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Guidelines for the Submission and Selection of Proposals for Research Fellowship Abroad

1) Target audience (back to index)

a) The Research Fellowship Abroad (RFA) is intended for researchers with a PhD or equivalent title, as evidenced by their curricular summary, associated with a Research Institution in the state of São Paulo, to carry out research activities at an Institution abroad.

b) Under normal conditions, FAPESP does not prioritize applications for RFA submitted by researchers who are not formal employees of a research Institution in the state of São Paulo.

c) Likewise, applications for long-term Fellowships are not prioritized, barring exceptional cases where the internship's essential nature is demonstrated in terms of important, immediate, and well-defined benefits to the success of research projects or programs already supported by FAPESP. The progressive expansion and diversification of the state's research system provide researchers (especially new PhDs) with excellent training and specialization conditions once they are immediately integrated into good research groups in the vast majority of fields of knowledge.

d) A researcher who has already benefited from a FAPESP Research Fellowship Abroad may submit a new RFA application, provided that:

d.1) the 18-month interregnum between the end date of the previous Research Fellowship Abroad and the start date of the new one is observed;

d.2) there is a minimum interval of five years between two long-term internships (longer than 180 days).

e) The prolonged absence from the country is considered undesirable for researchers who are:

e.1) Principal Investigators of Grants and/or Scholarships/Fellowships supported by FAPESP in any of its support opportunities;

e.2) Co-Principal Investigators of Research Grants under the following support opportunities: Thematic Project Grant; Research Partnership for Technological Innovation Program (RPTIP); Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers (RIDC); São Paulo Excellence Chair Grant (SPEC), or Engineering Research Centers/Applied Research Centers (ERC/ARC).

f) If the candidate falls into the scenarios described in items "e.1" and "e.2", RFA requests submitted for internships abroad lasting more than 90 days may be granted only in exceptional circumstances, when it has been evidenced that the intended internship will provide clear and well-defined benefits to the development of the project supported by FAPESP.

f.1) If the requested Research Fellowship Abroad is approved, the researcher is responsible for submitting a leave of absence request regarding each of the Grants in which they are participating or the Scholarships/Fellowships under their responsibility, indicating how the project will continue during the leave of absence, according to IN DC 024-A.

g) If the researcher is the beneficiary of Fringe Benefits awarded in Research Grants supported by FAPESP for research internships of less than 60 days, the Fringe Benefits associated with those projects must be used, according to guidelines described at www.fapesp.br/rt.

h) Applications submitted by foreign researchers may be analyzed if the candidate is a formal employee of a research Institution in the state of São Paulo. The candidate must provide evidence of continuous research activity in Brazil during the last two years if applying for a short-term Scholarship/Fellowship (maximum 90 days) or during the last four years if applying for a longer-term Scholarship/Fellowship.

i) Post-Doctoral Fellowship Recipients in Brazil must use the funds from the Research Overhead of the respective Fellowship, according to the specific rules for the use of these funds, or request the modality RIA.

2) Fellowship Components (back to index)

FAPESP does not match Scholarships/Fellowships from other national entities and does not allow these entities to match its Scholarships/Fellowships. Scholarships/Fellowships awarded by entities based abroad may be supplemented up to the maximum monthly maintenance offered by FAPESP, depending on the merit analysis.

Benefits for dependents (spouse and/or children) are awarded only to those who stay abroad with the Scholarship/Fellowship Recipient for six or more consecutive months, for the entire duration of the Scholarship/Fellowship, provided that they receive no other income from a source abroad.

When FAPESP awards simultaneous Scholarships/Fellowships to spouses, transportation expenses and monthly maintenance are provided for both spouses, individually, but additional funds for the couple's dependents will be granted in the process of only one of the spouses.

It is recommended to read the Guidelines for the Use of Funds and Financial Reports, available at www.fapesp.br/normaspc .

