Funding opportunity

Funding opportunity: Collaborate with researchers in Brazil

Opportunity status:: Open
Funders:: Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Medical Research Council (MRC), Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), UK Research and Innovation
Co-funders:: São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)
Funding type:: Grant
Publication date:: 20 September 2020
Opening date:: N/A
Closing date:: Open - no closing date

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and FAPESP have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to support collaborative applications. It provides for a lead agency assessment whereby participant UKRI research councils receive and assess joint applications from eligible UK and Brazil-based researchers from the state of São Paulo on behalf of both organisations.

UKRI and FAPESP will co-fund applications submitted to participant UKRI councils’ selected responsive mode funding opportunities. General conditions for applications will differ depending on the specific funding opportunity.

Who can apply

Applications must be submitted via the participating research council’s funding opportunity.

You must be an eligible project lead or principal investigator employed by a UK research organisation eligible to receive funding from the participating UKRI research councils which you wish to apply to:

AHRC
BBSRC
EPSRC
ESRC
MRC
NERC
STFC

UK and São Paulo-based applicants should ensure that their joint applications are well balanced, with clear roles and objectives, and equivalent research effort attributed to both sides of the collaboration.

Information on institution eligibility to receive UKRI funding can be found on UKRI’s website or in the funding opportunity guidance to which an application is being submitted.

Check if your institution is eligible for funding.

Who is eligible to apply

The UK project lead or principal investigator must be employed by a UK research organisation eligible for UKRI funding and meet the participating research council’s eligibility criteria for the specific funding opportunity to which an application is being submitted.

Further information regarding UK applicants’ eligibility conditions can be found in the council’s guidance to applicants and in the funding opportunity specific guidance, under the ‘Eligible funding opportunities’ section.

International researchers

To benefit from FAPESP funding, São Paulo-based applicants need to be affiliated with FAPESP eligible institutions, meaning higher education and research organisations, public or private, based in the state of São Paulo.

Unlike UKRI, FAPESP does not award grants to institutions, but directly to researchers. Brazilian applicants should contact FAPESP (please see ‘Contact details’ section) to confirm their eligibility before applying.

Further information regarding the São Paulo-based applicant’s eligibility conditions can be found on FAPESP-UKRI open deadlines (responsive mode) submission page.

Further guidance

You should refer to the specific participating research council’s guidance to applicants and funding opportunity guidance for further information:

FAPESP guidance for applicants can be found on FAPESP-UKRI open deadlines (responsive mode) submission page.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers.

We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes:

career breaks
support for people with caring responsibilities
flexible working
alternative working patterns

UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process.

What we're looking for

Scope

Under the UKRI-FAPESP agreement, joint UK-Brazil applications can be submitted to the UKRI council’s responsive mode funding opportunities.

Collaborative research applications led by UK applicants, with São Paulo-based researchers, may be submitted in any single or cross-disciplinary area which fits within the remit of the participating research councils.

Eligible funding opportunities

Joint UK-Brazil applications are eligible to several funding opportunities. Some funding opportunities are open, and others have closing dates.

See all collaborative UK-Brazil funding opportunities on the UKRI Funding finder. For individual council opportunities, please utilise the filter on the left-hand side to select the specific council funding opportunity you wish to view.

Deadlines and budget available will differ depending on the funding opportunity to which an application is being submitted.

You should refer to the funding opportunity guidance for further information.

Duration

The duration of the award will differ depending on the funding opportunity.

Funding available

The funding of the award will differ depending on the funding opportunity. Further information regarding the total value of the project can be found in the council’s guidance for applicants and specific funding opportunity guidance.

You should ensure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines that may be in place.

What we will fund

Costs to be incurred by UK and São Paulo-based applicants must be clearly differentiated in the application and compatible with existing financial practices pertinent to the UKRI councils and FAPESP, respectively.

Costs for the UK applicant should be requested by completing the relevant finance fields in the UKRI Funding Service. All costs being requested from UKRI must be eligible under normal research funding rules.

Costs being requested from FAPESP by São Paulo-based applicants should not be entered into the Funding Service. The costs to be requested to FAPESP should follow the guidelines established by FAPESP and need to be detailed and justified in the proposal submitted to both UKRI and FAPESP.

São Paulo-based applicants should complete the FAPESP-specific forms on costs to be requested from FAPESP when submitting their proposal through the SAGe system and should also be submitted by the UK principal investigator via the Funding Service.

