Funding opportunity

Funding opportunity: AHRC Working with Brazilian researchers

You can apply to work with overseas researchers in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. Collaborative work is governed by an agreement between UKRI and FAPESP.

You can apply for between £50,000 and £1 million (full economic cost) for the UK part of the project. If your application is successful, AHRC will contribute 80% of your costs. FAPESP will accept proposals of up to £1 million from Brazilian researchers.

You may submit collaborative research proposals in any area of arts and humanities within the remit of AHRC and FAPESP. Projects can last up to five years.

In 2023 UK Research and Innovation will introduce a new grants system, the Funding Service, to replace the Joint Electronic Submission (Je-S) system. This will impact how you apply to responsive mode opportunities. Find out more about the transition timeline and our pathway for change.

Who can apply

UK partners

You are eligible to apply if you:

  • are actively engaged in postdoctoral research
  • have either a doctorate or can show that you have equivalent research experience or training
  • have a level of skills, knowledge and experience that is appropriate for your proposed project
  • are a member of a recognised research organisation or have an offer of support (including use of facilities) from a recognised research organisation.

UK applicants must comply with AHRC’s current eligibility criteria for standard and early career AHRC research grant proposals. You can find more details in our research funding guide.

You can also find more specific information on this funding opportunity in the AHRC-FAPESP collaborative funding guidelines (PDF, 230KB).

Brazilian partners

You must be based at an eligible institution in the State of São Paulo.

Before applying, the Brazilian principal investigator should contact FAPESP to confirm eligibility.

FAPESP will provide a confirmation letter for eligible applicants which must be attached to the single funding application submitted to AHRC.

Applications should be submitted simultaneously by the UK-based PI through Je-S and by the São Paulo-based PI to SAGe.

What we're looking for

You can submit a collaborative research proposal in any area of the arts and humanities within the remit of AHRC and FAPESP.

Read more about the research areas supported:

How to apply

You must apply using the Joint Electronic Submission system (Je-S). Applications should be submitted simultaneously by the UK-based PI through Je-S and by the São Paulo-based PI to SAGe.

We recommend you start your application early. You can save completed details in Je-S at any time and return to continue your application later.

When applying select ‘new document’ then:

  • council: AHRC
  • document type: standard proposal
  • scheme: research grants – São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)
  • call/type/mode: open call.

You can find advice on completing your application in the Je-S handbook.

If you need further help, you can contact the Je-S help desk on 01793 444164 or by email jeshelp@je-s.ukri.org.

Mandatory attachments include:

  • a letter of support from the Brazilian institution
  • budget template
  • case for support
  • CV(s)
  • publications list
  • data management plan
  • justification of resources
  • international co-investigator head of department statement (if applicable)
  • project partner letter of support (if applicable).

Optional attachments include:

  • visual evidence
  • work plan.

Your host organisation will be able to provide advice and guidance on completing your application.

There is no application deadline, and proposals will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the memorandum of understanding expires on 31 December 2025.

How we will assess your application

We will assess applications in the same way as our other responsive mode grants except that:

  • we will include a FAPESP-nominated reviewer
  • both AHRC and FAPESP will approve the final funding decision.

The assessment process usually takes around 30 weeks. The proposed start date of your project must be at least nine months after the date of your application. It can sometimes take longer than expected for us to get peer reviews. We will let you know if there is a delay.

The sifting process for applications goes through two stages, and panel comments are sent to the principal investigator for response through the Je-S system.

At the point of submission, each proposal will be assessed on the following criteria:

  • all applicants and named staff must be eligible under the scheme requirements
  • the proposal must meet the aims and criteria of the funding scheme
  • all application documents must be eligible under the scheme requirements.

Proposals which do not meet these criteria will be rejected with feedback on why it could not proceed.

For the peer review we will consider the following criteria:

  • research quality and importance (whether the project meets the aims of the scheme, contribution to knowledge, definition of research questions and issues, feasibility of methods)
  • people (the quality of your work, proven ability to manage the project, balance of team staff, co-investigator’s experience)
  • proposed leadership activities
  • management of the project
  • data management
  • value for money
  • outputs, dissemination and impact.

You can find out more about our assessment process in our research funding guide.

Contact details

Additional info

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