Lemann Center for Brazilian Studies-FAPESP SPRINT 2024-2025 Call for Proposals 

 

Welcome to the Lemann Center-FAPESP Collaborative Research Grants 2024-2025! 

 

PURPOSE: 

The Lemann Center for Brazilian Studies-FAPESP provides funding for the initial phase of international research collaboration between UIUC faculty and faculty members from universities and public research institutions in São Paulo (and sponsored by FAPESP, The São Paulo Research Foundation). The funding is aimed at proposals to enhance researchers’ mobility and to provide seed funding. 

ELIGIBILITY: 

These grants are open to all UIUC full-time faculty members developing research projects in collaboration with their Brazilian counterparts in São Paulo. At least one faculty member from UIUC must be included in the application. Please note that the Brazilian partners must have a current project funded by FAPESP to be eligible for the SPRINT. 

AWARD: 

Up to $10,000 (depending on the project proposal and budget) for a duration of up to 24 months.  

DEADLINES:  

Three FAPESP calls will be opened annually, with submission deadlines on the last Monday of February, June, and October. At the Lemann Center for Brazilian Studies, the next round of applications is due February 26, 2024. Submissions are due by the end of the day.  

ACTIVITIES ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDING 

Grant funds can be utilized for on-campus research and academic mobility between UIUC and Sao Paulo, including airfare, transportation expenses, accommodation, and other research-related costs. While comparative studies involving Brazil and other countries will be considered, funding will only be provided for the Brazilian portion of the research. Funding requests must adhere to the guidelines and receive approval from the Lemann Center for Brazilian Studies and the Illinois Global Institute business administration office. Please refer to the budget guidelines provided. 

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS 

  1. A double-spaced, maximum of 5 pages, plus bibliography, should be jointly written by the Principal Investigators at the Host Institution in the State of São Paulo and the Principal Investigator at UIUC. The proposals should explain what the researchers plan to do and why, making clear the relevance of the project to their professional experience and the significance of the project for Brazil as well as within their field of scholarship. They must also explain the participation of the Brazilian scholar(s) in the research and how their work relates to that of the UIUC researcher. One copy of the Research Project (as described below) shall be sent to FAPESP and an identical copy to the Lemann Center for Brazilian Studies. 

The Research Project must include: 

a. A substantive description of the exchange activities, emphasizing their relevance. The proposal must state clearly how the exchange activities to be carried out by each team will contribute to the ongoing research project funded by FAPESP (and to the research being carried out by the partner researcher at UIUC; 

b. Detailed schedule of the exchange missions to be carried out by the São Paulo and UIUC institutional teams; 

c. A description of each candidate’s contribution to the mission, explaining their expertise to carry out the foreseen activities; 

d. Performance indicators for the planned activities, indicating the expected results; 

e. Foreseen actions that will add to the impact of the exchange for the UIUC and for the Host Institution in the state of São Paulo, e.g., by means of seminars, short courses, etc.; 

f. Description of how the Principal Investigators in São Paulo and UIUC intend to prepare a joint research project, resulting from the exchange activities developed from the proposal submitted in this Call, to be submitted to research funding agencies accessible in their regions to create a medium-long-term collaboration (up to one page). 

g. Bibliography: The bibliography should be no longer than two pages and should be attached to the project description. 

  1. A brief descriptive title and a 200-word summary of the project. 

  1. A detailed budget for the research and the amount requested from the Lemann Center. Detailed budget guidelines can be found here. 

  1. A current Curriculum Vita for the Principal Investigators (UIUC faculty member and the Brazilian scholar[s]). The proposal should also include the CVs of any other person participating in the research team. 

  1. The itinerary for travel. Since it is a collaborative research project, the proposal should normally include visits to Brazil from UIUC faculty or visits from Brazil of the Brazilian scholar(s) involved. If the research does not include travel, it must justify how the researchers will engage in collaboration. 

  1. More information from FAPESP on SPRINT guidelines and the FAPESP proposal submission process can be found here  

CONSIDERATIONS: 

When drafting the collaborative research proposal, applicants should bear in mind that the selection committee is interdisciplinary and composed of scholars who are not necessarily specialists in the area of the applicants. 

If the project began before the tenure of the grant, applicants should give a brief summary of the progress already made on the project and how this grant will contribute to advancing the research. If the project is a new project, applicants must explain how it relates to their current work and to the work proposed for the scholar(s) in Brazil. Applicants should include information on any publication arrangements already made. 

EVALUATION: 

Applications will be evaluated by an interdisciplinary committee of scholars in Brazilian Studies appointed by the Lemann Center.  

POST-AWARD REQUIREMENTS: 

Grant recipients are required to submit a 1–2-page report within six weeks after the completion of their grant tenure. Successful applicants must acknowledge the support received from the Lemann Center for Brazilian Studies in any publications resulting from their grant and agree to present their findings in a seminar at the Center. 

Under exceptional circumstances, requests for an extension for up to six additional months, but not including additional resources, may be considered. The submission of an extension request must be made at least six months before the end of the grant. 

HOW TO APPLY: 

The application process for the Lemann Center Research Grants is as follows: 

  1. The competition takes place semi-annually; the next deadline is February 26, 2024. 

  1. Applicants must submit completed applications and proposals electronically, uploaded to Box. 

  1. Proposals will not be accepted without all the application materials listed above. Please submit your application as a single PDF file. Each page of the proposal should be consecutively numbered, with the names of the two PIs in the upper right-hand corner of each page. The proposal should be headed with a brief descriptive title. 

PREVIOUS RECIPIENTS: 

For previous Lemann/FAPESP Collaborative Research Grant Awardees click here.

QUESTIONS 

For more information, please contact Elis Artz, Lemann Center Program Coordinator, at Coble Hall, Room 209. You can reach her via email at elisartz@illinois.edu.