Agreements
FAPESP / Brazil-Newton Researcher Links (BNRL) 2nd Call - Workshop 2015
GUIDELINES FOR APPLICANTS
1. Overview
This element of Researcher Links is designed to provide financial support to bring together a UK/São Paulo State cohort of early career researchers to take part in a workshop focusing on building links for future collaboration and enhancing the researchers’ career opportunities.
Workshops will be coordinated by two leading researchers [1]one from a UK institution, one working in a higher education or research institution in the State of São Paulo, Brazil.
Proposals will be accepted in any discipline/multidisciplinary area including from the natural sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities (see Annex 1 for further details). FAPESP and the British Council will co-fund the workshops.
2. Who can apply
Two leading researchers[1], one from a UK institution, one from a higher education or research institution in the State of São Paulo, Brazil, are welcome to send in a joint application to propose a theme for the workshop using the application forms in Item 16. Both applicants will be referred to as “ Workshop Coordinators”.
2.a Workshop Coordinators from the State of São Paulo must be or have been Principal or Co-Principal Investigators of research projects funded by FAPESP within at least one of the following FAPESP funding lines: Thematic Projects, Young Investigators Award (JP), Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centres (CEPIDs/RIDCs), and Research Partnership for Technological Innovation (PITE).
3. Location of the workshop
The workshop will be held in the State of São Paulo, Brazil.
4. Timing of the workshop
The workshops must take place between 5th March and 31st August 2016.
5. Who will take part in the workshops?
Up to 40 researchers can take part in each workshop as described below:
5.1 Two (2) workshop coordinators: one from the UK and one from the State of São Paulo.
5.2 Four (4) mentors: two from the UK and two from the State of São Paulo[1].
5.3 Thirty four (34) early career researchers: 17 from the UK and 17 from the State of São Paulo, to be selected after the proposal is successful.
a. Early career researchers must have a PhD, obtained less than 10 years prior to the workshop.
6. Role of the Workshop Coordinators
Workshop Coordinators will send in a joint application form. They will determine the theme and the content of the workshop. They can propose up to four other leading/established researchers[1] to be involved in the workshop as Mentors. If the proposal is successful, Workshop Coordinators will also be responsible for selecting early career researchers to participate in the workshop.
7. Role of the Mentors
Mentor researchers[1] are expected to act as mentors to the early career researchers during the workshop by sharing their experience and knowledge. Ideally, they would also remain in contact with the early career researchers after the workshop has finished, in order to share networks and contacts.
8. Language
Workshops will be held in English.
9. Theme of the workshop
The workshops may be specific to a particular field of research or interdisciplinary in nature. If the workshop is interdisciplinary, please indicate this on the application form by ticking more than one assessment panel as instructed.
10. Content of the workshop
Workshop Coordinators will lead on the research content of the workshops. The content must reflect the goal of the programme to build links for future collaboration and enhancing the researchers’ career opportunities.
10.1 Brief workshop guidelines
10.2 Sessions should be as interactive as possible with participants encouraged to share knowledge, experience and ideas.
10.3 Workshop coordinators and mentors should have the opportunity to share their expertise.
10.4 Suggested sessions:
a. Formal keynote lectures by the workshop coordinators and mentors.
b. Research sessions, where the early career researchers are able to share their current research (could be in poster format or oral presentations).
c. Networking sessions, where researchers are able to interact and explore opportunities for collaboration (e.g. speed-networking sessions).
d. Overview of the research base and funding opportunities: a brief introduction to the research base in the UK and in the State of São Paulo/Brazil – how it is funded, size, strengths, international collaborative activity, links with industry.
e. Depending on the research field or theme of the workshop, coordinators may wish to include a session which invites industrial or other non-academic partners to talk about cross-sectoral collaboration.
f. Public engagement activity.
g. Cultural activity.
h. Visit to a relevant research or university facility.
11. Organisation of the workshop
Workshop applicants are responsible for planning and organising the workshop.
11.1 FAPESP and the British Council can provide funds for:
a. International (economy return) airfares for up to 20 researchers (including Workshop Coordinators and Mentors) from the UK to travel to the partner country and back.
b. Local travel costs for attendees (State of Sao Paulo).
c. Per diems (allowances) to cover meals, personal costs for the participants and accommodation for all external attendees for up to 5 nights in the city where the workshop will take place.
d. Organisational support.
11.2 The workshop should take place in the facilities of the host institution in the State of São Paulo (counterpart).
11.3 More details on the funding for the workshops can be found in Annex I.
12. Recruitment of participants
12.1 After the selection process, successful Workshop Coordinators will be responsible for recruiting participants to the workshops. All participants must come from UK higher education institutions, and from institutions in the State of São Paulo. Participants linked to institutions outside of the State of São Paulo are not eligible.
12.2 Early career researchers recruited to participate in the workshop must have a PhD obtained less than 10 years before the start of the workshop.
12.3 No more than a third of the early career researchers from each country may be recruited from the institutions of the coordinators and mentors.
