FAPESP and Office of International Affairs Joint Seed Funding

The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) and the Office of International Affairs (OIA) at The Ohio State University are partnering for the second year on a call for joint research projects. The aim is to promote and strengthen collaboration between researchers affiliated with higher education and research institutions in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, and researchers working at Ohio State. 

As part of Ohio State’s land grant mission and strategic vision, the Office of International Affairs supports innovative scholarship and encourages collaborations between Ohio State researchers and their local and international partners. In line with its mission, FAPESP supports excellent scientific research and promotes international cooperation as a means of advancing knowledge and contributing to the social and economic development of the State of São Paulo.

Research themes

The call invites research proposals in any discipline, but especially in areas related to:

• Biotechology
• Energy Transition
• Biodiversity, Sustainable Food Systems and Food Security
• Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence
• Quantum Science and Technology
• Human and Animal Health
• Violence and Public Safety

These topics are aligned with FAPESP's strategic research priorities for 2026–2028, which are based on Brazil's National Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation 

Funding and duration

FAPESP and Ohio State will fund jointly up to $20,000 (BRL 106,000) per project with a duration of two years. FAPESP will support the costs of the research team based in the State of São Paulo (up to $10,000/ BRL 53,000) and Ohio State will fund the U.S.-based research team (up to $10,000/BRL 53000). 

Note: The conversion to Brazilian reais (BRL) was based on the FAPESP exchange rate of BRL 5.30 per U.S. dollar, effective June 26, 2026.

• The projects must have the same duration on both sides.
• A total of five proposals will be funded for this call.

Eligibility criteria 

Each proposal must include one Principal Investigator (PI) from the State of São Paulo and one from Ohio State. Applicants should submit a well-structured research proposal that highlights the unique contributions of both partners and demonstrates the complementary strengths of the teams. 

The following eligibility criteria apply:

• Proposals must be written in English
• Proposals must have the same duration on both sides, i.e. 24 months (two years) 
• Each PI is allowed to submit only one proposal, under penalty of exclusion
• Only joint applications that have at least one Ohio State and one researcher from a higher education and research institutions in the State of São Paulo, Brazil will be considered
• Researchers selected for funding under the 2025 Call are not eligible to apply to the 2026 call

FAPESP

• The PI eligible for FAPESP’s funding under the scope of this call must be employees of a higher education and research institution in the State of São Paulo and must meet the FAPESP eligibility requirements for the Regular Research Grant.
• Applicants who are currently serving as Principal Investigator (PI) or Principal Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) on active projects must provide justification for holding concurrent projects. The justification should indicate whether the proposed project is complementary to the ongoing project(s) or represents a new line of research to be developed with the international partner. Applicants must also clearly explain how the proposed project differs from those currently in progress and specify the anticipated time commitment for each project. The justification for concurrent projects will be assessed. during the proposal eligibility screening. FAPESP will not conduct prior assessments of project concurrency via email
• Proposals must meet the rules and instructions of Regular Research Grant, with the exceptions of funding and duration outlined on this web page.

Ohio State

• Tenure-track and tenured faculty members at Ohio State are eligible to apply. Applications that can show evidence of further seed funding under their colleges will be given priority. Early- and mid-career scholars are particularly encouraged to apply
• The proposal should include a budget narrative that complies with Ohio State, college and department requirements. Please note that equipment expenses should be limited to those that are not available in the applicants’ home institutions
• Final Report: Recipients are expected to submit a final report (1,000 words) following the end of the funding period. The report should include information about project outcomes, future plans and an explanation of how funds were spent

Funding principles

Researchers should ensure that all expenses are calculated and covered in line with the rules and regulations in force from FAPESP and Ohio State.

FAPESP

The items eligible for funding by FAPESP include the components described under the Regular Research Grant program, with the exception of items 8.1, subitems a) Permanent material acquired in the country and imported, and e) Fellowships/Scholarships as Associated Submission. 

