The Center for Applied Research and Innovation in Supply Chain-Africa (CARISCA) is part of the Building Research and Innovation, Generating Evidence, and Training (BRIDGE-Train) program which harnesses the intellectual, research, community engagement, and capacity building expertise of higher education institutions to address some of the world’s most complex development challenges.

CARISCA will be a global center for training, generating, and translating supply chain management research and innovations into positive development outcomes for Ghana and across Africa. Through a partnership between Arizona State University and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and University Technology (KNUST) in Ghana. CARISCA will leverage a local and international network of governmental, civil society, and industry partners to connect African researchers, practitioners, and businesses to supply chain assets around the world. It will strengthen local capacity to improve supply chains by increasing their efficiency, effectiveness, and inclusiveness, driving country self-reliance.

CARISCA will:

• Establish KNUST as Africa’s preeminent source of supply chain management expertise;
• Create a resource for researchers in Ghana and across Africa to drive innovative research, translation, and training to improve African supply chains, sustained by revenue-generating activities and a robust partner network;
• Significantly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of health care and agricultural value chains; and
• Increase inclusion and impact for women and disadvantaged supply chain actors.

The BRIDGE-Train program supports partnerships between higher education institutions (HEIs) in USAID Partner Countries and in the U.S. to develop research, innovation, and training centers for knowledge development aimed at addressing local and national development priorities.

The primary objectives of the program are to:

1. Support HEIs in USAID Partner Countries in becoming globally-recognized centers for development research, innovation, and training; and
2. Support strategic and catalytic partnerships between HEIs in USAID Partner Countries and other key stakeholders.

The BRIDGE-Train program is an addendum to the Science, Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships Annual Program Statement (STIP APS) which is part of a suite of programs under the Higher Education Solutions Network 2.0. The program is supported by the Center for Development Research within the U.S. Global Development Lab.