in global and regional supply chains. On a positive note, the recent RCEP signing is expected to create the world's largest trading bloc, strongly boosting regional free trade efforts, upholding the multilateral trade system, and deepening the region's open, transparent, and inclusive trade and investment for post-pandemic recovery.However, experience shows that these benefits depend on successful implementation of RCEP commitments and willingness and capacity from the private sector to fully use its provisions within a context of overlapping and competing trade preference schemes (bilateral, regional, multilateral). That is, RTAs are effective only when they are designed with business-friendly rules, implemented transparently and predictably, and well understood by users. This requires interventions at three levels. First, policy makers need to design RTA provisions reflecting industrial and global value chain constraints of member countries. The bigger the RTA, the bigger the challenge to find rules suitable for all and better than opportunities provided by existing bilateral and regional agreements. Second, weak government capacity to negotiate and apply user-friendly trade rulesresulting from lack of understanding of RTA impact and best practicesoften creates shallow or incomplete trade agreements with unclear legal provisions. Third, limited outreach to explain RTA content, the complexity of RTAs, and unclear trade rules can limit understanding of international trade rules. Users are either unable or unwilling to comply with the RTA requirements such as rules of origin, or may not know how to benefit from preferential treatment. In particular, unclear operational guidelines, such as for RCEP rules of origin, and insufficient training of customs officials may stifle transparency and predictability, discouraging private sector application for preferential border treatment.Better understanding of the conditions or criteria for the success of trade agreements in Asia is therefore needed to formulate sound, relevant, timely, and targeted policy recommendations and actions at the three levels. By working closely with all RTA stakeholders, this TA aims to: (i) strengthen understanding of key factors in successful RTA implementation, (ii) allow elaboration of strategies and trade policy options across economies and sectors to maximize positive RTA impact, and (iii) mitigate and manage costs that arise during implementation and allow better trade and investment actions.

Description: Himachal Pradesh is a small state with more than 50% of its areas in mountains and less than 10% in cultivation. The state's economic growth in the 1990s was driven by agriculture and its allied activities, but has gradually shifted to the industrial/manufacturing and services sectors. Still, Himachal Pradesh is the only state in India where 90% of the state's population live in rural areas and nearly 62% of the state population relies on agriculture and its allied sectors for employment. Despite the importance of agriculture in the livelihood of large rural population, there is a distinct agricultural development gap between the northern (or temperate horticulture areas) and southern (or subtropical horticulture areas) parts of Himachal Pradesh. Subtropical horticulture farmers earn only $116 per month while temperate horticulture farmers earn about $1,550 per month. Temperate horticulture in northern Himachal Pradesh has been dominated by the production of apple, which is the most important fruit crop for the state accounting for 79% of the state's fruit production in 2017 -2018. The state recognizes the need to diversity horticulture production. This is because apple production fluctuates due to weather and changing markets, and the potential to reduce income disparity between the northern and southern parts of Himachal Pradesh, benefiting from accessing off-season markets of other fruits and vegetables in the subtropical area. The State Government of Himachal Pradesh requested the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to support development of horticulture in subtropical areas of the state, and reduce income gap between farmers in subtropical and temperate horticulture regions.Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy: The project aims to increase income of at least 15,000 farm households in seven districts of Bilaspur, Hamipur, Kangra, Mandi, Solan, Sirmour and Una in subtropical areas of Himachal Pradesh. At least 20% of the project's beneficiaries will be poor households. The project will expand irrigation to farmers, increase subtropical horticulture production and its climate resilience, and assure profitability of subtropical horticulture production through value chain development of targeted commodities.

Description: The Sustainable Infrastructure Assistance Program Phase II (SIAP2) was approved on 29 November 2018 and is expected to be completed on 30 June 2024. It supports (i) preparation of specific ensuing infrastructure projects included in the ADB's current and future project pipeline for Indonesia; (ii) implementation and capacity building support to specific ongoing ADB-funded infrastructure projects; and (iii) knowledge and policy advisory support in the areas of infrastructure planning and financing, together with program management support for effective SIAP2 implementation.Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy: The TA subproject will assist ADB and the government to ensure project readiness by complementing ongoing support from TA 6752-REG: Southeast Asia Urban Service Facility (SURF) and Loan 3455-INO: Accelerating Infrastructure Delivery Through Better Engineering Services Project (ESP) and conduct due diligence for ADB processing of the Citywide Inclusive Sanitation Project. The due diligence will include, but not be limited to (i) procurement capacity assessment, (ii) economic and financial assessment, (iii) financial management assessment, (iv) environmental assessment, (v) land acquisition and resettlement, (vi) gender, and (vii) social development. The TA will also support initial project start-up implementation, such as bidding process, land acquisition, and resettlement of project affected persons, as required.

Description: The transaction technical assistance (TA) facility (the Southeast Asia Facility for Resilient Cities) will provide project preparation, policy advice, and capacity development support for projects and investment programs in the urban development and water sectors of the Southeast Asia regionProject Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy: The TA will be mainly on the delivery of integrated and innovative solutions for the nurturing of livable cities through investments in resilient urban infrastructure by (i) tackling climate change, and building climate resilience and disaster resilience; (ii) developing resilience in cities and in their urban services; (iii) enhancing environmental sustainability; (iv) promoting the value of green and nature-based solutions; (ivii) making cities more livable through investments in urban infrastructure; (iv) addressing inclusiveness and social/poverty challenges issues; and (vi) improving institutional effectiveness; and (viii) reinforcing financial sustainability.