FAPESP may provide the selected proposals with funds for travel (economy class air tickets - fapesp.br/5835, item 3.4.1), travel insurance (fapesp.br/2921), and daily allowances (fapesp.br/18023) for researchers from the state of São Paulo that will visit Ohio State: 

• Daily allowances are guided by Portaria PR nº 35/2020. When the period of the stay abroad is less than 30 days, a maximum of 10 per diems can be used for researchers and a maximum of 7 per diems for scholarship holders and other team members. The monthly rate can only be applied if the stay abroad is for a period equal to or greater than 30 days, according to FAPESP´s current tables for researchers (fapesp.br/17872) and scholarship holders (fapesp.br/17871);
• For the exchange activities under this Call for Proposals, eligible participants include team members listed in the proposal who fall into the following categories: a) Principal Investigator; b) Associate Researchers affiliated with research institutions in the state of São Paulo; c) Postdoctoral Fellows; d) Doctoral or Direct Doctoral Fellows;
• The grant can only be used for the exchange of researchers, visits for research planning and initial activities of data collection, always aiming to continue research collaboration and its consolidation;
• The FAPESP Grants will not be eligible to Research Overhead, Fringe Benefits and Fellowships as Associated Submission;
• Researchers must abide to the rules of their home institutions and FAPESP´s pertaining long term absent periods from their activities and ongoing Grants;
• Requests for budget alterations will not be analyzed;
• The grantee must verify with the competent consulate whether a specific visa is required and bear the associated related costs.

Ohio State

• TBD

Submission

Proposals, prepared by both research teams, must demonstrate the scientific quality, feasibility, and level of innovation of the research plan, as well as the competence and experience of the researchers involved, the added value of the Brazil–Ohio collaboration, and the project’s potential to generate scientific impact, new collaborations, and joint outcomes.

Proposals must be written in English, and the main body of the project must not exceed 10 pages, excluding the cover page and annexes. Proposals must include the following sections:

Abstract: summary of the project highlighting its main objectives, innovative aspects, and the relevance of the collaboration between the teams.

Project Description and Timeline: detailed description of the research plan, including scientific objectives, level of innovation, methodology, and project feasibility. This section should also explain the added value of the collaboration between the teams from Brazil and Ohio, as well as clearly present the responsibilities and contributions of each partner. A timeline of the planned activities and project management should also be included.

Dissemination and Future Funding: description of the project’s potential to generate joint publications, conference presentations, the development of courses or other academic activities, as well as strategies to expand collaboration among the researchers and seek future external funding.

Budget Summary: summarized budget table itemizing the funds requested from FAPESP and Ohio, according to the template available online (TBD).

In addition to the research proposal and the budget summary, the PI from the state of São Paulo must complete the budget requested from FAPESP in the "BRL/USD" tab of the proposal in SAGe and upload all required documents under the "Documents" tab.

Application procedure

Proposals must be received by both FAPESP and the Ohio State. Proposals which have not been submitted in both countries will not be considered for review and will not be considered for funding.

Both FAPESP and the Ohio State will not be held responsible for incomplete registrations due to IT technical problems, communication failures, communication line congestion, or other factors hindering data transfer. Conditional, late, or submissions via postal mail, fax or email will not be accepted. It will not be possible to make registrations after the deadline specified in this Call for Proposals.

Proposals must be submitted by September 10, 2026 to FAPESP by the PI from the State of São Paulo and to Ohio State by the PI from the United States. By submitting the proposal, the proponents agree to the rules and conditions established in this Call for Proposals and in the applicable legislation and cannot claim ignorance or disagreement.

FAPESP submission

The proposal must be submitted exclusively through the SAGe system. The pathways is: Nova Proposta Inicial > + Outras Linhas de Fomento > + Acordos de Cooperação > + OSU - Ohio State University > OSU - Projeto de Pesquisa - Mobilidade > + Chamada de Propostas (2026).

It is necessary that the PI from the Ohio State is registered in the SAGe system and confirm their participation in the proposal (please see the Instructions for the use of SAGe at the bottom of this web page). It is strongly recommended to complete and submit the proposal well in advance.

FAPESP's communication lines are available for assistance between 09:00 and 16:00 from Monday to Friday.

Ohio State submission

The PI from Ohio State must submit the documents itemized in the Submission section through this link: TBD

Analysis and selection

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

Each party will select the proposals according to its own procedures and only the proposals selected by both parties will be funded. A joint committee will finalize the selection process.