2.1) Fellowship Recipient components: (back to index)

a) Daily fees or monthly maintenance, according to the rules described in PR Ordinance no. 35/2020 and the table of values available at www.fapesp.br/valores .

b) Transportation expenses:

b.1) Air ticket, in economy class.

b.2) Ground transportation ticket, with the exception of expenses with taxis and individual transportation services.

c) Travel insurance, according to amounts available at www.fapesp.br/valores .

2.2) Components for dependents, only for internships of 6 (six) months or more: (back to index)

a) Monthly maintenance of dependents, up to the fourth dependent, according to tables of values available at www.fapesp.br/valores .

b) Transportation expenses for one of the dependents:

b.1) Air ticket, in economy class.

b.2) Ground transportation ticket, with the exception of expenses with taxis and individual transportation services.

c) Travel insurance for one of the dependents, according to amounts available at www.fapesp.br/valores .

2.3) Non-fundable items (back to index)

a) School fees, bench fees and others.

b) Moving cost allowance.

c) Research Overhead.

d) Costing expenses of the research project.

e) Expenses for issuing passports and visas.

3) Duration (back to index)

Up to 12 consecutive months, non-extendable.

4) Application date (back to index)

Applications may be submitted to FAPESP at any time throughout the year.

5) Requirements for applications (back to index)

5.1) Principal Investigator (back to index)

a) Have no pending responsibilities with FAPESP (i.e., issuance of reviews and return process, delivery of Scientific Report and Financial Report). Proposals for which the PI has unfulfilled responsibilities with FAPESP, which are overdue by more than 60 (sixty) days, will not be reviewed.

b) To hold a PhD or equivalent title.

c) Be a formal employee of a research Institution in the state of São Paulo.

c.1) Accreditation on a postgraduate program at the Institution does not configure employee status nor does it waive this requirement.

c.2) FAPESP might accept, under certain conditions, an affiliation that does not configure employee status. This association, however, must be robust in terms of commitment to the academic activities of the Research Institution of the State of São Paulo. In such cases, prior to the submission of the proposal, an inquiry must be submitted to FAPESP's Scientific Directorate, through the channel "Converse com a FAPESP", informing:

c.2.1) the nature of the institutional association;

c.2.2) the number of hours per week dedicated to research involved with the association;

c.2.3) the associated source of funding;

c.2.4) the duration of such association.

c.3) Retired Teachers associated with an Institution in the state of São Paulo, whether public or private, must inform that they are retired teachers and present, at the time of the submission, a document demonstrating the nature of the institutional association.

d) Have significant scientific or technological output, evaluated by their curricular summary.

d.1) In the event of periods of leave of absence on the part of the applicant due to maternity/paternity leave, disability, temporary disabilities or intensive care for ill, elderly or disabled people, which have had an impact on their research productivity, the applicant may submit a request for an analysis of the deadlines for eligibility, through the channel Converse com a FAPESP, under the terms of PR Ordinance no. 171/2024 .

d.2) Information on each period of leave of absence should be included in the applicant's curricular summary, sent as part of submitting the proposal for a Grant or Scholarship/Fellowship.

e) Inform if the grant has been submitted to any other funding entity and whether the applicant has other current grants for similar research.

5.2) Host Institution (back to index)

a) To authorize the Researcher's leave of absence to carry out research activities at an Institution abroad.

5.3) Institution abroad (back to index)

a) Accept the researcher for the proposed research internship.

b) Have international leadership in the field of research.