Description: 1. The program is aligned with the following impact: living standards improved for the population of Uzbekistan. The program will have the following outcome: availability of affordable market-based residential mortgage credit increased. The outcome will be achieved by establishing the premise for improved access to long-term market-based funding and enhanced development of competitive housing finance products, as well as reforming the inefficient housing subsidy framework and some of its programs.2. The program will have three outputs. The multitranche PBL will primarily support reforms under outputs 1 and 2. The PBL comprises 13 policy actions under tranche 1 and 14 policy actions under tranche 2. The FIL will focus on delivering output 3 of the program.3. Output 1: Policy, regulatory, and legal framework for the mortgage finance industry strengthened. The government will revise and strengthen the existing housing policy and subsidy framework, which is presently distorting the financial system (i.e., government housing programs are provided at below-market rates, crowding out market funding and pricing). Activities include review of the existing, and establishment of better targeted, subsidy programs that reach lower-income households. Some of the changes under tranche 1 of the PBL are aimed at reducing excessive subsidies and their regressive nature. Policy actions under tranche 2 of the PBL will further deepen these reforms to enhance the fiscal sustainability and effectiveness of pro-poor targeting. The transition, which the UMRC will facilitate, toward stronger private sector participation in the development of the housing sector will be supported by (i) introducing a new category of financial institutions specializing in mortgage refinancing activities, (ii) mandating the Central Bank of Uzbekistan (CBU) to supervise and regulate this new category of financial institutions, and (iii) developing new regulations on mortgage lending to induce sound lending practices by banks.4. Output 2: Housing finance strategy and subsidy framework strengthened. Tranche 1 of the PBL will establish the institutional mechanisms required to effectively implement and rationalize the government's housing subsidy framework. The government will establish the HAU to coordinate all existing housing policies and subsidy programs. In the initial phase, the HAU will take stock of the existing government housing programs and redefine the eligibility criteria for beneficiaries, review the housing policy framework, and agree on a road map that sets out priorities for the required legal and policy reforms. Ultimately, the HAU will become a single point of contact for all housing programs and subsidy schemes, with the objectives of reducing the excessive burden on the public budget and improving efficiency and sustainability. The HAU will also increase coverage by developing innovative and new housing finance solutions and instruments (such as the up-front and one-time subsidy schemes for low-income beneficiaries, and rental programs in the housing sector).5. The following actions will be carried out by the government under tranche 2 of the PBL to facilitate implementation of outputs 1 and 2: (i) introduction of a pilot program of income-based up-front housing subsidies for low-income families and preparation of a feasibility study for a new government-sponsored housing assistance scheme; (ii) development of a comprehensive housing and mortgage market database; (iii) eventual transformation of the HAU into an independent housing agency; (iv) preparation and approval of a new system for the collection and timely dissemination of statistical data and information on the housing sector, which will ultimately lead to the establishment of a house price index; (v) review and amendment of the current prudential and regulatory framework governing housing finance and mortgage lending in line with international norms; and (vi) comprehensive review of the housing sector (demand and supply sides) to identify areas and initiatives to promote greater competition by introducing international best practices. A feasibility study will also look into the future roles and relevance of the two dominant state-owned real estate developers.6. Output 3: The establishment and operationalization of the mortgage refinancing company supported with long-term funding. Under this output (solely addressed by the FIL), ADB will provide long-term funding to the proposed UMRC to make long-term local currency resources available to banks to fund residential mortgage and housing improvement loans. The UMRC will facilitate the provision of mortgage loans at an interest rate close to market rates (with an average loan maturity of 10 years), and address the demand for housing improvement loans, which are currently unavailable in the market. The UMRC will address a fundamental market constraint that is preventing banks from expanding their housing finance portfolios, by better matching their assets and liabilities. The UMRC will provide loans to participating financial institutions (PFIs) that are secured by eligible mortgage loans, based on criteria that will assess product design, market-based pricing, underwriting practices, loan documentation, and performance. This will help to professionalize the overall housing finance industry and address the risks associated with broadening access to housing finance across new borrower segments. Eligibility criteria will also target end-beneficiaries that are currently underserved by the banking sector. In the medium to long term, the UMRC will support more exponential sector growth by using new debt instruments such as corporate bonds, covered bonds, and/or mortgage-backed securities to mobilize long-term funds from institutional investors.Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy: 1. Macroeconomic context. Since 2017, Uzbekistan has undertaken critical reforms, which have sustained a gross domestic product (GDP) growth above 5% in 2018. The country moved to a more liberal exchange rate and trade regime in 2017 and is undertaking major fiscal reforms. Substantive progress has also been achieved through ongoing structural and institutional reforms. The government is keen to continue its reform agenda, but it remains challenging. To sustain high growth and to make the private sector the primary driver of growth, the government has prioritized the restructuring of state-owned enterprises (SOEs), public finance management reforms, including ad hoc transfers from the state budget to SOEs, and finance sector development.2. Sector development context. Access to affordable and long-term mortgage finance is needed to meet the growing housing demand, which is the result of population growth and years of underinvestment in the housing sector. Uzbekistan needs to produce 145,000 new housing units per year until 2040 to keep up with new household formation and replace old housing stock, with most new housing needed in urban areas. This figure is well above current production figures; the housing shortfall is therefore increasing annually despite the government's involvement to address it. In the past, the government initiated a number of housing subsidy programs mostly administered by state-owned commercial banks to improve the housing conditions in the country. However, the inefficiently structured and targeted subsidies are costly for the government and are not conducive to the development of market-based solutions by focusing solely on a limited number of households and products. 3. Core development problem. The government acknowledges that it lacks a comprehensive housing policy and subsidies framework. The existing housing finance programs are not effectively coordinated in terms of design, targeting, and use of subsidies, resulting in inefficient use of limited fiscal resources. The government also recognizes the need to gradually replace or phase out the existing programs and move to a market-based mortgage finance mechanism in addressing the housing needs of the population.4. Low mortgage finance intermediation by banks dominated by state housing programs. The mortgage loan portfolio of Uzbek banks has increased steadily during 20132018, as reflected by the high compound annual growth rate of all bank mortgage loan portfolios of 31.4% and growth in the total gross loan portfolio of banks of 36.8% during this period. As of the end of 2018, the total mortgage loan portfolio had grown to SUM13.8 trillion. However, these figures still only represent 8.3% of banks' total loans outstanding and 3.4% of the GDP. Since 2007, most state housing programs have been mainly delivered by public banks. Six public banks issued 92% of all mortgage loans under the government's rural and urban housing programs (i.e. at subsidized rates). As a result, of the 39,556 mortgage loans issued in 2018, 75% by number, and 72% by volume, of loans were issued under the various state housing programs. 5. Lack of access to long-term funding and underdeveloped capital markets. All commercial banks are constrained by the lack of access to long-term funding (beyond 1 year). This results in banks' aversion to fund residential mortgages and leads to limited experience and insufficient internal capacity to properly design, analyze, price, and service mortgage loans. The capital market in the country is underdeveloped and illiquid. There is no active bond market to mobilize long-term financing from institutional investors, such as pension funds or insurance companies. Despite the sizable mortgage loan portfolio in public banks, these mortgage loans cannot be used by the banks for the issuance of corporate bonds or mortgage-backed securities because of the highly subsidized interest rates. New instruments such as long-term saving plans for households are also absent.6. The proposed sector development program (SDP) aims to develop a market-based residential mortgage market by (i) designing and implementing a new housing policy, reforming housing subsidies, and reviewing the legal and regulatory framework; (ii) strengthening the institutional framework to administer housing policy and subsidies by establishing a Housing Assistance Unit (HAU) in the Ministry of Finance (MOF); and (iii) making long-term fixed-rate local currency funds available to banks to enable them to expand their range of residential mortgage loan products through the establishment of the Uzbekistan Mortgage Refinancing Company (UMRC). 7. Consistency with Asian Development Bank strategy and country strategy. The program is consistent with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) country partnership strategy for Uzbekistan, 20192023, which supports inclusive and sustainable economic growth through financial market development, access to finance, private sector development, and domestic resource mobilization. The program is included in ADB's country operations business plan for Uzbekistan, 20192021, and will be the first SDP in the country. In late 2017, ADB provided knowledge support TA to conduct detailed diagnostics of the housing finance sector, which led to a comprehensive government reform program. The program supports key operational priorities of ADB's Strategy 2030 such as making cities more livable, addressing remaining poverty and reducing inequalities, accelerating progress in gender equality and strengthening governance and institutional capacity. 8. Government's reform agenda. Based on ADB's advice and preparatory work, the government prepared a comprehensive presidential decree to reform the mortgage finance sector, which was signed on 13 May 2019. The decree establishes a strategic road map for the development of the mortgage market, including reforms to the existing housing policy and subsidies framework, over the period of 20192021. The government plans to gradually reduce its direct role in providing long-term funding for residential mortgage finance, remove interest rate subsidies and other distortions in the finance sector, reform the regressive subsidy framework, and establish efficient administrative mechanisms. Over time, the government plans to enable the operations of new institutions and to replace the current inefficient and costly subsidy programs with transparent and efficient subsidies to make residential mortgages more affordable to low- and middle-income families.9. Rationale for a sector development program. The SDP modality is justified because the sector requires both a policy reform component and an investment component (supported by the FIL), which are interlinked. The PBL will focus on reforms that are necessary for creating the enabling environment for an effective and efficient mortgage finance market. The FIL will help establish a new type of financial institution (i.e., the UMRC) with private sector participation and make long-term funds available to banks. Initially, the UMRC will use ADB resources and subsequently access the capital market by issuing bonds (i.e., once the domestic capital markets are sufficiently developed). Therefore, the program will ensure that (i) reforms to improve market intermediation are pursued continuously, (ii) government housing policies and subsidy programs are streamlined to effectively support low- and middle-income borrowers, and (iii) much-needed long-term financing to banks is provided to expand the range of market-based mortgage products. These measures will enable banks to access long-term funding, promote competition, and remove market inefficiencies and distortions.

