Introduction
The FAPESP Program for the South Atlantic Ocean and Antarctic sciences (PROASA) aims to contribute to the generation, dissemination, and application of knowledge through scientific, technological, and innovative approaches in two interconnected yet still little-known planetary compartments (the South Atlantic Ocean and Antarctica). These compartments modulate processes that positively and negatively influence the potential for sustainable development in the State of São Paulo, Brazil, and the world. Therefore, PROASA considers initiatives focused on coastal and marine environments in the South Atlantic, under and beyond national jurisdiction, and on Antarctica, which includes the Antarctic continent and the Southern Ocean (or Antarctic Ocean). The PROASA aims to contribute to the advancement of knowledge and its application to confront planetary crises and promote sustainable development.
With this Call for Proposals, the São Paulo Research Foundation – FAPESP – wants to bring in up to five researchers who are early in their careers and excel in their specific fields of knowledge. Proposals will be received under FAPESP’s Young Investigator Grant support opportunity, aimed at establishing new scientific leadership in the state, only through the SAGe system. This Call is open for proposals from researchers working abroad (Brazilian or not) who wish to start a research career at a research institution located in the State of São Paulo. It seeks to stimulate the creation of opportunities, under internationally competitive conditions, for young researchers with exceptional research backgrounds. Proponents must demonstrate achievements after their doctorate research that indicate leadership capacity and great potential for developing new research groups. A clear international insertion is important, along with an impact on the ongoing research at São Paulo State. Priority is given to topics not yet covered by researchers in the state or that complement themes already being explored.
It is also expected that the research projects foster the formation of highly qualified human resources, with undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral fellows pursuing high-quality and impactful research. Partnerships with companies may also be considered if they are dedicated to the scientific theme of the project.
Successful applicants are expected to actively participate in the PROASA networking meetings and workshops aimed at strengthening the oceanic and Antarctic scientific community within São Paulo and Brazil.
1. Research themes
PROASA supports the knowledge to overcome sustainability challenges, integrating scientific discoveries and benefits for society aimed at combating pressures, promoting resilience, and generating and sharing prosperity through the following principles:
- Fostering inter and transdisciplinary, integrative, and inclusive approaches, with emphasis on the rapprochement between natural and human sciences;
- Valuing different knowledge systems, such as scientific and traditional, local and/or Indigenous;
- Supporting agile, responsible, and replicable approaches, contextualized in society’s demands;
- Promoting knowledge co-design and co-production processes, enhancing the integration of knowledge producers and users, and strengthening institutional partnerships and dialogues between social actors;
- Overcoming barriers to diversity and equity, including gender, generational and geographic diversity;
- Ensuring that all resulting data and knowledge is shared and accessible.
Considering the principles above, proposals will encompass all areas of ocean sciences (e.g. biological, physical, geological, chemical, and social oceanography), which are exemplified by but not limited to the thematic areas listed in Annex I, justified within the general PROASA scope and mission. Proposals focused on Antarctica will only be considered if not dependent on fieldwork (e.g. studies with samples already collected and based on modeling and theoretical approaches).
2. Eligibility criteria
A researcher must comply with the eligibility requirements of FAPESP’s Young Investigator Grant, as specified in fapesp.br/jp, while the following modifications of the guidelines apply to this Call:
a) In this Call for Proposals, applicants with at least 2 years of successful international postdoctoral experience are sought. A non-exhaustive list of success indicators are: publication of articles in journals with high editorial quality, leadership in these publications, invited talks at consolidated conferences and institutions, relative impact in the research field, awards and honors;
b) Be fluent in English.
3. Characteristics of proposals under this Call
a) Candidates must follow the FAPESP’s rules and guidelines for submitting proposals for the Young Investigator Grant (fapesp.br/jp); exceptions in the eligible budget items are outlined in item 3.2;
b) Although collaborations with established groups at specific topics are allowed and encouraged, a competitive proposal must have a clear and independent line of research;
c) Research project must be written in English.
3.1. Duration of the Grant
a) The duration of the proposed project must be 60 months, including a fellowship (see below);
b) During the development of the research project, it is desirable that the Young Investigator apply for open permanent positions at the host or other institutions in the State of São Paulo (tenure track option);
c) After the conclusion of the project, if the Young Investigator obtained a permanent position in a university or research institution in the State of São Paulo, he/she can continue his/her research activities by applying for funding through FAPESP regular funding options, including the prestigious Young Investigator Grant – Phase 2.
