Current calls
The UBBI-CAPES/Chico Mendes Chair Programme in Environmental Sciences, Climate Change, Ecosystems, Sustainability, Societies and Environment
Over a five-year term, the Brazilian federal funding agency for graduate education CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior) will support an annual visiting Chair appointment, associated one-year postdoctoral and sandwich PhD fellowships at the UBBI. Fellowships are for six months to one year. The first call closed on 26 January 2024, with successful applicants taking up fellowships in Sept 2024. The second call will be open for applications opened on 1 August 2024 and will close on 30 December 2024, with successful applicants able to take up fellowships from September 2025. The third call will open for applications between 1 August 2025 and will close on 30 December 2025, with successful candidates undertaking their fellowships from September 2026.
The UBBI’s annual funding scheme supports Brazilian early career university lecturers or post-doctoral researchers wishing to spend up to three months at the University of Birmingham carrying out identified research projects. The call opens for applications on 1st February each year and closes on 31 May. Outcomes will be announced by the end of June in order to allow fellows to visit Birmingham from September onwards. Visit here for further information.
UBBI-FAPESP Research Collaboration Fund
Our long-standing pump-priming fund with São Paulo’s state funding agency, FAPESP (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo) has been running since 2011 to support joint research projects and the exchange of researchers and postgraduate students. Read more about successful projects from the latest funding round.
The call funds joint collaborative research projects in any discipline, up to a maximum of £40,000, over a duration of 24 months. The fund covers research-related expenses directly pertaining to the project, as well as travel (air tickets), health insurance, and living allowances for researchers based in Birmingham and the state of São Paulo. The next submission deadline will be announced here in due course.
FAPESP SPRINT: São Paulo Researchers in International Collaboration
FAPESP run three SPRINT calls per year, with closing dates at the end of February, June and October. FAPESP provide up to US$10,000 funding to support mobility opportunities, providing the partner is able to offer some level of match. Awarded grants support research activity over a two-year project term.
Birmingham colleagues are invited to apply to their College or the Birmingham International Engagement Fund (BIEF) to secure the matched-funding needed to submit a SPRINT application. Colleagues who submitted bids to the joint UoB-FAPESP call are encouraged to consider SPRINT as an alternative to proceed with their projects on a smaller scale.
FAPESP UKRI
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and FAPESP have signed a memorandum of understanding to support collaborative applications between researchers from the UK and the state of São Paulo. This provides for a lead agency agreement whereby participant UKRI research councils (AHRC, BBSRC, ESPRC, ESRC, MRC, NERC and STFC) receive and assess joint applications from eligible UK and Brazil-based researchers from the state of São Paulo on behalf of both organisations. The funding available ranges from £300,000-£1,500,000, depending on the subject area. There is no closing date and applications can be submitted at any time. Visit Collaborate with researchers in Brazil – UKRI for further details.
Amazon +10 initiative: research expeditions to the Amazon – UKRI
This is a funding collaboration between the AHRC and NERC with Brazilian funders (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and National Council of State Funding Agencies (CONFAP)). The call funds collaborations with Brazilian partners on research expeditions to increase knowledge of biodiversity and socio-cultural diversity of the Amazon. Brazilian leadership of the projects is a requirement. Full economic cost of the UKRI component can be up to £1,000,000, funded at 80% FEC. Projects can be up to three years. The submission deadline is 29 April 2024, with results announced 23 August 2024. Read more about this funding collaboration.
Birmingham International Engagement Fund
The Birmingham International Engagement Fund (BIEF) offers travel awards to facilitate collaboration with international partners, including Brazil. Further information about the scheme and details about how to apply can be found on the Birmingham Global intranet pages.