6) Required conditions and obligations (back to index)

6.1) Principal Investigator (back to index)

During the term of the Fellowship, the researcher must comply with the following conditions and obligations:

a) Have no pending responsibilities with FAPESP (i.e., issuance of reviews and return process, delivery of Scientific Report and Financial Report). Noncompliance will lead to blocking the PI's funding.

b) Be aware of the obligations specified in the Grant Contract for Fellowship abroad.

b.1) Noncompliance with the rules and the terms specified in the Grant Contract may imply the cancellation of the Fellowship and the obligation to return funds already disbursed by FAPESP, in updated amounts.

c) Consult FAPESP before accepting any financial support from any other funding entity, whether public or private, for the execution of the research project to which the Fellowship is related.

d) Provide, free of charge, Grant/Fellowship reviews in their field of knowledge and within the deadlines stipulated, when requested by FAPESP.

e) Do not modify the project (initial plan, dates, etc.) without the prior consent of FAPESP.

f) Submit Scientific Report and Financial Report within the deadlines specified in the Grant Contract, accompanied by the required documentation.

g) Do not leave the Institution where the research internship abroad is being developed without previous and express permission of FAPESP, upon a justified request.

h) Refer to FAPESP's support in theses, papers, books, conference abstracts and any other publication or form of dissemination of activities resulting, completely or partially, from Grants and Scholarships/Fellowships from the Foundation, as foreseen in a specific Clause of the Grant Contract and described at www.fapesp.br/11789 .

i) In the event that the research project funded by FAPESP has also been awarded financial support from any other public or private source, the researcher is obligated to inform and refer to the support, with clear indication of its source, in all forms of dissemination mentioned in the previous item.

j) The researcher must return to Brazil after the end of the Fellowship and remain in scientific activity in the state of São Paulo for at least the same period as their permanence abroad.

k) Take the necessary steps to ensure that, through the service offered by the Host Institution, the full texts of the papers or other types of scientific communication resulting (in whole or in part) from the project funded by FAPESP and published in international journals are made available in an institutional repository of scientific works, in accordance with the open access policy of each journal, as soon as the manuscripts are approved for publication, or in the shortest time compatible with the restrictions of each journal, and in any case no later than 12 months from the date of publication. FAPESP Policy for Open Access to Publications Resulting from Grants and Scholarships/Fellowships is available at www.fapesp.br/12632.

l) Verify, in a timely manner, whether the execution of the project produces or could potentially produce results, in whole or in part, which might be the object of protection by Patent of Invention, Utility Model, Industrial Design, Software or any other form of protection of Intellectual Property rights, subject to FAPESP's Intellectual Property Policy, available at www.fapesp.br/pi .

m) Be aware of and respect the guidelines contained in FAPESP's Code of Good Scientific Practices, available at www.fapesp.br/boaspraticas .

n) Always use the updated versions of the rules, forms and procedures, available at www.fapesp.br and www.fapesp.br/sage .

7) Format for submission of proposals (back to index)

Requests for RFA must be submitted through the on-line system SAGe ("Sistema de Apoio à Gestão"), at www.fapesp.br/sage . Within SAGe (under the "Manuais" link), it is possible to find documents that explain how to register users, prepare and submit proposals, and request the registration of institutions.

In order to submit a proposal, the PI must be registered on the SAGe system. Their information should be up to date and include a copy of the PI's identification document.

7.1) Project Data (back to index)

a) Data on the Institution abroad where the research will be carried out must be included when filling out the application in the SAGe's "Dados Gerais do Projeto" > "Instituições" tab.

a.1) In order for the name of the Institution abroad to be found when filling out the application, it must have been previously registered in SAGe.

a.2) In case the name of the Institution is not found, the researcher can submit a registration request through the system's "Solicitações" > "Cadastro de Instituição de Pesquisa/Empresa" menu.

a.3) After submitting the Institution's registration request, the Principal Investigator must wait for the registration confirmation to be emailed by FAPESP in order to continue filling out the application.

b) The name of the host investigator (with whom the beneficiary will carry out the internship) must be indicated when filling out the application in the SAGe's "Dados Gerais do Projeto" > "Pessoas Envolvidas" tab.

b.1) In order to indicate the host investigator in the proposal, it is necessary that they are registered on the SAGe system. This can be done by accessing the option “Sem Cadastro” or "Not registered?" on the system's initial page.

b.2) After the initial registration, the host investigator must access SAGe and complete their registration via the "Personal Information" > "Update Personal Information" option. The fields marked with "*" are mandatory and a copy of the host investigator's identification document must be uploaded.