All costs requested from FAPESP should be eligible under the general rules and procedures for FAPESP research grants (regular, thematic or young investigator grant).

In general terms, costs which can be claimed from FAPESP by São Paulo- based applicants include:

equipment and long-term materials (bought in Brazil or imported)
consumable materials and supplies (bought in Brazil or imported)
third-party services (national or foreign)
travel expenses and travel allowances for activities directly related to the development of the proposed research
scholarships and fellowships

What we will not fund

Wages of any nature, third-party services other than those of a technical and occasional nature, construction works, purchase of publications and administrative materials or services of any type are not eligible from FAPESP. São Paulo researchers already receive a full salary from their research institutions.

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)

UKRI is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks. Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our TR&I Principles set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration.

As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks.

See further guidance and information about TR&I, including where applicants can find additional support.

How to apply

We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system. Full details on how to apply can be found under the relevant opportunity.

Before applying to collaborate with an eligible Brazilian-based researcher from the state of São Paulo, you should review the specific funding opportunity guidance to which an application is being submitted.

Please check specific process guidance for applicants applying to different UKRI research councils.

Submitting your application

In 2023, all UKRI research councils transitioned from the Je-S system to the new Funding Service. Read more about the Funding Service.

There are some differences in the Funding Service format between participating UKRI research councils. You should ensure the relevant guidelines and requirements for the individual research council covering the remit of your research are followed.

You should ensure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines that may be in place.

Applications should be submitted by the UK project lead or principal investigator using the Funding Service and by the São Paulo-based project lead or principal investigator to the management support system (SAGe).

In the Funding Service, the required documents include:

FAPESP proposal form, including basic information regarding the proposal and FAPESP consolidated budget, for the costs being requested (please note that this may be a separate budget form, depending on the council submitted to. Please check specific council guidance)
FAPESP letter of eligibility, which needs to be uploaded as attachments by the UK applicants
Further documentation may be required by FAPESP to complete the analysis of the proposal

The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application.

Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.

To apply

Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page.

Confirm you are the project lead.
Sign in or create a Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password. If your organisation is not listed, email support@funding-service.ukri.org
Please allow at least 10 working days for your organisation to be added to the Funding Service. We strongly suggest that if you are asking UKRI to add your organisation to the Funding Service to enable you to apply to this opportunity, you also create an organisation Administration Account. This will be needed to allow the acceptance and management of any grant that might be offered to you.
Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on the Funding finder page.
Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.
Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.
Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.

Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

When including images, you must:

provide a descriptive caption or legend for each image immediately underneath it in the text box (this must be outside the image and counts towards your word limit)
insert each new image on a new line
use files smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format

Images should only be used to convey important visual information that cannot easily be put into words. The following are not permitted, and your application may be rejected if you include:

sentences or paragraphs of text
tables
excessive quantities of images

A few words are permitted where the image would lack clarity without the contextual words, such as a diagram, where text labels are required for an axis or graph column.

For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:

Submitting your application to FAPESP

The project lead or principal investigator from the UK must also create a complete login in the SAGe system for submissions to FAPESP. This can be done by accessing SAGe in English in the option “Not registered?” and filling all fields marked as mandatory. These should be marked with an asterisk.

After having been nominated as a participant in the research proposal, the UK project lead or principal investigator must confirm participation in the project in the SAGe system.

After completing the SAGe online form and submitting the proposal to FAPESP, the São Paulo-based project lead or principal investigator must generate a PDF copy of that proposal to be attached by the UK principal investigator in their application to the specific UK research council.

References

References should be included within the word count of the appropriate question section. You should use your discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.

Hyperlinks can be used in reference information. When including references, you should consider how your references will be viewed and used by the assessors, ensuring that:

references are easily identifiable by the assessors
references are formatted as appropriate to your research
persistent identifiers are used where possible

General use of hyperlinks

Applications should be self-contained. You should only use hyperlinks to link directly to reference information. You must not include links to web resources to extend your application. Assessors are not required to access links to conduct assessment or recommend a funding decision.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Use of generative AI tools to prepare funding applications is permitted, however, caution should be applied.

For more information see our policy on the use of generative AI in application and assessment.

Deadline

Closing date will differ by funding opportunity. You will not be able to apply after this time.

Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines.

Following the submission of your application to the funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and applications will not be returned for amendment. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.

Personal data

Processing personal data

UKRI will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications.

We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy notice.

UKRI will need to share the application and any personal information that it contains with FAPESP so that they can participate in the assessment process. Find out more information on how FAPESP uses personal information.

