Agreements

NEWTON FUND - FAPESP MRC: UK-Brazil Neglected Infectious Diseases Partnership

Detailed conditions of the Call for Proposals can be found at: www.mrc.ac.uk/funding/browse/uk-brazil-neglected-infectious-diseases-partnership/

General information for the applicants – FAPESP

Proposals will be processed by FAPESP as Thematic Project Research Grants.

Thematic Projects aim to support research proposals with bold scientific objectives with a research team coordinated by an experienced researcher in the field. The projects are expected to result in significant findings for the advancement of knowledge.

1. Eligibility by FAPESP

Proposers in the State of São Paulo, Brazil, must note that the requirements for eligibility are those applied normally to FAPESP Thematic Grants, described at www.fapesp.br/176 (item 3.3). 

2. Funding principles

The Medical Research Center (MRC) will make up to £2m available for this scheme with The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) contributing an additional £200k on the UK side to support high quality social science aspects of successful proposals. These funds will be made available to the UK collaborators.

The £2.2m made available by the UK funders will be matched with equivalent effort from the Brazilian FAPs who will fund the Brazilian collaborators. The agencies would expect to fund approximately 8-12 projects in total. The size of the grants will vary according to the needs of each research project.

Please note that “equivalent effort” does not mean “equal values requested from both sides” (see below). 

2.1. It is envisaged that applications will be for a balanced partnership, with equivalent research commitment from both partners. Applicants do not need to request equal amounts from both sides. The difference in values should reflect the difference in costs covered and local prices. The agencies also expect the costs on each side accurately reflect the research effort to be carried.

Applicants in the State of São Paulo must demonstrate the full economic costs. Full economic costs are, as defined by RCUK, “a cost which, if recovered across an organisation’s full programme, would recover the total cost (direct, indirect and total overhead) including an adequate recurring investment in the organisation’s infrastructure.” It also includes the values of salary expenses of the research team, including faculty and staff, proportional to the weekly hours dedicated to the proposed project (the Brazilian forms reflect this). This is necessary to maintain symmetry for both sides, as in the UK system salaries appear in the requested budgets.

2.2. Considering the above, applicants from São Paulo should also upload the summary budget worksheet specifically designed for this Call (FAPESP-RCUK Funding Summary) and available at: www.fapesp.br/chamadas/2015/FAPESPRCUK_fundingsummary.xlsx

2.3. The types of costs allowed by FAPESP in the Thematic Project Research Grants are available at www.fapesp.br/176 (item 7).

2.3.1. In the budget request to FAPESP, applicants must include the values for the applicable Overheads (“Reserva Técnica”), including Additional Benefits (“Benefícios Complementares”), RTP (“ Reserva Técnica do Projeto”) and RTI (“Reserva Técnica Institucional”).

3. Proposal Characteristics

3.1. The common joint Case for Support (“Projeto de Pesquisa”), as described the section “Additional Guidance for “Case for Support”...” of the CFP, must be submitted by both UK and São Paulo applicants (in English).

3.2. Exceptionally for this Call for Proposals, the duration of proposals submitted to FAPESP will be for up to 36 months. Submissions for longer periods will not be qualified for analysis.

3.3. Please note that for Thematic Project Grants there is a qualification phase (“enquadramento”) upon submission. Researchers are encouraged to consult FAPESP (chamada_nf_neglected_diseases@fapesp.br) before initiating the preparation of a joint proposal.

Failure to observe this procedure may result in the rejection of the proposal, without review .

3.4. Applicants from the State of São Paulo must submit all the required documentation necessary for Thematic Project Research Grants through the SAGe online System. However, the joint Case for Support ( “Projeto de Pesquisa”) is, for this call, limited to 8 pages, including 1 page for references, using Arial 11pt typeface with margins of 2cms on all sides. The Case for Support (“Projeto de Pesquisa”) should address each of the following headings:

  • Title
  • Importance of the research
  • Scientific potential and expected outcomes
  • People and track record
  • Research environment
  • Research plans and deliverables
  • Consideration of ethical, governance and IP issues around the project
  • Data preservation, exploitation and dissemination

In addition, the following documents must be uploaded:

3.4.1. A bilateral team members table with a description of each research team member contributions, explaining their expertise to carry out the foreseen activities. Only this table should contain the UK members (word document);

3.4.2. A summary of the Principal Investigators’ CV (“Súmula Curricular”), as described in www.fapesp.br/en/6351 (item 8.a), is mandatory for both the British and the Brazilian Principal Investigators (PIs);

3.4.3. Summary of the CVs of members of the Research Team from the State of São Paulo (“Súmula Curricular” as described in www.fapesp.br/en/6351 (item 8.a);