7.2) Required documents (back to index)

The following documents are required to apply for an RFA:

a) Research project.

b) Curricular Summary of the Principal Investigator.

c) In the case of a complementary request which is linked to a Thematic Project; Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers (RIDC); Engineering Research Centers (ERC); São Paulo Excellence Chair Grant (SPEC); or Young Investigator Grant, a summary of the main project and a document signed by the Principal Investigator of the linked Grant must be included. The latter should specify the contribution of the present proposal to the project to which a link is requested.

d) Letter from the institution or researcher abroad accepting the candidate.

e) Justification for choosing the center for the internship.

f) Manifestation of the Head of the Host Institution, according to the model available for download at SAGe.

g) Declaration of interest of a research institution in the state of São Paulo in the proposed program. Document to be submitted (according to the template available for download on SAGe) in cases where the candidate is not a formal employee of a research Institution in the state of São Paulo, but receives a positive answer to the question specified in item 5.1.c.2.

h) Curriculum (or "biosketch" in NIH or NSF format) of the host investigator with whom the candidate will carry out the internship.

8) Authorizations required by Law to perform the research (back to index)

It is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator and the Host Institution to request, obtain and hold all legal and required authorizations for the proper execution of the project, which must be issued by the control and inspection bodies relating to the nature of the research, when so required.

If the proposal is approved, the Grant Contract will contain a clause requiring that the Principal Investigator and the Host Institution have such authorizations and demonstrate them to FAPESP whenever requested.

9) Intellectual Property (back to index)

FAPESP's rules regarding the intellectual property of the results of projects supported by the Foundation are described at www.fapesp.br/pi.

10) Review of applications (back to index)

10.1) Review process (back to index)

Applications sent to FAPESP for different types of support opportunities are reviewed using the peer review system (www.fapesp.br/analise).

The maximum number of Fellowships that can be approved must comply with the limits defined in FAPESP's annual budget proposal, approved by the Board of Trustees.

For awarding Research Fellowship Abroad, the review done by Area Coordinators and Associate Coordinators, based on the reviewers' opinions, intends to identify those proposals that are considered excellent in three components: a) Research Project; b) Candidate's Research Background; and c) Host group.

The review process is carried out in five stages and involves the participation of ad hoc reviewers, Area Coordinators and Associate Coordinators.

The five steps of the review process are listed and described below:

a. Eligibility of the proposals and indication of reviewers by the Area Coordinators.

b. Analysis and issue of reviews by the ad hoc reviewers.

c. Analysis and recommendation by the Area Coordinators.

d. Analysis and recommendation by the Associate Coordinators.

e. Scientific Director's decision and analysis by the Executive Board and the Board of Trustees.

10.1.1) Eligibility of the proposals and indication of reviewers by the Area Coordinators

In this phase, the Area Coordinators (www.fapesp.br/1479) verify that the requirements specified in sections 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3 of these guidelines are totally met. For requests considered eligible, the Area Coordinators indicate which ad hoc reviewers to consult for issuing a review. Requests that are considered ineligible are sent to the Associate Coordinators for analysis and final decision. If the Associate Coordinators agree that the proposal is ineligible, it returns to the Principal Investigator with a review clarifying the reasons for the decision.

10.1.2) Analysis and issue of review by the ad hoc reviewers

The ad hoc reviewers are specialists in the fields of the projects being proposed. They analyze the proposals and issue reviews that contemplate each of the criteria mentioned in section 10.1.6. Their detailed reviews form the basis for the subsequent steps of the analysis.

