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Summary: The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), Brazil, Brazil, and the Max Planck Society represented by its 84 Max Planck Institutes (MPIs) announce an initiative to fund joint collaborative proposals in basic research in all fields of knowledge.

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Closing date for submission of proposals:	December 2nd, 2019
FAPESP scheme:	Regular Research Grant (exceptionalities described in item 5)
Maximum duration of the project:	Exceptionally up to 36 months
Eligibility:	Researchers affiliated with Higher Education or Research Institutions in the State of São Paulo who hold an ongoing research project funded by FAPESP within the FAPESP funding modalities mentioned in item 5.1 – a preliminary eligibility consultation is obligatory (according to item 3.1)
Submission of proposals:	Through SAGe Platform to FAPESP and via email to MP Liaison Office for Latin America in one single PDF document
Contact FAPESP:	Virgínia Sanches Subiñas, email: chamada-maxplanckinstitutes@fapesp.br
Contact MPI:	Dr. Andreas Trepte and Carolina Abadie: latam@gv.mpg.de

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1. Introduction

FAPESP and the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science – MPG signed on July 1^st, 2015, a Cooperation Agreement aiming to promote and strengthen collaboration between researchers at the State of São Paulo and at the Max Planck Institutes.

Under the scope of this Agreement, FAPESP and MPG launch the present Call for Proposals as an initiative to implement and consolidate this partnership, open to researchers affiliated to Higher Education and Research Institutions in the State of São Paulo.

The researchers from the State of São Paulo and from Max Planck Institutes who are interested in applying to this present Call must follow the instructions described in these guidelines.

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 sides. Each proposal should be an integrated research project with partners from both sides who join their strengths to execute a joint research project. The research should be carried out both in the State of São Paulo and in a Max Planck Institute.

2. Research Themes and Duration

Proposals for bilateral research projects between investigators from Max Planck Institutes and from research institutions in the State of São Paulo (Brazil) can be submitted in any scientific domain, as long as it covers basic scientific research. The length of the project must be up to 36 months.

3. Eligibility of Researchers

3.1. For FAPESP:

Researchers eligible for FAPESP funding under the scope of this Call must be employees of public or private Higher Education or Research Institutions in the State of São Paulo and hold an ongoing research project funded by FAPESP within the FAPESP funding modalities mentioned in item 5.1.

3.1.1. Eligibility Consultation

a) Researchers from the State of São Paulo must consult FAPESP about their eligibility to this Call before starting the preparation of their proposals. FAPESP will issue and send to applicants a declaration concerning their eligibility within this Call. If positive, this Declaration of Eligibility must be included in the proposal as a PDF file by the time of the submission;

b) Applicants will have their eligibility evaluated within 20 days of the receiving of this request. Therefore, the consultation for eligibility must be sent out up to November 12th. Consultations sent after this date will not be considered;

c) The eligibility consultation must be sent exclusively to the e-mail chamada-maxplanckinstitutes@fapesp.br with the following information:

i. Summarized CV in English of the Researcher from the State of São Paulo (as described at www.fapesp.br/en/6351);

ii. Listing of any research grants from FAPESP, including the ongoing project as mentioned in this item 4.1;

iii. Name and affiliation of the foreigner partner researchers;

iv. Title and tentative summary of the proposal to be submitted;

v. Estimated budget to be requested to FAPESP;

vi. Estimated time to be devoted to the project (hours/week), considering the total time of the proponent´s ongoing research grants at FAPESP (up to 40 hours per week).

3.2. For Max Planck Institutes:

Researchers eligible for MPI funding under the scope of this Call should be qualified researchers from all disciplines holding a PhD degree working in the Max Planck Institutes as Principal Investigators, Group Leaders or Directors.

Eligibility of the projects will be confirmed by Max Planck Institutes through a letter of:

(i) Institutional Commitment by a Max Planck Institute signed by a Director as specified in annex.

a. The signing of this letter means that the internal evaluation of the project has been positively concluded at this Max Planck Institute and no further evaluation will be carried out by them.

b. The fact that the letter is to be signed by a Director of a MPI does not imply that the principal investigator of the project needs to be a Director.

4. Characteristics of the proposals

The joint proposal:

4.1. Should be written in English;

4.2. The scientific kernel of the proposal should be no longer than 20 pages in length and contain a clear account of the research project, the expected original results and the contributions to be achieved as well as the impact on the scientific (and non-scientific) community. It contains also a review of the state of the art for the research topic and related area, a detailed working plan including the methodology applied to the project, an overview of the required funding, description of the qualification of the involved research teams as well as their complementary and collaborative scientific capacities

4.3. The scientific kernel of the research proposal should clearly describe the collaborative character of the proposal and should contain the following items:

a) Title/topic of the research project;

b) Research area and field of work. Please include your discipline and your field of specialisation

c) Names of the Principal Investigator at the Max Planck Institute and Universities and research centers is São Paulo.

d) A summary of the research project with approximately 20 lines in length;

e) A statement indicating if this is a new proposal or continuation of already funded research;

f) Review or state of the art in the area or topic

g) Preliminary work, progress report

h) Objectives

i) Detailed work schedule including the methodology and procedures

j) Results expected from the research project

k) Bibliography

4.4. In case of approval, the research projects will be funded by each partner institution to benefit their own community of researchers. Funding will be granted from the regular budgets of the Max Planck Institutes and FAPESP. There will not be available specific funds for MPI/FAPESP research grants from the Max Planck Society.