Description: The proposed Improving Quality of Basic Education in the North Pacific Project will improve quality of basic education in the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of Marshall Islands. The project will improve student learning outcomes through a set of comprehensive and sustained initiatives over 6 years. The project will focus on developing the following output areas: (i) Better prepared teachers in primary education; (ii) Strengthened capacity to use assessment to improve learning (iii) Expanded access and usage of bilingual teaching and learning resources and materials (TLRM) for literacy and numeracy; and (iv) Strengthened governance and management of schools, including parent/community engagement.Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy: Basic education outcomes are weak in the Pacific. Primary students are averaging only 30% of the benchmark in reading, and 48% in mathematics, as measured by a 2012 regional literacy and numeracy assessment. Results are particularly poor in the North PacificRepublic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), and Palauand directly linked to low teacher quality. In FSM and RMI, 17.5% and 38% of teachers, respectively, are underqualified or without the minimally required 2-year associate degree. The two-year JFPR-funded TA 8066-REG: Quality Primary Education in the North Pacific yielded very encouraging and positive results through an alternative bilingual student assessment tool the EGLA in order to consolidate gains and institutionalize and expand reforms further.

Description: Macroeconomic context. In 2020, Indonesia was the world's 4th most populous nation with over 260 million people and the 7th largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity. Indonesia's annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth has averaged 5.0% since 2015, and poverty levels fell to single digits in 2018 for the first time. However, due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and the restrictions put in place to contain the spread of the virus, its GDP growth contracted by 2.1% in 2020, grew at a slower rate of 3.7% in 2021 and estimated to grow at 5.0% in 2022. To sustain economic recovery, Indonesia has to safeguard health and human development; reopen the economy, create jobs, and boost consumption; and pursue broader and deeper structural reforms to raise productivity and growth. Importance of research and development and innovation. Prior to the pandemic, the main factor constraining economic growth had been a flat productivity rate partly attributed to limited technology sophistication in Indonesian industries. Technology sophistication means using more advanced operations and technologies with extensive research and development (R&D) in production and industry processes. There is also a lack of absorptive capacity for technology and innovation knowhow among Indonesia's workforce. A study by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Ministry of Finance indicates that the adoption of new technologies could result in an additional annual GDP growth of 0.55 percentage points over the next two decades, thereby putting Indonesia's economy in the high-income group. Government's strategy. Indonesia's policy on science and technology, and innovation is framed under the National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN), 2020-2024, especially its pillar 1 and pillar 2. Pillar 1 emphasizes human development and mastery of science and technology, while pillar 2 focuses on sustainable economic development. The development of Science and Technology Parks (STPs) is part of the vision and mission of the President of the Republic of Indonesia and is affirmed by the Presidential Regulation Number 18 of 2020 issued on 27 January 2020. RPJMN 2020-2024 prioritizes the development of five STPs under the following higher education institutions (HEIs): Bogor Agriculture University (IPB), Institute of Technology Bandung, Gajah Mada University, University of Indonesia, and Institute of Technology Sepuluh Nopember. Indonesia has also taken important steps to strengthen its innovation system through new fiscal incentives for R&D, large investments in digital infrastructure, and new funding mechanisms to support research.Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy: Key government stakeholders. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (MOECRT) is mandated to formulate and determine policies in science and technology, and coordinate the implementation of science and technology policies in HEIs. R&D activities in Indonesia are conducted by HEIs, government R&D agencies, and private sector organizations. Each HEI has an obligation to undertake the three pillars (Tri Dharma) of higher education comprising education, research, and community service. Large HEIs which are classified as Perguruan Tinggi Negeri Badan Hukum have the authority to manage the allocation of research fund received from the government and other sources, select research proposals, and usually have own innovation units, such as STPs, to support downstream R&D development.Science and technology parks. The development of STPs is one of the government's strategies for downstream R&D. An STP is a professionally managed organization to (i) serve as a platform for continuous R&D cooperation between tertiary institutions, R&D institutions, and industry; (ii) facilitate growth of innovation-based companies through incubation and/or spin off; and (iii) provide value added and quality learning services. Indonesia aims to (i) increase the STPs' innovation capabilities, (ii) improve the STPs' capacity as triple-helix nodes bringing together learning institutions, enterprises, and government agencies under common purposes of strengthening cooperation in R&D thus transforming research results into innovative commercial products; and (iii) increase national innovation products.

Description: The proposed project will support the Government of the Marshall Islands to improve young people's access to productive livelihoods and decent jobs and reduce harmful gender norms that inhibit young women's economic empowerment.Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy: Labor force participation in the Republic of the Marshall Islands is low, particularly for working-aged women. The country also has high youth unemployment higher for young women. Harmful social and gender norms impact women's economic empowerment. More recent government and development partner interventions has focused on formal education, with limited targeted interventions to support livelihood pathways for young women and marginalized or vulnerable youth.