10.1.3) Analysis and recommendation by the Area Coordinators

The Area Coordinators analyze the proposals based on the reviews issued by ad hoc reviewers and conclude by issuing a recommendation to the Scientific Directorate on the case. The Area Coordinators are only responsible for the evaluation of proposals which fall within their field of knowledge.

10.1.4) Analysis and recommendation by the Associate Coordinators

The Associate Coordinators examine the proposals and compare the Area Coordinators' recommendations with the reviews issued by the ad hoc reviewers. In particular, they verify consistency with FAPESP's excellence benchmarks and whether all the criteria in section 10.1.6 and, if necessary, those in section 10.1.7 were considered during the analysis. If there are any discrepancies, they are sent to the Area Coordinators for discussion. Finally, recommendations are conducted to the Scientific Director.

Evaluations by the Associate Coordinators take place separately for different major fields of knowledge.

10.1.5) Scientific Director's decision and analysis by the Executive Board and the Board of Trustees

Based on the analysis of the Area Coordinators and Associate Coordinators, the Scientific Director makes the final decision. When there are doubts or there is a mismatch between the Coordinators' recommendations, the proposals are discussed with the Associate Coordinators before the final decision is taken. The Scientific Director's decision is submitted for analysis by the Executive Board, which will deliberate ad-referendum of the Board of Trustees.

10.1.6) Review criteria

In the analysis by the ad hoc reviewers (section 10.1.2), Area Coordinators (section 10.1.3) and Associate Coordinators (section 10.1.4), the criteria used to classify the proposals are listed below and included in the reviewers' opinion form.

Each request is analyzed considering three components: a) Research Project; b) Candidate's Research Background; and c) Host group.

a. Research Project

1. The definition, relevance, originality of the objectives and the significance of the intended contribution to the field of knowledge in which the proposed project is inserted.

2. Scientific foundation and the methods used.

3. Feasibility of carrying it out within the expected timeframe.

4. The expected benefits justify investing in an internship abroad.

b. Candidate's Research Background

1. Quality and regularity of scientific and/or technological output. Important elements for this analysis are: list of publications in journals with a selective editorial policy; published books or book chapters; patents in which they appear as inventor; other forms of intellectual property; research results effectively transferred and adopted by companies or the government; and any other information that may be relevant.

1.a. The fundamental document to be considered for the analysis of this item is the Curricular Summary (www.fapesp.br/5266) presented with the proposal.

1.b. In the event of periods of leave of absence on the part of the applicant due to maternity/paternity leave, disability, temporary disabilities or intensive care for ill, elderly or disabled people, which have had an impact on their research productivity, the applicant may submit a request for an analysis of the deadlines for eligibility, through the channel Converse com a FAPESP, under the terms of PR Ordinance no. 171/2024 .

1.c. Information on each period of leave of absence should be included in the applicant's curricular summary, sent as part of submitting the proposal for a Grant or Scholarship/Fellowship.

2. Demonstrated experience in research projects related to the subject of the proposal under analysis.

3. Demonstrated ability to train researchers, with an emphasis on recent activity in student guidance.

c. Host group

1. Evaluation of the researcher or research group with whom the applicant intends to collaborate and their appropriateness to the objectives of the proposal.

10.1.7) The most common deficiencies observed in applications for Research Fellowship Abroad

When analyzing proposals for Research Fellowship Abroad, the most common deficiencies are related to:

a) The research project:

1. Excessive or incongruous objectives.

2. Unoriginal project.

3. Insufficient scientific basis.

4. Inadequate methodology.

5. Inadequate project for a research program abroad.

6. The expected benefits do not justify investing in an internship abroad.

b) The candidate:

1. Scientific or technological output that, for that stage in their career, does not attest to significant achievement as a result of their research activity, except under the conditions provided for in PR Ordinance no. 171/2024 .

2. Unclear guidance ability.

c) The host group:

1. The selection of the group with which the requesting researcher intends to collaborate is inappropriate for the internship's objectives.