If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email the relevant council.

Include in the subject line: [the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number].

Typical examples of confidential information include:

individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave)
declaration of interest
additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section
conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection
the application is an invited resubmission

For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read UKRI’s privacy notice.

Publication of outcomes

UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity as indicated under the relevant opportunity.

If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research.

How we will assess your application

Assessment process

We will assess your application using the following process.

Applications from eligible UK and Brazilian-based researchers from the state of São Paulo should be submitted to the relevant research council for processing. The participant UKRI research council leads on the processing and assessment of the application on behalf of both organisations.

On receipt of the online application, the UK research council and FAPESP will liaise on:

eligibility checks
confirmation of the availability of funds should the proposal be recommended for funding
nomination of assessors

FAPESP will complete eligibility checks within two weeks and forward names of assessors within a further two weeks.

Once these have been completed, the UK applicants will be contacted, normally by email, if their application cannot be accepted for processing due to eligibility issues.

FAPESP will also be informed of any such decision and will then inform the Brazilian-based applicants from the state of São Paulo.

The UKRI research council will approach the relevant number of assessors according to scheme rules and procedures.

Once assessments are completed the proposals will be submitted to the decision-making or advisory body of the UKRI research council.

If appropriate, a FAPESP nominee or representative will be invited to participate in the decision-making process either via correspondence or in person depending on the nature of the scheme and the number, value and ranking of proposals received in relation to the MoU being considered.

FAPESP will confirm whether a nominee or representative will participate in the decision-making process at least two weeks in advance of the decision-making or advisory board meeting.

Announcement

Once a final decision has been reached, in the case of a positive funding decision, the relevant UKRI research council will notify FAPESP.

Within three weeks, FAPESP will then confirm sign off on the decision, whether successful or unsuccessful, and for successful applications, it will confirm funding and agree award start dates with the UKRI research council.

Under the terms of the agreement FAPESP agrees in principle to accept the results of the assessment process as presented by the relevant UKRI research council.

Once the UKRI research council has confirmation from FAPESP, the issuing of grants to both project leads, or principal investigators will be aligned between FAPESP and the respective UKRI research council. The UKRI research council will then issue a decision letter to the UK applicant on behalf of both organisations. A copy of this letter will be sent to FAPESP. This will confirm the proposed start date.

The UKRI research council will issue a grant for the UK component to the UK applicant’s institution according to normal processes and procedures. FAPESP will issue an award for the Brazilian component to the São Paulo-based applicant’s institution according to normal processes and procedures.

In the case of a negative funding decision, the relevant UKRI research council will issue a decision letter to the UK applicant on behalf of both organisations. FAPESP will be notified of the negative outcome.

Principles of assessment

We support the San Francisco declaration on research assessment and recognise the relationship between research assessment and research integrity.

Find out about the UKRI principles of assessment and decision making.

Using generative artificial intelligence (AI) in expert review

Reviewers and panellists are not permitted to use generative AI tools to develop their assessment. Using these tools can potentially compromise the confidentiality of the ideas that applicants have entrusted to UKRI to safeguard.

For more detail see our policy on the use of generative AI.

Assessment areas

UKRI funds research on a competitive basis using independent assessors. This system is regarded as an international benchmark of excellence in research funding, and this provides a guarantee of the quality of UK research.

The actual criteria of assessment will depend on the individual UKRI research council and the scheme to which the application is made. These are normally detailed in the relevant scheme applicant guidance notes.

Post-award management

Grant holders should contact both FAPESP and the UKRI research council concerning any changes to any of the award holders’ institutional affiliations or other aspects of the grant during its lifetime.

If necessary, the funding UKRI research council and FAPESP may consult with each other before agreeing to any changes to the grant’s status. This will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

Progress and final reports

Where reporting is required by the UKRI research council and FAPESP, it should be submitted according to the normal procedures of those organisations.

The required reporting should cover the whole project and specifically describe and comment on the effectiveness of the international cooperation.

The reporting requirements should be detailed in each of the UKRI research councils and FAPESP’s guidelines for applicants.

Contact details

Get help with your application

If you have a question and the answers aren’t provided on this page

The helpdesk is committed to helping users of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service as effectively and as quickly as possible. In order to manage cases at peak volume times, the helpdesk will triage and prioritise those queries with an imminent opportunity deadline or a technical issue. Enquiries raised where information is available on the Funding finder opportunity page and should be understood early in the application process (for example, regarding eligibility, content or remit of a funding opportunity) will not constitute a priority case and will be addressed as soon as possible.

