The American Overseas Research Centers Program provides grants to overseas research centers that are consortia of U.S. institutions of higher education to enable the centers to promote postgraduate research, exchanges, and area studies. Eligible applicants are those consortia of U.S. institutions of higher education centers that: (1) Receive more than 50 percent of their funding from public or private U.S. sources; (2) Have a permanent presence in the countries in which the centers are located; and (3) Are tax-exempt nonprofit organizations described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. Grants may be used to support: (1) Faculty and staff stipends and salaries; (2) Faculty, staff and student travel; (3) Operation and maintenance of the overseas center; (4) Teaching and research materials; (5) Acquisition, maintenance, and preservation of library collections; (6) Visiting scholars to teach or to conduct research at the center; (7) Conferences; and (8) Publication and dissemination of outreach materials. Duration of grant is four years. Since the inception of the American Overseas Research Centers Program in 1994, the U.S. Department of Education has awarded grants to centers in Africa, Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia, and Western Europe. This program is administered by the International Education Programs Service (IEPS) under Title VI of the Higher Education Act.