10.2) Analysis deadline (back to index)

The expected average duration of the FAPESP review process for this support opportunity is approximately 75 days, assuming there are no incidents such as due diligence or return without a reviewers' opinion.

a) This number represents an average. Therefore, this does not mean that applications that are submitted 75 days prior to the estimated start of the grant will necessarily be evaluated within this period. Since the expected average period is 75 days, there will certainly be cases in which the period for a decision will be longer than that.

b) Considering that the specialists who participate in the review process of the proposals submitted to FAPESP ( ad hoc reviewers, area coordinators and associate coordinators) are mostly members of the academic community, and that in the period from December to January the Universities and Research Institutions in the state of São Paulo go on break and academic vacation, the Proposals submitted from October to January may suffer additional delays.

c) For each modality of funding, it is estimated a typical period necessary to complete the review process. FAPESP takes responsibility for making every effort to observe this limit. However, the Foundation cannot guarantee that this condition will be always fulfilled, since FAPESP's top priority is to ensure the quality of the review and selection process.

d) In fact, the most important part of the review process cannot be fully controlled by FAPESP: all applications are sent out to ad hocreviewers for their opinion, and it is not always possible, despite FAPESP's efforts, to obtain a return process within the regular review deadline.

e) Furthermore, reviewers frequently ask for clarifications before submitting their final review and occasionally FAPESP itself may decide to send the application to additional reviewers if it considers that the submitted reviews are insufficient to make a well-founded final decision.

f) However, experience shows that in most cases the expected average deadlines are met, as can be seen from "Estudo Tempos/FAPESP", available at www.fapesp.br/estatisticas/analise .

g) Considering what is described in the items above and in order to allow for appropriate planning for the researcher, FAPESP strongly suggests that proposals in this modality be submitted 9 months prior to the desired starting date of the visit.

10.3) Reconsideration request (back to index)

Upon a justified request for reconsideration of the initial decision, FAPESP guarantees the applicant the right to a new analysis of their proposal. Requests for reconsideration must be made in accordance with the guidelines described at www.fapesp.br/reconsideracao .

11) Scientific Report (back to index)

a) Scientific Report must be presented on the date specified in the Grant Contract.

b) The Scientific Report must describe – briefly and completely – the activities developed during the internship, and the benefits obtained for the continuity of the researcher's research activities in the state of São Paulo.

c) The Scientific Report must be submitted electronically via SAGe, as described in the "Submission of SR" manual, available at SAGe, under the link "Manuals".

12) Financial Report (back to index)

a) The Guidelines for the Use of Funds and Financial Reports are available at www.fapesp.br/normaspc .

b) The Financial Report must be presented on the date specified in the Grant Contract. Guidance on submitting the Financial Report is available at www.fapesp.br/prestacaodecontas .

c) FAPESP allows the PI to appoint SAGe account users who support them in the preparation of the Financial Report. Detailed instructions on the preparation and submission of the electronic Financial Report, as well as on the indication of support users, can be found in the Researchers Support Manuals , available at the link "Manuals" at SAGe.

13) Amendment to the Grant Contract (back to index)

a) By signing the Grant Contract, the Principal Investigator acknowledges that the conditions and funds granted by FAPESP are sufficient to enable the execution of the internship, barring unpredictable circumstances.

b) For this reason, the researchers are advised to sign the Grant Contract only after having assured themselves that the conditions, items and values of the budget approved by FAPESP are, under normal circumstances, enough to fully guarantee the successful execution of the project in question.

c) In the case of uncertainty, as accepting the Scholarship/Fellowship, the researcher is advised to tick the box "Solicito Mudanças" and immediately submit a well-founded change request, which will be analyzed by FAPESP.

d) Recognizing that in certain cases, after the initial award, there may be circumstances that affect the development of the project and require changes to the agreed conditions, FAPESP accepts that requests may be made to amend the Grant Contract, under the conditions detailed at www.fapesp.br/565.

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