EURAXESS Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)

The EU promotes international cooperation in science and technology through its Horizon 2020 framework programme. This programme runs from 2014 to 2020 and has a budget of €80 billion.

Brazilian participants (individual researchers and/or institutions) can join projects in any area. Horizon 2020 therefore provides the EU and Brazil with the opportunity to build on what is already a fruitful area of collaboration.

The Excellent Science Pillar of Horizon 2020 offers dedicated programmes like Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions and The European Research Council (ERC) to support the best research talents irrespective of their nationality with fellowships and grants.

For the more information on 2018-2020 and other forthcoming calls, please visit the participant portal of Horizon 2020. Please click on Online Manual and on Reference Document for additional insight. Read also the European Commission brochure which describes specific opportunities for international cooperation by theme and by country in the Horizon 2020 - Work Programme for 2016-2017 here.

Selection of Calls of potential interest for Brazil for 2018-2020

In order to encourage the participation of Brazilian researchers under Horizon 2020 calls, the European Commission listed potential calls of interest for EU-Brazil cooperation. Find the list here.

Calls cover the timeframe of 2018 to 2020 and are divided following Horizon 2020's priorites: Excellent Science; Industrial Leadership; Societal Challenge, and the respective sub-programmes.

Funding of Brazilian participation

Brazil was in the top five non-European countries in terms of active participation in the EU’s previous framework programme for science and technology (FP7).

In Horizon 2020, Brazilian entities are no longer automatically eligible for funding and must, therefore, determine the sources of funding and resources for their part of the project.

Existing co-funding mechanisms in Brazil

Different funding schemes are being set up in different Brazilian states through the existing Research Foundations (FAPs) in each state to fund Brazilian participation in Horizon 2020 collaborative projects.

The first scheme was established by the Research Foundation of the State of São Paulo (FAPESP) in 2015. Following this, the National Council of Research Foundations CONFAP has led a coordinated effort among the other research foundations in Brazilian States to follow the example of FAPESP.

As a result, co-funding schemes for Brazilian researchers are available in the following states:

• Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo - FAPESP
• Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e Inovação do Estado de Santa Catarina- FAPESC
• Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Goiás - FAPEG
• Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais - FAPEMIG
• Fundação de amparo à Pesquisa do Distrito Federal - FAPDF
• Fundação Araucária de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico do Estado do Paraná – FAPPR
• Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e Inovação do Espírito Santo - FAPES
• Fundação de Apoio ao desenvolvimento do Ensino, Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul - FUNDECT
• Conselho Nacional das Fundações Estaduais de Amparo à Pesquisa - CONFAP

Read INCOBRA Factsheet on the FAPs guidleines here for more details.

Cooperation in ICTs

The EU and Brazil are jointly engaged in addressing issues relating to information and communication technologies (ICTs).

An EU-Brazil Information Society Dialogue, held in 2012, agreed a €10 million call for proposals to fund ICT projects of common interest. The two parties also shared their experience and knowledge of policy and regulatory issues in areas such as broadband development, governance and internet security, cloud computing and digital content.

The importance of cooperation with Brazil in this field comes from the following factors:

• the growing influence of the Information Society and ICT in everyday life;

• the increasing globalisation of the ICT sector and the leading role played by Brazil in Latin America’s digital economy;

• Brazil’s rising importance regarding issues of strategic importance for the EU such as internet governance and information networks and security.

More : EU Information Society research

Short- and long-term mobility of researchers both ways is an important driver of the EU-Brazil research and innovation partnership.

Individual researchers can take part in mobility programmes under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions scheme (MSCA). Brazilian researchers may also apply for the European Research Council (ERC) grants, which are for the most ambitious and highest quality researchers. Aditionnal opportunity open to Brazilian young researchers: Brazilian authorities signed an implementing arrangement with the ERC to allow postdoctoral researchers from FAPs, CAPES and CNPq to join research teams run by ERC-grantees to conduct frontier research activities.

=> read the short guides we prepared for Brazilian researchers and institutions, and discover how you can benefit from MSCA and ERC.

Many other instituions and agencies from EU member states and associated countries, third countries, including Brazil and international foundations also fund researchers mobility.

Until recently, we highlighted each month around 50 schemes to support researcher collaboration, exchange, or mobility in our monthly Newsletter and list of funding opportunities. These schemes are also available on EURAXESS Funding database and in our weekly Flashnotes. Register to receive our automatic notifications.

European Union Member States and associated countries have developed many cooperation programmes with Brazil in the fields of research and innovation, facilitating collaborative projects between European and Brazilian research laboratories, increasing researchers' mobility and promoting scientific exchanges between Europe and Brazil. To review the range of grants and funding opportunities that are available, please check their Embassies Portals. Their national open calls are also regularly published in the funding portal.