Beyond regular review procedures by each party, the evaluation criteria include:

• Scientific quality, feasibility and innovativeness of the research plan;
• Competence and expertise of the applicants from both countries;
• Added value generated by US/Brazilian research collaboration;
• A clear description of the responsibilities that will be carried out by research partners;
• The potential for outcomes such as joint publications, conference presentations, new coursework, acquiring external funding in the future and the expansion of collaborations among researchers from the partner institutions.

The following criteria may be utilized to resolve ties:

Proposals from researchers affiliated with institutions in the State of São Paulo who, by the proposal submission deadline, have completed their undergraduate degree within the previous 12 years or obtained their doctoral degree within the previous seven years. Eligibility will be determined based on the year of completion indicated on the respective degree certificates. Periods during which the applicant was away from their professional activities due to the birth or adoption of a child, disability, temporary incapacity or intensive care for sick, elderly or disabled individuals will be considered by FAPESP in the analysis of the CV, in accordance with PR Ordinance No. 171/2024.

Considering the final results announced under this Call for Proposals, FAPESP and Ohio State will not accept reconsideration requests.

Intellectual property

To execute the research project, an agreement must be established between the partners, covering at least the following information:

• where and for how long the data generated during the project will be stored, how it will be protected, and who will have access to it;
• indication of the repositories where the data generated will be stored, including both those generated exclusively by Brazilian partners and those generated exclusively by foreign partners, with cross-references in both cases;
• the rules that will apply to the co-authorship of publications resulting from the collaborative research project;
• intellectual property issues: if the project results or the final report itself have commercial value or may lead to the development of a product or method involving the establishment of a patent, the exchange of information and the ownership of intellectual property rights will be governed by Brazilian Law No. 9,279 of May 14, 1996, Decree No. 9,283 of February 7, 2018, and FAPESP's Intellectual Property Policy. In the case of partnerships with foreign entities or institutions, the respective country's laws regarding the matter should also be observed.

The presentation of this document is not mandatory for signing the grant contract by the Brazilian PI; however, FAPESP can request its presentation at any time.

Project results must acknowledge FAPESP’s support in all forms of dissemination, including the corresponding grant number, in accordance with the provisions established in the FAPESP Grant Contract.

Matchmaking

Foreign researchers interested in finding partners in the State of São Paulo can use the Virtual Library of FAPESP. It is possible to search for information on grants and scholarships awarded by FAPESP, including abstracts, as well as the names of participating researchers and their institutions. Ohio State researchers who need information about potential collaborators within the State of São Paulo should contact Jane Aparecido (aparecido.1@osu.edu), director of Ohio State’s Brazil Gateway, in São Paulo. 

Contact 

All questions related to this call for proposals must be directed to:

• FAPESP
• The Ohio State University - Rita Koryan

Instructions for SAGe

It is necessary that the PI from the State of São Paulo and from Ohio State are registered in the SAGe system and confirm their participation in the proposal.

• Researchers who do not have a SAGe registration must initially do so by accessing the SAGe page at www.fapesp.br/sage, clicking “No registration?” and filling in the requested data. It is not enough to just register as a user. After accessing the system it is necessary to complete the mandatory registration data, marked with “*”.
• Researchers already registered must login to SAGe with their usual identification and password to access the system.

When submitting the proposal, pay attention to the mandatory completion of all items marked with “*”. It is necessary to submit the proposal at the end. A saved proposal does not mean that it is a submitted proposal.

In case of doubts, on the SAGe home page there is a link to the Manuals that can be used and, on the Manuals page, seek clarifications in the list FAPESP Investigators Guides. The system also provides an English version with manuals for user registration and confirmation of participation in proposals.

The PI from Ohio State must be included in the team and must later confirm its participation through the option “Proposals in which I participate”, in the “Proposals” item in the SAGe main menu.

IMPORTANT: It is strongly recommended to complete and submit the proposal in the system well in advance and that the researcher periodically checks for pending issues using the "Validar" option in SAGe. This can be done repeatedly as the proposal is constructed, allowing all necessary arrangements for submission to be made on time. When selecting the “Validar” option, the SAGe system will present the pending issues that impede the submission of the proposal considering the items that were inserted. In case of doubts about the use of SAGe, in addition to the Manuals, FAPESP also provides assistance through the Converse with FAPESP service.