Description: The TA is designed to bridge the knowledge gaps in the design and implementation of trade facilitation measures. It will support trade facilitation and RCI experts and practitioners in Asia and the Pacific. It will develop innovative solutions to emerging trade facilitation issues through improved knowledge resources, operationally relevant knowledge products, and increased capacity to effectively design and deliver trade facilitation initiatives.Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy: Trade facilitation is a key factor in strengthening a country's economic competitiveness by lowering the cost and improving the efficiency of trade across borders, thereby boosting trade and economic growth. Trade facilitation promotes integration of enterprises into regional and global value chains by minimizing unnecessary trade-related costs, especially for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises for which these can be excessively large. The importance of trade facilitation and logistics was amplified during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic when maintaining trade flows, particularly easing the flow of vaccines and other medical supplies, food, and other goods essential to deal with the crisis, and expediting digitalization became critical. Much progress has been made in reforming trade facilitation in Asia and the Pacific, but many challenges still hinder the seamless and faster movement of goods and services across borders. Challenges include cumbersome customs procedures, weak coordination and harmonization of systems across borders, suboptimal utilization of digitalization, inadequate transport and trade infrastructure and logistics, difficulties in administering standards and technical regulations (e.g., sanitary and phytosanitary measures), inefficient transport arrangements, poor access to trade finance, and inadequate measures to facilitate trade in services.While resources have been developed by international organizations, the absence of a mechanism to systematically collect, store, and share trade facilitation program and project information results in inadequate documentation and application of experiences, lessons learned, and good practices in designing and implementing trade facilitation measures. The inability to tap a wider pool of experts or practitioners when needed often results in the provision of the same recommendations and traditional programs and projects, irrespective of DMC needs. Insufficient assessment and analysis of knowledge needs results in a scarcity of upstream knowledge work that can solve persistent challenges affecting trade facilitation. The scarcity leads to weak stakeholder capacity to effectively design and implement trade facilitation measures, exacerbated by limited opportunities for sharing experiences, inadequate financing for capacity building, and unexplored opportunities for leveraging partnerships for capacity building with regional and international institutions.

Description: Project preparation is arguably the largest challenge that stands between developing countries and a sustainable pipeline of projects prepared for private participation. The objective of the proposed TA is to help developing countries better prepare infrastructure projects that can secure private sector financing and proceed to implementation. The TA will focus on preparatory due diligence work to enable infrastructure projects qualify to access funding from international or national project preparation facilities for further preparation and structuring as PPP. The TA will target developing countries in Asia and the Pacific, with priority to Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries.The APEC in its roadmap for supporting PPPs recognized that PPP projects need to be well-prepared and structured before they are brought to the market. Adequate due-diligence and preparation of technical, legal, financial, economic, environmental and social issues are necessary for government to assess trade-offs and select an optimal structure for the transaction that is attractive to potential private investors. To improve project readiness, it is useful for governments to develop a checklist and an administrative system that could indicate whether a project is ready to be brought out to the market. Management capacity in the government, particularly in contracting agencies, needs to be further developed to more effectively and efficiently bring projects forward to completion. For markets at an early stage of development, delivering a few good examples of successful PPP projects within a reasonable time, rather than focusing on quantity of projects, is a most effective strategy for attracting investors.The proposed TA will have two components.(i) Component 1: Provide support for diagnostics application to project preparation facilities. The TA will support the DMC government implementing government agencies in various aspects of PPP development such as project appraisal, risk assessment and risk sharing, bidding process, legal implications of PPP contracts, monitoring and management of project implementation. Criteria for choosing projects to be supported by the TA will be established. Projects with regional cooperation and integration components will be given priority. Lessons learned during project preparation will be compiled and regional and subregional knowledge sharing events will be design to disseminate these findings.(ii) Component 2: Provide project preparation support through the use of International Infrastructure Systems Support Platform. The TA will support DMC government implementing agencies in using the International Infrastructure Systems Support (IISS) platform to preparing their projects. The platform will enable implementing agencies to access an online, multi-user, secure work platform that provides guidance and templates that have been developed with strong private sector inputs to help increase the agencies' likelihood of developing well-structured projects that will attract private sector investors and contractors and increase public sector financing options, including PPPs.

Description: The revised TA will equip relevant government counterparts and agricultural universities with the mechanisms to cooperate and enhance capacity to integrate green and just transition aspects into the skills development agenda for addressing the environmental challenges. This will also allow broader alignment with ADB's education portfolio and pipeline in the region. The new TA outputs are:Output 1. Institutional framework for regional cooperation for green skills development established. Output 2. Climate-smart agriculture university education in the CAREC region strengthened. Output 3. Awareness and capacity of governments, education institutions, and the private sector in the CAREC region on green skills, climate change, and just transition strengthened.Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy: To focus the TA on green skills and climate change, the TA's title was changed in July 2024; following a major change in TA scope; from 'Strengthening Regional Cooperation on Skills Development under the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program to 'Strengthening Green Skills Development under the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program . The revised TA outcome is 'Regional cooperation for improved green skills development in the CAREC region strengthened.

Description: A technical assistance (TA) amounting to $400,000 from TASF-Others has been allocated for the preparation and due diligence of the proposed Fujian Coastal Cities Climate-Resilient Development and Biodiversity Conservation Project (the ensuing project). The ensuing project is included in ADB's lending program for 2025. The initial project parameters, including scope, implementation arrangements, and financing amount were confirmed with the government during the reconnaissance mission fielded on 25-30 March 2024. The TA will help the government prepare the project and develop capacity for implementation. The TA will also finance institutional strengthening activities and preparation of a knowledge management action plan. The ensuing project outcome and outputs are as follows: Outcome: Climate change resilience and biodiversity in Fuzhou and Yunxiao cities enhanced. Output 1: Capacity of institutions on climate and biodiversity action enhanced. Output 2: Coastal cities resilience investments in green and gray infrastructure and facilities improved. Output 3: Biodiversity conservation and enhancement measures in wetlands and mangroves implemented.Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy: Country context. The People's Republic of China (PRC) has been moving from a growth-focused strategy towards quality and sustainability, with green and inclusive development. The PRC committed its nationally determined contributions for carbon emissions to peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. In 2022 it adopted a new climate change adaptation strategy (2035). Especially since 2022, wetland protection is a priority at the highest government level. Provincial and local governments developed corresponding plans to align with national targets. Local context. Fujian Province is located on the PRC's southeastern seaboard. Fujian hosts two national level protected wetlands representing important sites for migratory waterbirds in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF), and one of the wetlands is included as one of the PRC's 23 priority sites of the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) Regional Flyway Initiative (RFI). More than 81% of the province's 42 million population reside in coastal areas. The coastal cities are at very high risk of adverse climate change impact including from tropical cyclones and storm surges, sea-level rise, torrential rains, extreme urban heat, and water safety and security.Climate risk challenges and lack of resilience in Coastal cities. East Asia and PRC are projected to be disproportionally affected by the changing climate and coastal cities are especially impacted and this will also have a potentially adverse impact the RFI relevant wetlands. Fuzhou city suffered from recent cyclones with 24,700 people affected from 2021 to 2023 alone. The city invested in flood defense systems along northern mountains (an interceptor canal and pipe), and along the main rivers (with walls, dikes, and locks). The city has been making progress from its national sponge city pilot program participation and disaster risk management and response investments. However, more adaptation planning and investments are required to better protect residents, urban areas, infrastructure, and assets from the risk of compounded flooding. Yunxiao county suffered from recent cyclones with 42,000 people affected and CNY50.7 million in economic losses from 2020 to 2023 alone. Flooding hazards are exacerbated by urban flooding overlaid by river flooding, mountain runoff, and coastal flooding. The city invested in flood defense systems along the inland side of the estuary of the Zhang River to brace against tidal wave flooding. However, annual rehabilitation investments are required because of the destructive forces from the sea. Further upstream in the core city, dikes along the river reduce river flooding. Coastal biodiversity challenges. Fuzhou and Yunxiao each have key RFI sites, national-level protected coastal wetland areas, which are located in the EAAF birds migration corridor. The Minjiang River Estuary Wetland National Reserve in Fuzhou is identified as one of the 23 key regional sites of RFI and the EAAF. 313 species of birds are found in the wetlands, which accounts for 21.7% of the national, and 53.0% of provincial bird species. The Zhangjiangkou Mangrove National Nature Reserve in Yunxiao in the south has 2,360 hectares (ha) which is one of the largest contiguous mangroves in the PRC. It attracts more than 160 species of birds including 110 species of migrant birds. Both wetlands provide necessary resources for birds to complete their journeys. Both wetlands serve as critical bird resting places in EAAF, support a rich diversity of bird species, including several globally threatened and endangered species, and play crucial roles in supporting the ecological health of the region. However, more integrated approaches are required to prevent pollution, habitat loss, and fragmentation, i.e. from unsustainable farming and aquaculture practices. Such improvements will enhance habitat connectivity and increase food availability.