Contact details

For help and advice on costings and writing your application please contact your research office in the first instance, allowing sufficient time for your organisation’s submission process.

Enquiries regarding the submission of applications under the UKRI-FAPESP agreement should be submitted to the respective participating UKRI research council to which an application is being submitted. Please include ‘FAPESP’ in the subject line.

AHRC: international@ahrc.ukri.org
BBSRC: inca@bbsrc.ukri.org
EPSRC: international@epsrc.ukri.org
ESRC: international@esrc.ukri.org
MRC: international@mrc.ukri.org
NERC: leadagency@nerc.ukri.org
STFC: international@stfc.ukri.org

Enquiries regarding FAPESP’s process or implementation of this agreement should be addressed to FAPESP.

FAPESP: ukri-agreement@fapesp.br

Any queries regarding the system or the submission of applications through the Funding Service should be directed to the helpdesk.

Email: support@funding-service.ukri.org

Phone: 01793 547490

Our phone lines are open:

Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm
Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm

To help us process queries more efficiently, we request that users highlight the council and opportunity name in the subject title of their email query, include the application reference number, and refrain from contacting more than one mailbox at a time.

For further information on submitting an application read How applicants use the Funding Service.

Additional info

Background

UKRI and FAPESP are charged with fostering and supporting academic research within their own communities in their respective countries. Both UKRI and FAPESP recognise that the best research may be delivered by working with the best researchers internationally.

UKRI and FAPESP have signed a MoU to welcome and support collaborative applications that may cut across UK and Brazilian national boundaries and involve international collaborative teams.

The MoU provides for a lead agency agreement whereby participant UKRI research councils receive and assess joint applications from eligible UK and Brazil-based researchers from the state of São Paulo on behalf of both organisations.

UKRI and FAPESP will co-fund applications submitted to participant UKRI research councils’ responsive mode funding opportunities via selected funding opportunities.

You may apply until the end of the MoU agreement between UKRI and FAPESP on 31 December 2025, unless otherwise extended. Successful joint projects between UK and Brazil-based researchers from the state of São Paulo that extend past the end of the MoU will continue to be supported by UKRI and FAPESP.

Intellectual property

It is the responsibility of the research organisation, and all engaged in the research, to make every reasonable effort to ensure that the outcomes obtained during the research, whether patentable or not, are used to the advantage of society and the economy.

Research outcomes should be disseminated to both research and more widespread audiences, for example, to inform potential users and beneficiaries of the research.

Unless stated otherwise, the ownership of intellectual property, and responsibility for its exploitation, rests with the organisation that generates it. Where the grant is associated with more than one research organisation, project partners or both, the basis of collaboration between the organisations, including ownership of intellectual property and rights to exploitation, is expected to be set out in a formal collaboration agreement.

It is the responsibility of the research organisation to put such an agreement in place before the research begins. The terms of collaboration agreements must not conflict with FAPESP and UKRI terms and conditions.

Arrangements for collaboration, exploitation or both must not prevent the future progression of research and the dissemination of research results in accordance with academic customs and practice. A temporary delay in publication is acceptable to allow commercial and collaborative arrangements to be established.

The grant holder should, subject to the procedures laid down by the research organisation, publish the results of the research in accordance with normal academic practice. Publications and other forms of media communication, including media appearances, press releases and conferences, must acknowledge the support received from UKRI and FAPESP, quoting the grant reference number if appropriate.

Applicants in receipt of grants from UKRI and FAPESP must follow the open access requirements of the respective organisations. The specific requirements are dependent on the type of publication. For further information on For further information on FAPESP’s open access policy, please refer to FAPESP’s website.

The research organisation must ensure that all those associated with the research are aware of, and accept, these arrangements.

Research disruption due to COVID-19

We recognise that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused major interruptions and disruptions across our communities. We are committed to ensuring that individual applicants and their wider team, including partners and networks, are not penalised for any disruption to their career, such as:

breaks and delays
disruptive working patterns and conditions
the loss of ongoing work
role changes that may have been caused by the pandemic

Reviewers and panel members will be advised to consider the unequal impacts that COVID-19 related disruption might have had on the capability to deliver and career development of those individuals included in the application. They will be asked to consider the capability of the applicant and their wider team to deliver the research they are proposing.

Where disruptions have occurred, you can highlight this within your application if you wish, but there is no requirement to detail the specific circumstances that caused the disruption.