Agreements

Memorandum of Understanding between FAPESP and NIH Versão em português

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE SÃO PAULO RESEARCH FOUNDATION (FAPESP), BRAZIL AND THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH), UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The SÃO PAULO RESEARCH FOUNDATION (FAPESP), of the Brazilian State of São Paulo, hereinafter referred to as “FAPESP”, and the the NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, (hereinafter referred to as “NIH”), and both hereinafter referred to as "Participants” enter into this Memorandum of Understanding (“MoU”):

Whereas

The NIH and the FAPESP are charged with fostering and supporting academic research and also recognize that the very best research in all countries may be delivered by working with the best researchers internationally.

To this end the Participants welcome, encourage and support applications that may cut across their national boundaries and involve international collaborative teams. The Participants also welcome both single-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary applications.

This MoU covers research in fields of knowledge funded by the Participants.

The Participants express their intentions as follows:

1. The Participants will welcome and receive joint applications from eligible researchers applying to the NIH (hereinafter referred to as the “NIH partner”) with proposed collaborating research partners from the State of São Paulo, Brazil, eligible for funding from FAPESP (hereinafter referred to as the “FAPESP partner”), whose research falls within the overlap of the Participants’ priority areas.

2. The broad framework for the joint application program (to be supplemented by more detailed guidance to applicants) is described as follows:

a. The NIH intends to issue a Notice directing investigators to the opportunity of the joint program associated with calls for applications in areas of mutual scientific research interests.

b. Applications must be made directly to NIH by the NIH partner.

(i) The FAPESP partner should inform FAPESP of the partners’ intention to apply to the NIH prior to application through a summary of the proposed research.

c. The NIH and FAPESP partners must satisfy the eligibility criteria of NIH and FAPESP, respectively.

d. Applications should be submitted on the official application materials of the NIH agreeing to the applicable rules, terms, conditions, and closing dates.

e. The same application should be submitted to FAPESP using the appropriate application forms and materials.

f. Each application should be identified clearly as a collaborative proposal under this funding MoU, reference the appropriate NIH Notice and FAPESP, and indicate agreement with specific guidance applicable to NIH and FAPESP.

g. Applications shall clearly differentiate the costs and the activities to be supported by the NIH and those by FAPESP.

h. Costs to be incurred by applicants supported by the NIH and FAPESP must be compatible with existing financial practices pertinent to the NIH and the FAPESP, respectively.

i. NIH and FAPESP partner award recipients will be subject to all Terms and Conditions of the NIH and the FAPESP, respectively.

j. Applications will be processed and assessed by the NIH according to its own rules and processes. For each application, FAPESP may nominate peer reviewers to provide input in the peer-review process of the NIH.

k. The selection process, as a whole, remains a process of NIH. FAPESP intends to accept the results of the standard NIH peer-review process.

l. The applicant may forward copies of all peer review documents to FAPESP within a reasonable time-frame prior to any decision being taken with respect to such an application.

m. Ultimate responsibility for decisions to recommend funding for its part of a proposal, however, remains with NIH and FAPESP, respectively. FAPESP will confirm any budgetary constraints on submitted projects immediately following scientific peer review and prior to the NIH Institute or Center Director’s final decision for award.

n. When the NIH evaluation process is complete, the NIH may communicate the final decision of the competition to a designated contact within FAPESP. The NIH and FAPESP may then proceed to fund the non-São Paulo and São Paulo-based components of successful applications respectively, in agreement with their existing financial practices.

3. Timing of announcements related to this MoU may be coordinated by agreement with both Participants.

4. This MoU may be supplemented by guidance to applicants to be developed by the NIH and FAPESP.

5. This MoU is not a funding document and all funding decisions are subject to the availability of appropriated and other funds.

6. This MoU takes effect as of the date of the signatures below and is intended to be in effect for a period of five (5) years. By mutual consent, the MoU may be extended for an additional five-year period. The MoU may be discontinued at any time by either Participant, which should endeavor to provide six (6) months’ notice to the other Participant. Termination of this MoU is not intended to affect the activities already approved under this MoU.


Date of signature: December 23, 2014

FAPESP

Celso Lafer
President - São Paulo Research Foundation

NIH

Francis S. Collins
Director - National Institutes of Health


Page updated on 02/02/2015 - Published on 01/30/2015