Description: The proposed knowledge and support technical assistance (TA) will support selected developing member countries (DMC) across Asia and Pacific for transition to a cleaner energy future. While this transition is already underway in some countries, an accelerated approach across DMCs is required to ensure a development path consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement. This transition needs to be just and inclusive, ensuring affordable, reliable, and equitable access to energy services. The TA intends to assist DMCs with a comprehensive package of technical, financial, and policy development solutions to address barriers to introducing emerging clean energy solutions.Activities under the TA will support the piloting of new and emerging renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy storage technologies, assessment of grid upgrades and investments required to ensure a greater renewable energy integration, project definition and origination of first-of-a-kind project, and the rollout of innovative business models, and policy reforms. The TA will also facilitate a just transition and contribute to women's empowerment and gender equality by fostering opportunities to create jobs for women and by supporting gender-sensitive and socially inclusive energy sector policies. Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy: The need to transition to a low-carbon economy has become a global imperative in the face of climate change. According to International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), countries in the Asia Pacific region account for more than half of global energy consumption, with 85 percent of that regional consumption sourced from fossil fuels. These countries are experiencing rapid economic growth and face unique challenges in balancing economic development and environmental sustainability. Many of the countries in the Asia-Pacific have started to deploy solar photovoltaic and onshore wind at a large scale, however, the next phase of the energy transition requires harnessing the next generation of technologies such as offshore wind and floating solar, while deploying energy storage at scale through green hydrogen, chemical storage, and pumped storage hydropower. Meanwhile, countries also need to invest heavily in energy-efficient initiatives and cooling technologies.Energy demand in the Asia Pacific region has been growing rapidly, driven by robust economic growth, demographic expansion, and increased urbanization. The rapidly increasing energy demand is also a challenge to the long-term ambition of keeping regional greenhouse gas emissions on a trajectory consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement. To address these challenges, it is necessary to accelerate the transition to cleaner forms of energy, which is a move toward lower carbon, less polluting, and less environmentally impactful models for energy generation, distribution, and utilization. This transition will be well aligned with the green recovery programs implemented by governments in an effort to rebound from the COVID-19 related economic downturn, as the development of clean energy infrastructure has been shown to result in a larger proportion of local jobs and higher local economic benefits. Women would also be among the main beneficiaries of a just and equitable transition to a clean energy future.

Description: The proposed knowledge support and technical assistance (TA) aims to support the effective implementation of Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) to accelerate the achievement of universal health coverage (UHC) in India.Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy: The proposed TA aims to sustain the initiatives in redefining India's healthcare system under PMJAY by drawing from global best practices in digital solutions and financing including from the experiences in the health system reforms in developed countries including the Republic of Korea; and strengthening capacity in developing and managing an integrated, efficient and modern healthcare system.

Description: The knowledge and support technical assistance (TA) will help the developing member countries (DMCs) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) respond to the ongoing COVID-19 disease (COVID-19) outbreak with the aim of mitigating long-term damage to economies and adverse effects on population health.Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy: The PRC and other countries in the region have taken immediate action to respond to the outbreak. Despite the quick action taken, there are several gaps in the overall response efforts, as identified by WHO and other development partners. These are: (i) inadequate resources to strengthen the range of services for outbreak response; (ii) Paucity of robust economic analysis and other evidence to support decision-making; and (iii) weak regional multisectoral coordination mechanisms. The TA will incorporate lessons learned from; following (i) the implementation of the Regional Malaria and Other Communicable Disease Threats Trust Fund;5F (ii) TA on Regional Support to Address the Outbreak of SARS, and (iii) the Grant Assistance for Prevention and Control of Avian Influenza in Asia and the Pacific, the Greater Mekong Subregion's Strengthening Regional Health Cooperation TA and Health Security Project.6F A major lesson is that flexible implementation arrangements and focus on the actual needs of DMCs for communicable disease control (i.e., hospital equipment, training and communication programs), together with the multi-sector and cross-departmental collaboration in ADB and between ADB and partner organizations such as the WHO, all contributed to the success of above-mentioned projects. These projects also highlighted the importance to provide not only country level assistance but also to coordinate interventions at the regional level and the establishment of regional coordination mechanisms similar to the working group spearheading the implementation of the GMS Regional Health Cooperation Strategy.