3.4.4. Copies of the CVs, including concise publication lists, for each of the UK named investigators (according to the CFP´s instructions for the UK PI);

3.4.5. When necessary, the inclusion of a timeline for each specific exchange mission and collaborative activities (word document);

3.4.6. Information regarding 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, workshops, short courses and visits to other institutions that carry out research activities in cognate areas, is strongly advised (word document);

3.4.7. A summary budget worksheet (FAPESP-RCUK Funding Summary) as described in item 2.2 above.

3.5. In case of approval, a Letter of Agreement between the Partner Host Institution and the Host Institution to which the applicant Principal Investigator (PI) from São Paulo is affiliated, establishing how Intellectual Property rights, confidentiality, and publications will be treated jointly, in observance of the policies of each funding Party. The Letter of Agreement is not mandatory for the submission of proposals, but no approved project will be contracted before the presentation of a copy of the signed Agreement.

3.5.1. Ownership of Intellectual Property (IP) generated during the project and rights to exploitation, as well as any costs regarding management of IP, are expected to be agreed between the collaborating research organizations before the research begins. The presentation of this agreement is mandatory before the signature of the grant award in case of FAPESP funding.

4. Submission of proposals

4.1. Proposals must be submitted to FAPESP through a customized path of the SAGe system (please, see Annex 1 below, only in Portuguese) by the applicant from the State of São Paulo before the deadline announced in the CFP. The additional required documentation (item 3.4 above) must also be uploaded through the SAGe system.

4.2. Proposals submitted by any other means will not be accepted.

4.3. No proposal 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 MRC.

5. Analysis and selection

5.1. Applications to this call will be assessed by both FAPESP and MRC through a joint review process. The evaluation of the proposal submitted to FAPESP will follow the regular procedures used by the Foundation. Before the final decision, FAPESP will carry an internal analysis using its Area and Supervising assessment panels. Final decisions on the proposals from the State of São Paulo will be made jointly between MRC and FAPESP.

5.2. The proposal will be funded by FAPESP only if it is approved also by MRC .

5.3. It is very important that FAPESP’s reviewers and committee members understand clearly that the collaboration of the applicant PI in São Paulo is scientifically relevant, integrated to the MRC proposal, and determinant to the success of the whole proposal. It is also essential that the participation of the PI in São Paulo in the conception and in the preparation of the proposal be made clear. The PI in São Paulo is ultimately responsible for making these elements clear in the proposal submitted to FAPESP.

6. Results of the selection

The results will be announced by FAPESP at www.fapesp.br.

7. Contract for selected projects

Selected proposals will be the object of a grant contract to be signed by the PI, a representative of the Host Institution and FAPESP.

8. Grant cancellation

FAPESP may cancel funding if, during the grant timeframe, a fact is of sufficient significance to justify cancellation, at the discretion of the Scientific Director, regardless of any other appropriate actions.

9. Information about this Call for Proposals at FAPESP

The questions related to this Call for Proposals must be directed to Alexandre Roccatto – email: chamada_nf_neglected_diseases@fapesp.br.




Annex 1 – Chamada MRC/FAPESP - Instruções específicas sobre o uso do SAGe

1. Pesquisadores do Estado de São Paulo, já cadastrados, devem acessar o sistema SAGe com login de identificação e senha usuais e buscar, no índice “acesso rápido”, Nova Proposta Inicial;

2. Nesta página, selecionar Incluir Proposta – Outras linhas de fomento;

3. Na sucessão de opções vai ser mostrado: Acordos de cooperação > MRC – Medical Research Council /RCUK e Fundo Newton > Projeto de Pesquisa - Temático

4. Confirmar a última opção (MRC – Neglected Diseases - Chamada de Propostas). A partir daí incluir os dados solicitados em todas as abas, inclusive a lista de documentos a serem anexados;

5. Atenção para a obrigatoriedade de preenchimento de todos itens marcados com “ * ”. É necessário submeter o projeto ao final do preenchimento. Projeto “salvo” não significa projeto submetido;

6. É necessário que o Pesquisador Responsável do lado britânico seja cadastrado no sistema SAGe;

(i) Pesquisadores que não possuem cadastro no SAGe devem inicialmente realiza-lo acessando o endereço www.fapesp.br/sage, e na página do SAGe clicar em Sem cadastro? e preencher os dados solicitados;

7. No caso de dúvidas, na página inicial do SAGe pode ser usado o link Manuais e, na página Manuais, buscar esclarecimentos na lista Manuais de Apoio aos Pesquisadores.