Agreements

SPRINT - 2nd EDITION 2019: Guidelines Australian Technology Network (ATN)

Available at www.atn.edu.au/scholarships-grants/fapesp 

Specific requests for proposals submissions from researchers of the ATN

FAPESP and the Australian Technology Network of Universities (ATN), signed a Cooperation Agreement for Research on June 11th, 2013, aiming to implement scientific and technological cooperation between researchers from the ATN, Australia, and from the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, through the funding of joint research projects.

Under the referred Agreement, FAPESP and ATN make public this Call for Proposals for the exchange of faculty, postdoctoral researchers and PhD researchers under the terms and conditions of the SPRINT 2nd Edition 2019 (www.fapesp.br/sprint/call22019) and hereinafter set forth.

1. Eligibility from ATN side to submit proposals within the scope of this Call:

1.1. Applicants must be Australian citizens or hold permanent residence status in Australia and be employed as an academic staff member in a teaching and research or research only role at an ATN university for the duration of the proposed project.

1.2. Eligibility for the exchange activities within the scope of this Call

a. Principal and Co-Principal Investigators named on the project and associated researchers, including post-doctoral fellows and select PhD students within the ATN directly involved in the proposed research activity are eligible to be involved in exchange activities named in the project.

i. Respecting the principle of reciprocity, FAPESP will accept the participation of PhD fellows in scientific missions. Brazilian PhD candidates must have an ongoing FAPESP fellowship during the planned exchange mission to the partner institution.

b. Australian applicants must partner with researchers from the State of São Paulo, Brazil, who are currently in receipt of a FAPESP grant within the following FAPESP funding lines: Regular Research Awards, Thematic Projects, Young Investigators, Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers (CEPIDs/RIDCs), Public Education Research Program, Research in Public Policies, and Research Partnership for Technological Innovation (PITE). Co-Principal Investigators of ongoing Thematic Projects, CEPIDs/RIDCs and PITEs are also eligible to apply.

Note:

• The proposals must aim to respect the principle of reciprocity with regard to academic qualifications of those who will take part in the exchange activities.

• Eligibility of research partners in the State of São Paulo should observe the items 3.1 and 4.2 of FAPESP call (www.fapesp.br/sprint/call22019).

2. Fields of knowledge

This Call for Proposals invites research proposals in all fields of knowledge. 

3. Duration of the project for the exchange of researchers

The maximum duration of each project is up to 24 months.

4. Timeline

Call announced by FAPESP and ATN websites

April 30, 2019

Closing date for submission of proposals

July 29, 2019

Successful proposals notified after

October 25, 2019

5. Funding principles

5.1. FAPESP will provide funding of up to a maximum of an equivalent of AU$ 20,000.00 per proposal per year and ATN will provide funding of up to AU$ 20,000.00 per proposal per year, for the duration of the grant to cover research-related mobility expenses, under the provisions of Clause 5 of the Scientific Cooperation Agreement established by the Parties (en/7837).

5.2. FAPESP will provide the selected proposals with funds for travel (air tickets), health insurance, and living allowances for researchers from the State of São Paulo that will visit Australia.

5.3. ATN will provide the selected projects with funds for (economy) travel and living expenses associated with the research project whilst on exchange; participants will continue to be paid by their home institutions and must ensure they are covered by their travel and other relevant insurance policies.

5.4. The exact number of awards will depend on the number of meritorious applications and the availability of appropriated funds.

5.5. Basic research costs (staff and equipment) on both sides of the research project will not be funded from this scheme, but must be secured from other sources. Participant salary and associated costs will not be covered. Proposals based purely on study and training will not be funded.

6. Proposal characteristics for ATN researchers:

6.1. ATN applicants are to fill out the accompanying application form available on the ATN website (http://www.atn.edu.au/scholarships-grants/fapesp).

6.2. The proposal must be submitted in English, and be written jointly by the Principal Investigator at ATN and his/her colleagues the Principal Investigator at FAPESP.

6.3. The research proposal/project is to have a maximum of five (5) pages of scientific content and must include the following:

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 by the partner researcher abroad;

b) Detailed schedule of the exchange missions to be carried out by the partner team at the São Paulo institution and the São Paulo team at the partner institution;

c) Performance indicators for the planned activities, indicating the expected results;

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

e) Foreseen actions that will add to the impact of the exchange for the Partner Institution 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 in the partner institution 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 in order to create a medium-long-term collaboration (up to one page).  