Description: The TA subproject will support the production of the ADO 2023, one of ADB's flagship publications. It will support the following activities: (i) preparing background analytical papers following the 2-year rolling research plan, (ii) further developing and refining analytical methods, (iii) drafting of ADO content, (iv) editing economic content and manuscripts, (v) preparing and laying out of materials for publication, and (vi) disseminating key results and policy messages.Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy: The TA subproject will support activities to produce one of ADB s flagship publications, the ADO. The ADO 's comprehensive analysis of evolving macroeconomic advances and emerging development challenges in the region helps ADB strengthen its role as a knowledge institution, and supports the knowledge and operational work of ADB s regional departments. Country chapters monitor the latest economic developments and provide a near-term outlook, which are essential in developing appropriate policy recommendations to ensure macroeconomic stability. The chapters policy challenge sections analyze key obstacles to inclusive economic growth, such as (i) factors preventing productive employment generation, (ii) human development constraints, (iii) gender and other socioeconomic and demographic barriers, (iv) spatial and geographical limitations, (v) institutional and policy weaknesses, and (vi) factors preventing expansion of social protection programs. The thematic chapters examine important development challenges for a transforming Asia and the Pacific.The capacity of many DMCs to respond to macroeconomic and development challenges is limited by knowledge gaps. The magnitude and nature of the recent shocks hitting these economies have made it extremely hard to track the current state and future trajectory of their economies, making policymaking more difficult. For many policymakers, the issues they face lack precedents that would help them formulate sound responses. Post-COVID, the challenges of ensuring green growth, adequate education, health, and social protection, and addressing inequality also require knowledge solutions. This underscores the need for up-to-date research and comprehensive analyses of macroeconomic issues and development challenges affecting the region such as the ADO. As indicated in ADB's Strategy 2030, ADB s relevance will increasingly depend on its role as a knowledge institution, including its ability to generate solid, policy-relevant research. ADB's knowledge and research is pivotal in raising understanding and awareness about critical areas for action, supporting good policies and reform in DMCs, and in contributing to global development discussions by offering perspectives from the region.

OBJECTIVE The objectives of the project are to improve access to reliable and resilient urban services and strengthen institutional capacities of urban service providers and local governments in selected cities of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province. DESCRIPTION The project will support the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to construct, rehabilitate and revitalize core urban infrastructure, including water supply, sewerage, Solid Waste Management (SWM) and green urban spaces in five provincial cities namely Peshawar, Abbottabad, Kohat, Mardan and Mingora. This will be achieved through three interlinked outputs: (i) climate resilient and gender friendly urban infrastructure and services improved; (ii) institutional capacities of urban service providers strengthened; and (iii) women’s role in urban development increased. Project components include: Component A (Water Supply and Sanitation) will improve the coverage and access to water and sanitation infrastructure by augmenting potable water supply and storage facilities, promoting water safety, improving water conservation, upgrading sewerage networks and constructing new sewage treatment facilities. Component B (Solid Waste Management) will address the gaps in infrastructure and service delivery of SWM by providing collection equipment, vehicle fleets, mechanical/biological treatment facilities and properly designed sanitary landfills. Component C (Green Urban Infrastructure) will finance the development of green infrastructure and public spaces to promote healthy and sustainable living environments which will include green spaces, de-congestion of city centers, parks, and other nature-based solutions. Gender-equitable activities to promote small enterprises and skills will also be supported. Component D (Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building) will strengthen technical and institutional capacities of the Water and Sanitation Services Companies, city governments and provincial governments. Component E (Women’s Participation in Urban Development) will increase women’s participation in urban governance and services and improve their access to economic opportunities

OBJECTIVE To promote greener digital infrastructure and cross-border connectivity, and help to bridge the digital divide. DESCRIPTION AIIB will invest in the development of data centers that mostly serve emerging Asia through the Keppel Data Centre Fund II, LP (KDCF II), a closed-end private equity vehicle managed by Alpha Investment Partners Ltd. AIIB will invest in this fund as a Limited Partner.

OBJECTIVE The project objective is to Improve housing conditions of low-income communities and increase land use efficiency in Colombo through investments in the construction of affordable housing and redevelopment of land, with associated policy and system enhancements. DESCRIPTION The Project supports the implementation of Urban Regeneration Program Phase-III, but with significant improvements, such as improvements in technical design, resettlement and post-resettlement policy, housing maintenance arrangements, innovation in redevelopment approach, and review of longer-term sustainability of public intervention in housing. The Project comprises three components: Component 1: Housing Construction. Supports the construction of about 5,500 affordable housing units for underserved communities in multi-story apartment buildings;   Component 2: Land Redevelopment. Maximizes the revenue from the land that will become available after the households from the underserved communities move into the new apartment units constructed under the URP; and    Component 3: Technical Support and Project Management. Supports project management and other measures to improve implementation of the URP. 

OBJECTIVE To reduce risk and damage from landslides through the implementation of mitigation measures and enhancement of policy and regulation associated with landslide management, and to enhance the capacity of Sri Lanka to respond to the urgent medical needs. [The second part of the objective to address urgent medical needs was added through a project change in July 2022]. DESCRIPTION The Project consists of five components: 1. Implementation of landslide mitigation measures, including field investigation, detailed designs, construction and supervision/management of civil works implementation to mitigate landslide risk in landslide-prone sites; 2. Strengthening of policy, standards and institutional capacity related to landslide risk; 3. Provision of essential facilities and laboratory equipment; 4. Technical support and project management; and 5. Emergency health [This component is added through the project change in June 2022].

OBJECTIVE To restore connectivity and enable safe and efficient movements of goods and people by rehabilitating essential transportation infrastructure located in the earthquake affected areas of Türkiye. DESCRIPTION The Project will rehabilitate and reconstruct roads, tunnels, and bridges damaged by the February 2023 earthquakes that occurred in the southeast of Türkiye. The project activities will be implemented through five (5) subprojects which will entail rehabilitation and enhancement of transportation infrastructure to meet required safety and capacity standards, as well as integration of climate-resilient measures to mitigate and withstand the impacts of seismic events in the future. The Project will be prepared and implemented by the General Directorate of Highways (Karayolları Genel Müdürlüğü, referred to as “KGM”) under the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure to ensure efficient execution and compliance with national regulations and AIIB policies. The subprojects are located within the jurisdictions of the KGM Regional Directorates 5 (Mersin) and 8 (Elazig).

Objective: Process monitoring is a crucial task for bioprocess optimization and will play a decisive role in the digitization of future bio-based production systems. System failure prediction technologies must be an integral part of monitoring schemes; however, these technologies are underdeveloped as far as the bioenergy industry is concerned. The objective of PRODIGIO is to establish a base of knowledge for the development of system failure prediction technologies that increase the performance of microalgae production and anaerobic digestion systems and advance towards more favourable techno-economic, environmental and social performance to achieve more sustainable microalgae biogas. By combining perturbation experiments in bioreactor systems and cutting-edge methods for big data analysis, PRODIGIO will decode the triggers, identify early-warnings, define threshold values, and calculate warning times for critical state transitions in bioreactors. Taking into account processes inefficiencies, we estimate that, along with the implementation of prevention countermeasures, PRODIGIO technology could contribute to increasing resource and energy efficiencies >50% throughout the production chain, which would translate into OPEX savings and GHG emissions reduction. The technological solutions that will derive from the project, such as a catalog of early warning signals for the failure of microalgae production and conversion-to-biogas systems, will be pre-commercial in nature; however, a roadmap will be compiled and updated during the course of the project that will identify priority research lines for further development and future implementation of technology. The results of PRODIGIO will pave the way for moving the entire microalgae biogas production chain efficiently towards its theoretical maximum, enabling the development of a fully integrated and truly sustainable microalgae biogas production industry and contributing to strengthening the EU's leadership in renewable fuel technologies.

