Following the signing of an agreement between Warwick and the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) in June 2014, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tim Jones, visited Brazil recently to further build relations and to formally launch the joint call for proposals.

The recent Brazil visit included meetings with four different Universities and the South American energy giant, Petrobras, as well as attending the 3rd Universia World Presidents Meeting, sponsored by Bank Santander through its Santander Universities Global Division.

During the São Paulo leg of the visit Pro Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tim Jones formally launched a joint call for proposals during a meeting with FAPESP’s President Professor Celso Lafer, Vice-President, Eduardo Moacyr Krieger and Scientific Director Professor Carlos Henrique de Brito Cruz.

Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tim Jones said:

The signing of this agreement with FAPESP represents a significant commitment from the University of Warwick to developing substantial research collaborations with Brazil…we look forward to supporting the collaborations which will emerge from the resulting Fund and encourage Warwick researchers to apply to the current SPRINT call for proposals."

The FAPESP-Warwick joint call will be run through FAPESP’s SPRINT programme (São Paulo Researchers in International Collaborations) which launched the current call on 29th July, with a closing date for applications of 27th October 2014.

Through initiatives such as the FAPESP-Warwick agreement and the Santander-funded Brazil Partnership Fund which has been in place at Warwick since 2011, there are a growing number of research collaborations developing across all four Warwick faculties supported by the exchange of PhD students and Post-Doctoral Researchers.

Vice Chancellor, Professor Nigel thrift explans:

Warwick has focused a significant amount of research on “Global Research Priorities” to meet global challenges. Brazilian researchers have a global reputation of bringing innovative thinking to a range of such areas, particularly in energy and the environment. We are sure that combining Warwick and Brazilian research expertise will help deliver real solutions to those global challenges.”

The signing of the FAPESP-Warwick agreement follows on from the announcement from the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, on 9th April 2014, of a £26million initiative to develop links with Brazil as part of the UK Government’s Newton Fund. Further announcements regarding how the Newton Fund will run in Brazil are expected later in 2014.

Find out more

FAPESP, São Paulo Research Foundation - São Paulo Researchers in International Collaboration (SPRINT) is a program designed to encourage and promote the advancement of scientific research through the engagement of researchers affiliated with research institutions in the State of São Paulo with researcher partners abroad. It aims to provide funding for the initial phase of international research collaborations.

Brazil Partnership Fund - Launched in 2011 funded by Santander, Warwick’s Brazil Partnership Fund has awarded over £100,000 to 17 partnerships across 9 departments including chemistry, maths, politics, law, life sciences, engineering. Colleagues interested in applying to this fund should contact Sarah Patrick in the International Office on sarah dot patrick at warwick dot ac dot uk.

Newton Fund and Brazil - Brazil is one of 15 partner countries to be included on the UK Government’s Newton Fund, which launched in Brazil in April 2014. Warwick researchers are encouraged to engage with the Newton Fund. Updated: Research Councils UK (RCUK) and the Brazilian Council of State Funding Agencies (CONFAP) have now issued a preliminary notice of the Newton Fund RCUK-CONFAP Research Partnerships call, open from 4 August - 17 October 2014.

Global Innovation Initiative - Brazil is also one of 4 partner countries to be included in the US-UK Global Innovation Initiative. The next call for proposals to the GII will open on the 18 August 2014.

Colleagues interested in finding out more about Warwick’s activities in Brazil should contact Sarah Patrick in the International Office at sarah dot patrick at warwick dot ac dot uk.