Agreements
FAPESP-BBSRC Pump-Priming Award (FAPPA) Versão em português
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Summary
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Closing date:
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Projects are accepted throughout the year.
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FAPESP scheme:
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Regular Research Award, with the exceptionalities as described in the announcement of opportunity below.
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Maximum duration of the project:
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24 months.
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Eligibility:
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Sao Paulo researchers in charge or as a principal investigator of an ongoing Thematic Projects; Young Investigator Awards; Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers (RIDCs), or Engineering Research Centers.
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Submission:
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By the research partner based in the UK to BBSRC (JeS), and by the researcher based in Sao Paulo to FAPESP (SAGe).
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Contact details:
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Guidance Notes
FAPESP (São Paulo Research Foundation) and BBSRC (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council) are pleased to invite applications for the Pump-Priming Award (FAPPA) scheme. The aim of this award is to provide short term pump-priming to new collaborations between research groups in the State of São Paulo, Brazil and BBSRC funded research groups in the UK.
Successful UK applicants will be funded by BBSRC while their São Paulo based counterparts will be funded by FAPESP. Priority will be given to applications in the area of food security and/ or Bioenergy and Industrial Biotechnology.
There is no specific deadline for applications to this scheme; however proposals must be received by BBSRC no less than 12 weeks before the proposed start date.
BBSRC FAPPA page: https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/bbsrc-brazil-pump-priming-award/
Note that all applications must be made through the Research Councils Joint Electronic Submission System (JeS): https://je-s.rcuk.ac.uk/JeS2WebLoginSite, and through SAGe: sage/
See the Application Process section below for more details.
Guidelines and Regulations
Eligibility
1. Applications must be made by a Principle Investigator (PI) currently in receipt of BBSRC research funding. This includes
• PI on an active BBSRC responsive mode research grant;
• PI on an active BBSRC themed research grant;
• Project leader on a BBSRC Institute strategic programme grant at a National Institute of Bioscience: Rothamsted Research; John Innes Centre; Quadrum Institute; Earlham Institute; The Pirbright Institute; Babraham Institute; Roslin Institute; Institute of Biological Environmental and Rural Sciences;
• Recipient of a fellowship award from BBSRC;
• Co-I on a current BBSRC Strategic Lola or BBSRC Initiative grant with funding of over £1M.
2. The associated BBSRC grant must have started before application submission and must not have expired before the start of the award.
3. BBSRC studentship awards or the presence of BBSRC funding elsewhere within an academic department does not confer eligibility for these awards.
4. The partnering PI in São Paulo (Brazil) must be currently PI or Co-I of FAPESP research funding in one of the following forms:
a) Thematic Projects
b) Young Investigator Awards
c) Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers (CEPIDs/RIDCs)
d) Engineering Research Centres
f) Institutional Research Development Plan (PDIP)
5. The UK applicants must submit a single joint application to BBSRC, and the same application must be submitted by the Sao Paulo researcher to FAPESP.
Objectives
These awards provide resources to leading BBSRC funded research groups to prime-pump interactions with top FAPESP scientists in the São Paulo State. The aim is to strengthen the scientific relationship between the UK - Brazilian research groups to the point where they can make highly competitive applications to BBSRC and FAPESP for full joint research grants under the UKRI - FAPESP lead agency agreement.
The synergy between the strategic priorities of BBSRC and FAPESP have clear mutually beneficial complementarities in the areas of:
• Food Security: defined as bioscience for a sustainable supply of sufficient, affordable, nutritious and safe food, adapting to a rapidly changing world. Includes the full range of research from basic studies through to application.
• Bioenergy and Industrial Biotechnology: defined as energy and industrial materials from novel biological sources, especially second and third generation biofuels. Includes basic and underpinning studies through to application.
Priority will therefore be given to applications that address one or both of these priority areas; however applications in other areas will still be considered. It should be noted that these awards should not be used as a vehicle to support longer term collaborative interactions for existing projects as provision for these type of interactions is made through the Brazil Partnering Award (https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/bbsrc-brazil-partnering-award/). They are also not designed to be used a long term substitute for full research funding.
A full description of how these awards sit alongside other initiatives to promote collaboration with São Paulo can be found at: en/5339.
Scope
BBSRC will contribute up to £35,000 for the UK side of the collaboration, while FAPESP will match this with equivalent research effort. It is envisaged that applications will be for a balanced partnership, not specifically in monetary terms but with equivalent research commitment and efforts from both partners. We expect the collaborative activities funded under this award to last for around 2 years, although we will consider shorter or longer awards on a case by case basis. We also expect research groups to try and access other sources of funding to complement this award. This could be direct funding from other sources, or funding ‘in kind’ from host organisations or collaborators.
Funds in this scheme are provided for travel, subsistence and other collaborative activities, such as workshops or exchanges. They are not for the support of salary costs, overheads or items of equipment as these will already be covered by current national funding. However they may be used to support a modest level of direct research costs, including consumables and access to specialist equipment to support research to gather preliminary data to support new applications under the FAPESP-RCUK Agreement. These direct research costs may not account for more than 50% of the total value requested from BBSRC.