12.4 There must be an open call for participants, and this must be disseminated through various defined channels[2] (British Council and FAPESP will support the dissemination) and coordinators are encouraged to identify and employ additional avenues of communication so that the workshops are advertised as widely as possible.
12.5 Participants will need to demonstrate a sufficient standard of English to participate in the workshops.
12.6 While recognising that some research fields are dominated by one particular gender, workshop coordinators are encouraged to work towards as equal a gender balance as is possible, promote diversity, and ensure that no applicants are excluded from participation on the basis of ethnicity, gender, religious belief, sexual orientation, or disability.
13. Sustainability
The aim of the workshops is to stimulate longer term links between the UK and the State of São Paulo, Brazil, as well as to contribute to the personal and professional development of the participants. Workshop Coordinators should indicate how they envisage this occurring, including any plans for long term mentoring of early career researchers (either within each country, or cross-nationally).
14. Outputs and longer term benefit
Coordinators should outline the specific outputs planned from the workshop. They should also explore any potential longer-term benefit that might arise, thinking about who might benefit and how they might benefit, describing the actions that will be taken to ensure that potential impact is realised.
15. Selection Process
15.1 There will be a three-step selection process by:
a. An independent UK selection panels giving recommendations to the British Council.
b. FAPESP will analyse the proposals based on the FAPESP’s peer reviewing system for “Auxílio Organização” scheme.
c. FAPESP and the British Council will be making a final decision together based on the recommendations from both panels (a and b above), and define how many proposals will be awarded the grant.
15.2 Applicants should indicate which selection panel their proposal should be assessed by; in the case of interdisciplinary research, more than one panel can be selected.
15.3 Successful applicants will be notified approximately seven weeks after the call deadline.
16. How to submit
Applicants should submit a joint proposal to the British Council and FAPESP as described below:
16.1. Fill in the British Council online application form available at: https://www.britishcouncil.org/education/science/current-opportunities/brazil-uk-workshops-oct15
and
16.2. Send by post the documents described on item 4, Annex 1 below, to the address: Rua Pio XI, 1500, Alto da Lapa, CEP 05468-901 – São Paulo/SP, Brazil. Please identify the envelope with “ Segunda Chamada FAPESP/Brazil-Newton Researcher Links (BNRL) 2015” written on the envelope.
17. Deadline for applications
Deadline for applications: 11 December 2015. Proposals submitted after the deadline will not be considered for funding.
[1] For an indication of profiles for the different types of participants we suggest applicants refer to the document ‘Towards a European framework for research careers’ (http://ec.europa.eu/euraxess/pdf/research_policies/Towards_a_European_Framework_for_Research_Careers_final.pdf ). According to the categories in this document we would suggest that the coordinators and mentors should be at ‘R4 – Leading Researcher’ level or ‘R3 – Established Researcher’ level, and the early career participants at ‘R2 –Recognized Researcher’ or at the beginning of R3 level.
[2] Examples of dissemination channels
Euraxess: www.euraxess.org.uk .
UK Research Staff Association: www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers/205761/UK-Research-Staff-Association.html .
Considering that the FAPESP / Brazil-Newton Researcher Links (BNRL) Programme follow the objectives agreed by both parties in the Memorandum of Understanding, applicants must present their proposals according to FAPESP’s guidelines of the “Auxílio Organização” funding scheme, as described below:
1) Applicants can present proposals in all knowledge areas.
2) Workshop Coordinators from the State of São Paulo must be or have been Principal or Co-Principal Investigators of research projects funded by FAPESP within at least one of the following FAPESP funding lines: Thematic Projects, Young Investigators Award (JP), Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centres (CEPIDs/RIDCs), and Research Partnership for Technological Innovation (PITE).
3) The resources necessary for the delivering of the workshop shall be equally distributed between FAPESP and the British Council.
a. In the Research Proposal form, please fill in item 6.1 with the consolidated budget requested to FAPESP, and item 6.2. with the budget requested to the British Council. This data have to match the total budget requested in the BC Application form.
b. The list of FAPESP’s eligible items are available at: www.fapesp.br/156#3824, Item 8.
c. Non-eligible costs, as described in Item 9 at www.fapesp.br/156#3824 can be funded by the British Council according the Cooperation Agreement for Research and in Item 11 of these Workshop Guidelines.
4) Applicants from the State of São Paulo must also send to FAPESP the following documents to Rua Pio XI, 1500, Alto da Lapa, CEP 05468-901 – São Paulo/SP, Brazil:
a. FAPESP Research Proposal form and Researcher’s Registration form
b. FAPESP Budget Worksheets (FAPESP)
c. FAPESP Budget Worksheets (BNRL)
d. Description of the selection process of "Earlier carrier" participants, observing the recruitment rules described in item 12 of this Call for Proposals.
i. Please note that participants who do not satisfy the requirements of item 12 of this Call for Proposals will not be accepted.
5) Contact Information
All questions related to these Guidelines must be directed to
a. FAPESP - Prof. Marilda Bottesi, e-mail: chamada_bnrl@fapesp.br or
b. BC - e-mail newton@britishcouncil.org.br