5. Exceptionalities to the norms and regulations of the Regular Research Grant

Exceptionally for this call, the following conditions apply above the regulations of the Regular Research Grant:

5.1. Applicants from the State of São Paulo must hold an ongoing research projects funded by FAPESP within the following FAPESP funding lines: Thematic Projects, Young Investigators, Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers (CEPIDs/RIDCs) and Research Partnership for Technological Innovation (PITE). Co-Principal Investigators of ongoing Thematic Projects, CEPIDs/RIDCs and PITEs are also eligible to apply;

5.2. Technical Training fellowships are not eligible for FAPESP funding.

5.3.The maximum duration of the project is 36 months; with a maximum budget of R$ 100 thousand Reals per year, including fundable budget items, as Research Overhead and Fringe benefits (www.fapesp.br/rt);

6. Submission procedures

6.1. Each proposal must have a Principal Investigator in the State of São Paulo and one Principal Investigator in a Max Planck Institute;

6.2. The research project must be jointly conceived and written by the proponents from the State of São Paulo and from a Max Planck Institute;

6.3. Only the Principal Investigator from São Paulo must submit the collaborative proposal to FAPESP;

6.4. The MPI Principal Investigator must be registered at the SAGe platform before been able to be chosen as the partner researcher in the proposal. This must be done in the English version of SAGe and choosing the option “Not Registered?” Only the data fields marked as “*” are obligatory. After being appointed at the proposal, the PI from WIS must confirm participation;

6.5. The closing date for the submission of proposals is December, the 2nd, 2019. No proposals will be accepted after the closing date for submission, nor will any addendum or explanation be accepted, unless those explicitly and formally requested by FAPESP or MPG. Proposals not received before the deadline or not in conformity to the specifications herein will be declared ineligible.

6.6. Proposals must be submitted in English only to FAPESP through it online platform SAGe. Submission to FAPESP: The specific path for this opportunity is: Nova Proposta Inicial > + Outras Linhas de Fomento > + Acordos de Cooperação > + Max Planck Institutes (MPI) > + Projeto de Pesquisa Regular > + FAPESP/MaxPlanck Joint Call 2019

6.7. Applicants must note that FAPESP retains the right to reject applications where they fail to comply with the procedures set out in these guidelines.

7. Funding modalities and eligible costs

7.1. Eligible costs for FAPESP:

7.1.1. Funding and eligible costs must be in accordance with FAPESP norms for the Regular Research Awards (www.fapesp.br/apr).

7.1.2. Exceptionally for this call, a Regular Research Award may have a duration of up to 36 months. The maximum budget is R$ 100 thousand Reals per year, which must include all applicable overheads (www.fapesp.br/rt);

7.1.3. Eligible costs to FAPESP are:

Consumables; Services; Small equipment (below R$100.000,00); Travel costs of São Paulo researchers going to the MPI.

Obs.: Please be aware that personnel costs cannot be covered.

7.2. Eligible costs for Max Planck Institutes:

7.2.1. The participating Max Planck Institute will provide equivalent resources in the same amount in the form of access to infrastructure and special equipment, funding of human resources, travel expenses, etc. Such funding will be guaranteed through the issuance of the institutional commitment letter mentioned in 3.2.

8. Timeline

Call announcement by FAPESP and Max Planck Institutes	October 14, 2019
FAPESP deadline for pre-consultation eligibility	November 12, 2019
Deadline for submission of Proposals to FAPESP and Max Planck Institutes	December 2, 2019
Notification of the outcomes	April 10, 2020

9. Assessment and Selection

9.1. Evaluation Procedure

The applicants shall respect the evaluation procedure outlined by Max Plank Institutes and FAPESP. Proposals that do not comply with the established in this Call will not be qualified for merit analysis. Please, note that the institutional commitment letter by the participating Max Planck Institute is required as proof of approval/eligibility by the corresponding Institute and it represents the result of the internal evaluation at the MPI. Proposals considered eligible for this opportunity will be evaluated using a three-step procedure:

9.1.1. FAPESP will proceed with a peer-review analysis according to its systematic of analysis, described at: www.fapesp.br/en/FAPESP_peer_review_20111012.pdf.

9.1.2. After the peer-review analysis, the proposals proceed to an Evaluation Panel on the following overarching criteria:

i. International scientific level of the research groups including the composition of the research team

ii. Complementarity of the included research teams and their expertise

iii. Methodology

iv. Originality and innovative nature of the project

v. Importance of the project

vi. Purposefulness of the project

vii. Feasibility/focus of the project

viii. Collaboration and coordination between research departments

ix. Scientific context (appropriateness, expertise, and infrastructure) of the research departments

x. Necessity/Relevance for the budgeted resources

xi. In addition, great importance is attached to the added value of the international collaboration, the complementarity/synergy between the partners, the contribution/coordination of research tasks, and the exchange of researchers.

A joint ad hoc committee will then will determine which proposals will be recommended for funding. The Committee will be composed by scientists with expertise in the relevant scientific areas of the proposals. The Director of the Max Planck Liaison Office for Latin America will be member of the Committee as representative of the participating MPIs. The funding recommendation is irrevocable and therefore no redress procedure is possible.

10. Intellectual property

10.1. In case of approval, a Letter of Agreement (or “Consortium Agreement”) is to be formulated between the partner Host Institutions establishing how Intellectual Property rights, confidentiality and publications will be treated jointly, in observance of the policies of each Funding Agencies and Host Institutions.

10.2. The presentation of this “Letter of Agreement” is mandatory before the signature of the grant contract in case of the FAPESP funding.

11. Contact information

Researchers from the State of São Paulo: specific questions to FAPESP about the Call for Proposals should be sent to Virginia Sanches Subiñas at: chamada-maxplanckinstitutes@fapesp.br.

Specific questions to Max Planck Institutes about the Call for Proposals should be sent to Carolina Abadie/Dr. Andreas Trepte at: latam@gv.mpg.de.

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