[4][5] In 1988, Randy Bush and John Klensin began providing pro bono technical support to network engineers in southern Africa.

The program was formalized in 1992 with a grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation,[6] and activities expanded to countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

[7] NSRC provides funding for different Network Operator Groups throughout the world, as well as in-kind equipment, training, and publications necessary to establish Internet connections.

[16] Similar work to the efforts in Africa, the NSRC has coordinated various hardware donations from large vendors to help build national research and education networks in countries across Asia, including Indonesia,[17] Myanmar,[18] Bhutan,[19] Guam,[20] and Vanuatu.

[21] In Latin America, the NSRC has assisted and trained local support to build national research and education networks in Panama[22] and Guatemala.