6.4. CV Summaries of the Principal Investigators on both sides (ATN and FAPESP) and of any named ATN researchers are also to be attached with the application.

6.5. Letter of Agreement of the Host Institution in the State of São Paulo to which the PI from São Paulo is affiliated. The same document is required by FAPESP in item 6.2.3 at www.fapesp.br/sprint/call22019. The Letter of Agreement may be delivered after the notification of results of this call for proposals and before the grant commences.

7. Assessment and Selection Criteria

7.1. The exchange activities to be carried out by the researchers from São Paulo must be thematically related to the ongoing research project funded by FAPESP (refer to 1.2).

7.2. Only proposals selected by both ATN and FAPESP will be funded.

7.3. Proposals that do not comply with the terms of this Call will not qualify for analysis.

7.4. The ATN and FAPESP will select the proposals according to their own procedures.

7.5. From the ATN side, projects will be assessed for the merit and relevance of the project, the capability of the named researchers, the capacity of the proposed project to leverage further researcher funding, and the strategic aims of the ATN university.

8. Submission of proposals to the ATN

8.1. Applications from ATN researchers must be made on the required form and comply with the guidelines for Australian applicants. Signed forms must be submitted to the Contact Officer at the relevant ATN Researcher Office by July 29, 2019 (refer to section 14).

8.2. To be successful, Australian applicants must ensure that their Brazilian collaborators also submit a corresponding application with the same title and content to FAPESP up to July 29 2019.

8.3. The research proposal component of the application, as detailed in 6.3, must be identical in content in both the Australian and Brazilian submissions; one being a copy of another.

8.4. Forms may be submitted electronically. Late applications will not be accepted for screening.

9. Selection Process

9.1. Each ATN University Research Office will check each application it receives for compliance with the guidelines and provide brief comments as to the suitability of each proposal in accordance with the assessment criteria listed in 7.5 above.

9.2. Application comments, along with a complete, ranked list of supported projects will then be provided to the ATN Directorate by August 12, 2019.

9.3. The ATN Directorate will then compile the complete list of ATN applications from its members and forward to FAPESP to ensure consistency of applications.

9.4. FAPESP will undertake an extensive peer review and ranking of the applications and inform the ATN Directorate of the proposed list of projects to be funded.

9.5. The ATN Directorate will then notify the respective Contact Officers of the successful projects at their institution.

9.6. Successful and unsuccessful applications will be notified by the respective ATN Institutional Contact Officers of the outcomes of the selection process in writing. Results will also be announced on the FAPESP and ATN websites.

10. Grant Cancellation

The ATN may cancel funding of an ATN researcher, if, during the grant timeframe, a fact is of sufficient gravity to justify cancellation, at the discretion of both the ATN Directorate and FAPESP, without prejudice of any other appropriate actions.

11. Result of the analysis

The results will be announced on FAPESP (www.fapesp.br) and ATN (http://www.atn.edu.au/scholarships-grants/fapesp) web portals and by means of a communication to the interested PIs.

12. Contract for selected projects by ATN

Selected proposals will be the object of a grant contract (FAPESP) to be signed by the PI and a representative of the Higher Education and Research Institution to which he/she is affiliated.

13. Variations to funded projects

Any variations to funded projects such as a change in the term of the project or the eligibility of researchers must be approved by the ATN institution that submitted the application for the project, by the ATN Directorate and by FAPESP. Extensions to grants will not be provided unless in extenuating circumstances.

14. ATN University Contact Officers

RMIT University
David Bugg
Senior Manager, Research Operations
p. +61 3 9925 4391
researchdevelopment@rmit.edu.au

University of South Australia
Mr. Andrew Beveridge
Manager: Research Projects Development
P +61 8 8302 5761
andrew.beveridge@unisa.edu.au

University of Technology Sydney
Ms. Denise Pottumati
Research Engagement Associate, Research Engagement
p. +61 2 9514 1252
denise.pottumati@uts.edu.au

Curtin University
Mrs. Felicity Kamid
Senior Research Development Officer
p. +61 8 9266 7863
ORD-Grants@curtin.edu.au