Objective: Infrared light-emitting diodes (IR-LEDs) serve a broad range of applications including fiber-optic communications, night vision as well as clinical diagnosis and biomedical imaging. Within the family of nanomaterials, colloidal semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) offer exceptional promises for IR-LEDs due to their unique optical properties and low-cost solution-processability. So far, state-of-the-art QD IR-LEDs are based on lead-containing QDs, which has been severely restricted by the environmental directives e.g. EU’s “Restriction of Hazardous Substances” (RoHS). In fact, current challenges of IR-LED technology are to identify and develop novel and efficient lead-free QDs. INFLED aims at demonstrating the first RoHS-compliant and efficient QD IR-LED based on innovative and environmentally friendly material design and device engineering. The project targets the most efficient heavy metal-free infrared QD using a novel synthesis technique as well as rationally nanoengineering at material level. Furthermore, the resultant design at device level will lead to low trap state density, high solid-state quantum efficiency and thereby efficient LEDs. Hence, the key objectives of this proposal are: i) a novel QD synthesis method; ii) material design at nanocrystalline level; iii) LED device engineering at supra-nanocrystalline level. INFLED is at the crossroad of chemistry, physics and engineering, and therefore is expected to attract significant attention from different disciplines along with offering new insights toward next-generation infrared and quantum network technology.

Objective: Advancing education and training in High Performance Computing (HPC) and its applicability to HPDA and AI is essential for strengthening the world-class European HPC ecosystem. It is of primary importance to ensure the digital transformation and the sustainability of high-priority economic sectors. Missing educated and skilled professionals in HPC/HPDA/AI could prevent Europe from creating socio-economic value with HPC. The Hpc EuRopean ConsortiUm Leading Education activities (HERCULES) aims to develop a new and innovative European Master programme focusing on high performance solutions to address these issues. The master programme aims at catalysing various aspects of the HPC ecosystem and its applications into different scientific and industrial domains. HERCULES brings together major players in HPC education in Europe and mobilises them to unify existing programs into a common European curriculum. It leverages experience from various European countries and HPC communities to generate European added value beyond the potential of any single university. HERCULES emphasizes on collaboration across Europe with innovative teaching paradigms including co-teaching and the cooperative development of new content relying on the best specialists in HPC education in Europe. Employers, researchers, HPC specialists, supercomputing centres, CoEs and technology providers will constitute a workforce towards this master in HPC pilot programme. This pilot will provide a base for further national and pan-European educational programmes in HPC all over Europe and our lessons learned and the material development will accelerate the uptake of HPC in academia and industry. The creation of a European network of HPC specialists will catalyse transfers and mutual support between students, teachers and industrial experts. A particular focus on mobility of students and teachers will enable students to rapidly gain experience through internships and exposure to European supercomputing centres

Objective: The “green hydrogen” produced by water electrolysis using renewable energy as power input will play a vital role in the decarbonization of various sectors, particularly the heavy industry and freight road transport where electrification is impossible or too costly. Proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) is a very promising low-temperature technology, and has a number of advantages over the conventional alkaline water electrolysis. However, the usage of precious and scarce noble metal iridium (Ir) to catalyze the thermodynamically and kinetically demanding oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is indispensable to achieve decent electrolysis performance. To enable widespread deployment of PEM electrolyzers and make electrolyzed hydrogen fuel economically competitive, the utilization of Ir in electrolyzers must be reduced without comprising the catalytic performance for the OER. The AdIrCAT project aims at developing the emerging atomically dispersed Ir catalysts, which will maximize the utilization of Ir and meanwhile improve the mass activity of Ir catalysts by a factor of at least 5. Moreover, a method will be developed that potentially allows for upscale production of atomically dispersed Ir catalysts. The catalysts will be accessed not only in the half-cell configuration but also in membrane electrode assemblies under industry-relevant conditions in collaboration with a company where the applicant will have her secondment. The applicant and host group have complementary expertise that can be transferred to each other. The host institution will offer the applicant a range of training to enhance her competences and skills in terms of proposal preparation, project management, leadership, and science communications. Successful implementation of this project will help the applicant reach her professional maturity and remarkably enhance her future career prospects as a female scientist, leading her to find a tenure-track position after the Fellowship.

Objective: NeoGiANT is an innovative action coordinated by the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain). NeoGiANT aims at developing a new set of products (animal feed, treatment products, sperm extenders) able to decrease the use of antibiotics on farmed animals and substitute synthetic preservatives. These new products, based on natural extracts, using an advanced isolation technique, will not only avoid the growth of microorganisms but also improve the health and welfare of the animals increasing profitability. The proposal is based on the use of biomass sources that can provide cost-effective, efficient and green solutions to obtain functional ingredients in sustainable circular economy production systems. The new products developed will be based on one extract of natural origin called e-Vitis (obtained from Vitis vinifera). e-Vitis is isolated using as raw material grape marc from the production of high quality white wines, that preserves, after the winemaking process, a significant load of bioactive compounds originally present in the grape. In order to obtain a multicomponent ready-to-use extract using green solvent extraction approaches NeoGiANT is going to apply an alternative methodology to conventional extraction, to disrupt the grape marc and extract the bioactive compounds. This innovative green technology is simple, the conditions required are mild (energy savings), and can be easily scaled-up. The advanced properties of the natural extract will provide antimicrobial and antioxidant protection to the animals improving their performance and serving as a prophylactic treatment. The target products to be developed will be designed to control a large number of infectious diseases of paramount importance in animal production, both in livestock and aquaculture. Moreover, the emergence of new antimicrobial resistances (AMR) will be reduced, and existing antimicrobial resistances will be better controlled.

Objective: This project will test for the first time the hypothesis that therapeutic inactivation of DNA repair pathways in cancer cells can be exploited for patient benefit by reawakening an anti-tumor immune response. Genomic instability and molecular heterogeneity, which occur in cancer cells with DNA repair deficiencies, fuel tumour progression and are associated with poor outcome. An exception is represented by Mismatch repair (MMR) deficient cancers as these tumours are exceedingly genetically heterogeneous but show favourable prognosis and remarkable response to immunotherapy. The molecular basis for the clinical outcome of MMR deficient cancers has long remained a mystery. Only recently it has become apparent that their biological properties are associated with increased levels of mutations, which unleash adaptive immunity and trigger immunosurveillance. We have reported that when MMR is impaired, cancers cells grow in immune-deficient mice but are unable to do so in immune competent animals. MMR inactivation increased the mutational burden and led to dynamic mutational profiles, resulting in persistent renewal of neoantigens and engagements of antigen-specific T cells. These data suggest an unprecedented high risk-high gain approach: the pharmacological blockade of proteins involved in DNA-repair as an anticancer therapy. This unconventional strategy builds on the concept that the immune system can identify and selectively target tumor cells carrying DNA alterations. Using in vitro and in vivo functional assays we will systematically assess whether and how inactivation of DNA repair genes provokes an immune response and restrict cancer growth. Notably, TARGET will discover and develop inhibitors of MMR and other DNA repair proteins that induce tumor immunity. The identification of DNA repair pathways which, when disabled, reawaken the immune system will provide transformative knowledge and could lead to the development of an entirely new class of anticancer drugs.