Assessment Criteria
Applications to this call will be assessed internally by FAPESP and BBSRC. This light-touch internal assessment allows applications to be processed swiftly and can be applied as the applications are based on existing FAPESP- BBSRC grants that have already undergone robust peer review. Proposals will be assessed against the following criteria:
a) The value added to current FAPESP and BBSRC science.
b) The future joint research likely to accrue from the collaboration and particularly whether this work has the potential to lead to applications under the FAPESP- RCUK joint application procedure (https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/bbsrc-brazil-pump-priming-award/).
c) The uniqueness of the opportunity and expertise of the partners.
d) The opportunities for early career scientist exchanges.
e) Whether the collaboration is a new linkage or an ongoing partnership (if collaboration is ongoing, what new aspects are brought to the partnership).
f) The level of the contribution made to this award from other sources including the UK and Brazilian host institutions.
g) The relevance of the partnership to Food Security and/ or Bioenergy and Industrial Biotechnology research.
A final decision will be made jointly between FAPESP and BBSRC.
Costs
Applications should be made at current costs in accordance with subsistence, travel and research regulations at the applicant’s institution. For each main activity, indicative costs should be shown. BBSRC may index approved costs so that the award will include an allowance for inflation. Any award made will be cash limited, and whilst funds should be used for the activities requested, the use of funds to allow activities that were not originally envisaged will be allowed as long as they are in pursuance of the overall objectives of the FAPPA.
Collaboration agreement.
Where the grant is associated with more than one research organisation and/or other project partners, 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 the Research Councils' or FAPESP’s terms and conditions.
Arrangements for collaboration and/or exploitation must not prevent the future progression of research and the dissemination of research results in accordance with academic custom and practice. A temporary delay in publication is acceptable in order to allow commercial and collaborative arrangements to be established.
The Collaboration Agreement is not mandatory for the submission of proposals, but no approved project will be contracted by FAPESP before the presentation of a copy of the signed Agreement.
Transfers
Should the award holder transfer to another eligible Institution, the transfer of their FAPPA will be subject to FAPESP, BBSRC and host institution approval.
Termination
If a FAPPA is terminated early, FAPESP and BBSRC will only be responsible for funds already spent and will not be liable for the remaining instalments of the award.
Reporting
As a condition of funding, successful UK applicants are required to use researchfish® to record key findings and specific outputs from their grants. Grant Holders can enter information into researchfish® at any time throughout the year and submit during the annual Submission Period.
For further information and updates please see: https://www.ukri.org/funding/information-for-award-holders/research-outcomes1.
Brazilian PIs are also required to submit regular reports on dates stated on the grant contract and should contact FAPESP for further details.
The success of each FAPPA will be measured against the following criteria:
• Completion of the objectives set out in the application.
• The added value to science within BBSRC’s and FAPESP’s remit.
• Whether the FAPPA has led to further funding opportunities and in particular whether it has lead to a successful application under the FAPESP- RCUK lead agency agreement.
• The value to wider UK international Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) objectives and to the scientific and technological development of the State of São Paulo and Brazil.
• The promotion of further Brazil-UK scientific collaboration.
FAPESP and BBSRC may also ask for further details of the project for publicity purposes.
Final expenditure
As regards BBSRC, expenditure should be in accordance with the Institution’s regulations and detailed in the appropriate section of the Final Report form and signed off by the Finance Office. The balance of funding due, normally 10% of the cash limit awarded, will be paid on receipt of the Final Expenditure Statement and the reconciliation of actual expenditure. FAPESP applicants should present an expenditure report by the dates stated in the grant contract.
Data protection regulations
FAPESP and BBSRC will use information provided in the application for processing the proposal, the award of any subsequent grant, and for the payment, maintenance and review of the grant. FAPESP may require additional information for the processing of the proposal and the award of any subsequent grant. To meet obligations for public accountability and the dissemination of information, details of awards may also be made available on the web sites of BBSRC and FAPESP and on other publicly available databases, and in reports, documents and mailing lists.
Contact
For further information on the FAPPA scheme, UK applicants should contact:
São Paulo applicants should contact:
Application Process
Applications must be made through the JeS system by the UK PI, and through SAGe by the SP PI. Applications sent directly to BBSRC or FAPESP will not be accepted. For further information about the application process visit the BBSRC website (www.bbsrc.ac.uk).
Applicants must include a joint UK - Brazil Case for Support. This will be reviewed by BBSRC and FAPESP and must contain the following sections:
a) The main scientific objectives.
b) Summary of previous contacts or links with proposed partners.
c) Action Plan of work to be carried out and plans for joint grant applications (applicants may wish to present diagrammatically or as a gantt chart).
d) Statement of added value. Indicate the benefit of the collaboration to:
d.1) The UK applicants BBSRC funding and UK science generally;
d.2) The São Paulo based collaborators FAPESP funding and Brazilian science generally.
The case for support should be a pdf or word file of no longer than four sides of single spaced 11pt Arial text.
CVs and publication lists are not required; however applicants may wish to include any particularly pertinent recent publications. A Letter of Support (maximum one page) from, for example, the proposed collaborators and a short Proposal Covering Letter may also be included, but are not mandatory.