Cochran Fellowship Program – U.S. Softwoods for Structural Marial: Quality, Grades, and Applications for Peru | USDA FAS 10962 0700 10 23 0002

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA FAS 10962 0700 10 23 0002

The Cochran Fellowship Program opportunity titled "U.S. Softwoods for Structural Material: Quality, Grades, and Applications for Peru" is a discretionary USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) award that funds the design and delivery of a U.S.-based training program for a small cohort of up to seven Peruvian professionals. The cohort is expected to include a mix of public sector and private sector leaders tied to housing, construction, architecture, higher education, workforce training, and green building, such as representatives from Fondo Mivienda (a national housing fund), construction and project management firms, a furniture and remodeling business, a university dean in architecture and urbanism, the Peru Green Building Council, and SENCICO (Peru's construction industry training service). The purpose is practical and market-facing: strengthen Peru-based decision makers and influencers so they can confidently understand and apply U.S. technical standards for wood construction, while also increasing familiarity with U.S. softwood and engineered wood products in ways that can translate into greater adoption and demand in Peru.

This grant sits within the long-running Cochran Fellowship Program, created with congressional support in 1984 to bring mid-level and senior specialists from middle-income and emerging-market countries to the United States for hands-on training. While Cochran is broadly framed around agriculture and related systems (trade, policy, agribusiness development, extension, and applied sciences), this particular training is focused on wood as a structural material and the standards, grading, and engineering concepts that make wood a code-compliant construction option. All training takes place in the United States and is typically delivered through partnerships with U.S. universities, USDA and other government bodies, and relevant private-sector and technical organizations.

The core need being addressed is that government officials, academics, and practicing architects in Peru are looking to deepen their understanding of science-based building codes for wood housing and structural wood systems. The program is intended to demystify how U.S. wood construction standards are developed, how lumber and engineered wood products are graded and certified, and how those products are applied in real-world construction under U.S. codes and safety practices. In addition to classroom-style instruction, the scope emphasizes site visits and direct industry engagement so Fellows can see the full value chain and quality infrastructure behind U.S. wood products. That includes visits to softwood plantations, sawmills, lumber grading operations, and standardization facilities, along with opportunities to observe wood housing construction in practice.

A key feature of the program is structured interaction with major U.S. industry and standards stakeholders. The opportunity specifically calls for engagement with groups such as the Softwood Export Council, the Southern Wood Products Association, and APA The Engineered Wood Association, as well as architects, engineers, and wood construction companies. This is meant to connect Peruvian Fellows to the technical and commercial ecosystems that govern softwood and engineered wood production, testing, and market adoption in the United States. In plain terms, the training is not only about learning wood engineering; it is also about building professional relationships and confidence in U.S. supply chains, performance claims, and compliance pathways.

The learning objectives cover three main tracks: material science and product knowledge, building design and code-compliant construction practice, and adoption/market development. On the product side, Fellows are expected to learn an overview of U.S. lumber, including classification systems, grades, and sizing conventions (notably the practical difference between nominal and actual dimensions). The program also highlights the ASTM standards development process, which is important because it shows how consensus standards are built, revised, and referenced across building codes and procurement requirements. Participants are expected to build competence in physical and mechanical properties of wood products, including resistance capacity, and to understand how these properties relate to structural design decisions and code compliance. Coverage is also expected on how sawn wood is produced, how pressure-treated wood is manufactured (including treated studs), and what technologies are used for selecting lumber, preservation treatments, and wood testing.

On engineered wood and advanced systems, the training is expected to introduce and compare products such as wood-plastic composites, cross-laminated timber (CLT), plywood, OSB, and engineered beams. The program aims to connect product types to performance characteristics and appropriate applications, including considerations like fire resistance and other safety-related behavior. This matters for Peru because increased comfort with engineered wood can open doors to larger-scale or multi-family construction that goes beyond traditional small wood-framed housing, while still meeting safety and durability expectations.

On construction practice and building codes, the program targets practical wood housing construction methods and the benefits of wood relative to other materials. Fellows are expected to learn wood frame design fundamentals, including balloon framing, wood flooring systems, and how lumber can be used in larger-scale construction. The scope also includes U.S. standard construction standards, practices, and safety codes, reflecting the program's goal of grounding participants in the technical logic behind code requirements rather than treating codes as a checklist. There is also a strong emphasis on adapting wood construction to real conditions relevant to Peru, including construction for tropical climates, rural housing contexts, and structural reinforcement strategies for earthquake risks. Sustainability-oriented topics are included as well, such as green building approaches, tiny houses, energy efficiency, lowering ecological impacts, and reducing material waste.

The training is also expected to address solutions that translate into housing delivery at scale. That includes wood construction approaches for social housing, including multifamily buildings, and instruction on prefabricated house construction and related techniques that improve speed and efficiency. Even niche but practical applications, such as wood trailer construction, are mentioned as part of exposing Fellows to the breadth of wood-based building systems and industrialized construction options. Across these themes, the program is clearly designed to equip Fellows with knowledge they can bring back into policy, training curricula, design practice, procurement decisions, and private-sector project delivery.

Finally, the opportunity explicitly includes a marketing and communications component, which signals that technical training alone is not considered sufficient to drive adoption. Fellows are expected to learn strategies to market wood construction, advertise advantages and sustainability attributes, and explain benefits to clients in a credible way. This aligns with the stated objective of the program: to build demand in Peru for U.S. softwood and engineered wood products. At the same time, the grant frames a broader development goal consistent with Cochran's mission: increasing Fellows' capacity for research, extension, and teaching, so the knowledge gained can be multiplied through institutions, training programs, professional networks, and future projects.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service, under CFDA 10.962, as a discretionary award with an "Other" funding instrument type. The anticipated award structure is a single award (expected awards: 1) with an award ceiling of $86,000. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and other entities as allowed in the opportunity's eligibility guidance. The funding opportunity number is USDA FAS 10962 0700 10 23 0002, with a creation date of March 8, 2023 and an original closing date of April 10, 2023.

• The Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cochran Fellowship Program – U.S. Softwoods for Structural Marial: Quality, Grades, and Applications for Peru" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.962.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 08, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 10, 2023. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $86,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for USDA FAS 10962 0700 10 23 0002

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