Objective: TERRAFORM will mark a step-change in the investigation of biosphere impacts on the Earth system. It will integrate concepts and rich data sources from contemporary global trait ecology with novel simulated paleo-Earth weathering/decomposition experiments and high-resolution analyses of fossil plant paleotrait data to quantify the terrestrial biosphere’s impact on the carbon, nutrient and hydrological cycles in deep-time. The focus on extensive fossil plant archives spanning three episodes of major environmental and biotic change [Pennsylvanian-Permian glacial interglacial cycles; the Triassic-Jurassic mass extinction; Cretaceous OAEs] will yield insights on plant responses to and effect on other components of the Earth system. TERRAFORM will develop new paleo-trait proxies for fossil plants. TERRAFORM will improve the parameterization and performance of weathering and terrestrial ecosystem models. Ultimately, TERRAFORM will contribute to the discovery of how plants TERRAFORMed the Earth, how plant functional traits evolved over the past 300 million years and it will establish a new methodological framework to extract the full untapped potential data resources from fossil plants. TERRAFORM will increase literacy in Earth System Science among a non-traditional audience through an embedded artist-in-residence programme.

Objective: The human hand is an incredibly complex system with a huge spectrum of functionality. Hands are essential not only to interact with different objects daily, but also necessary for social interactions, such as communication and arts. The loss of a hand is a terrific traumatic experience regardless to any gender or ethnicity, usually followed by significant psychological and rehabilitation challenges. The interaction between engineering and science has, for a long time, made efforts to restore the functionality of a lost limb. Although enormous progress has been reached, there are still serious drawbacks in terms of functionality and reliability due to the conventional myoelectric human-machine interface (e.g., electromyography sensors placed on the skin of the residual limb) and to prostheses simply not up to the task. Unfortunately, this is reflected in a too high rejection rate of prosthetic devices. The current situation can change if efforts are spent on the development of more intelligent prosthetic hardware. This project has the mission to develop methods for creating prosthetic hands which are semi (or potentially even completely) autonomous from the conventional myoelectric human-machine interface. This will be achieved by observing in unprecedented detail the human grasping behaviours and exploiting modern sensor technology, efficient data processing units, and artificial intelligence algorithms. Semi-autonomous prosthetic hands can be a game changer, ultimately converting the conventional view of a prosthetic hand from a tool to a more complex device that interacts in an intelligent fashion with the user and any object.

Objective: Molecular binding is a major research topic that has undoubtedly benefited of recent technological innovation, especially in the area of the so-called computational sciences. However, the predictive power of computations remains low mainly due to the poor correlation of the in-silico models with the real world. A clear example is drug discovery where the drug in vivo efficacy is seen correlated to the ligand residence time, which is hardly predictable by current computational methods. The present proposal tackles the challenge aiming at reshaping the border of the state-of-the-art simulations in molecular binding. I outline a research program that realises a vision where drug design is entrusted to ligand binding affinity and kinetics prediction, and molecular binding interactions are simulated in a realistic plasma membrane model. To achieve the ambitious goals of the research, my team will develop and apply cutting-edge computational techniques based on free-energy calculations, machine learning and multiscale molecular dynamics simulations. Evidence of the innovative nature of the developed approaches will be given by elucidating fundamental aspects of the functional mechanism of the G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), a pharmacologically prominent membrane protein family targeted by ~ 40% of marketed drugs. We will achieve a thorough characterization of the binding thermodynamics and kinetics of signal molecules (antagonists and agonists) that will be used by an original machine learning model to identify novel receptor antagonists with prescribed binding affinity and residence time. We will then investigate the receptor conformational transition from the inactive to the active state and develop an ad hoc multiscale approach to characterize the formation of GPCRs dimers, oligomers and clusters in cell membrane and their interaction with the G-protein that activates the signal transduction. Experiments will be performed to validate all the in-silico results.

Objective: Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally. In spite of the great advances in cancer therapy over the past two decades, there is still a pressing need to develop new therapies with reduced side effects caused by conventional therapies. Historically, many chemotherapeutic approaches to treat cancer, have targeted DNA. But targeting genomic DNA has some disadvantages such as undesired side effects due to low selectivity of most chemotherapeutics (e.g. cisplatin and alkylating agents). In this project I aim to address this problem via the development of ‘smart’ compounds that have the following features: (i) target G-quadruplex DNA structures instead of duplex DNA; this non-canonical DNA topologies form transiently during replication and transcription (as well as in the telomeric region) and have been identified as attractive targets for anticancer drugs (ii) developing compounds that are only activated in tumors and not in healthy tissue to achieve this, I have designed pro-drugs that are only activated in the hypoxic (low levels of oxygen) conditions present in tumors and only when activated can target G-quadruplex DNA (iii) my ‘smart’ compounds will not only target G-quadruplex DNA once activated but will release a second drug able to target other cancer molecular targets (e.g. topoisomerase I, COX-2) to cause a cumulative response of the chemotherapeutic agent. I expect to see significant synergism between the different chemotherapeutics released upon activation of the pro-drug. This synergy in the activities is expected to play an important role to overcome drug resistance. The multidisciplinary nature of the project is strong. The proposal includes both way transfer of knowledge between the host group at Imperial College of London and the candidate in new advanced skill sets and techniques. The proposed work will expand my experience, research competencies, and professional networks, enhancing the development of my career as an independent researcher.

Objective: The introduction of the Corded Ware Culture across much of Central and Northern Europe during the 3rd millennium BC was a time of major cultural transformation, which recent ancient genomic work has linked to a series of migrations from the Pontic-Caspian steppe region. The people attributed to the Corded Ware Culture had shared burial practices, material culture and cord-decorated ceramics, and it has also been suggested that they had an increased reliance on dairy products compared to other Neolithic populations, evidenced by a higher frequency of the genetic variant for lactase persistence than other Neolithic populations, meaning that they could tolerate the higher amounts of lactose present in fresh milk. However, the context of this potential dietary change has not been explored, and we currently do not know enough about how animal husbandry practices or agriculture may have changed at this time, or how dairy products were being used on a daily basis. CatCoW will investigate this issue. It will consider the hypothesis that Corded Ware Culture migration from the steppe led to the introduction of new cattle stock and an increasing economic reliance on dairy products. To do this it will focus on animal bone and pottery recovered from settlements in the areas now occupied by modern day Switzerland and the Netherlands, which both have rich archaeological records covering the transition to the Corded Ware Culture. This highly interdisciplinary study will consist of four parallel and complementary lines of investigation: 1. Archaeozoology, 2. Archaeogenetics, 3. Organic Residue Analysis, and 4. Palaeoproteomics.