3.2. Support offered by FAPESP:
a) Each application should not exceed five million Reais (5.000.000,00 BRL) , including the Young Investigator Fellowship and fellowships (for students and postdocs). Fellowship costs, computers, equipment, and others may be included in the SAGe system. Successful applicants delivering outstanding results are eligible to request additional funds by the end of the third year;
b) A Young Investigator Fellowship, to be paid up to the total duration of the grant or until the Young Investigator obtains a permanent position at an institution in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. The monthly value of the fellowship is announced at www.fapesp.br/3162;
c) Items allowed by FAPESP are described in item 7 of the Young Investigator Grant Guidelines (fapesp.br/jp);
d) For this Call, a few exceptions to scholarships and post-doctoral fellowships applies relative to the usual guidelines for the Young Investigator Grant (see item 7.1e in fapesp.br/jp):
i. Up to two Post-Doctoral (PD) fellowships are allowed and may be included in the budget. Outstanding postdoctoral fellows will be selected by the successful grantees, which must satisfy FAPESP’s guidelines for the Post-Doctoral Fellowship Program, described at fapesp.br/en/5427;
ii. In addition to the usual fellowships allowed in the Young Investigator Grant (e.g. DD, MS, IC), regular PhD (DR) will also be allowed. As usual, the usual FAPESP guidelines apply for each fellowship. The graduate scholarships will only be implemented after the Young Investigator becomes officially accredited in a graduate Program in the destination institution;
iii. To enhance collaboration with local companies based in São Paulo State, eligible candidates will have the opportunity to apply for Technical Training Fellowships (TT) upon finding suitable industry partners. These fellowships aim to facilitate technological research and innovation endeavors in public or private companies, with a particular focus on technology-based startups within the State of São Paulo. Applications can be submitted after the research plan is initiated and may access additional funding opportunities following merit review by FAPESP.
e) Successful applicants living abroad will be granted traveling stipends to cover air tickets to support the applicant and family, following the rules outlined in fapesp.br/7771/auxilio-instalacao.
4. Proposal submission and evaluation
The proposal submission will occur exclusively through FAPESP’s SAGe system and will be split in three steps:
a) Pre-proposal submission. Candidates with selected pre-proposals will be invited to join a virtual Q&A Call to support the full proposal elaboration and submission;
b) Full proposal submission;
c) Online presentation & Interview. Candidates receiving positive reviews on their full proposals will be then invited for an online presentation (12 min) followed by an interview with members of the Evaluation Committee.
4.1. Pre-proposal
The pre-proposal must be submitted in English exclusively via the SAGe system. The required documents are:
a) The SAGe menu path for this Call is: Nova Proposta Inicial > + Outras Linhas de Fomento > + Programas Especiais > + PROASA> + Projeto de Pesquisa – Jovens Pesquisadores > + Chamada de Propostas (2024);
b) Summarized CV in English (up to 5 pages) including the following key information (exceptionally, in this Call FAPESP will accept a summarized cv in format different from usually required):
i. Researcher identification:
a. Scopus ID;
b. Google scholar profile;
c. Scopus ResearcherID.
ii. Short career summary (<400 words);
iii. A brief summary of outstanding scientific achievements and how they may contribute to the current proposal;
iv. List of 5 most important publications; Indicate leadership role in the research results obtained and justify why these results are impactful;
v. Top 5 Invited talks;
vi. Degrees and previous appointments;
vii. Report any interruptions arising from medical, maternity and paternity leave, care for other people (e.g. sick, elderly, people with disabilities), indicating start and end dates. Circumstances that may have impacted school and academic performance may also be reported.
c) Short Research Project (max 5 pages, single-space, font size 12);
d) A hyperlink to a 12-minutes or less recording (presentation/screencast) on the main goals and challenges of proposed research projects. Longer presentations will not be considered; presentations must be in English and a pdf file should be included in SAGe system as an annex in the documentation section. Candidates are encouraged to provide a short overview (~1 slide) of their relevant past activities;
e) Budget items to be included through SAGe system; it is not necessary to include vendor quotations at this stage;
f) It is not mandatory to have selected the host institution at this stage;
g) At least 2 letters of recommendation from senior researchers about the candidate. The candidates will indicate the senior researchers’ contact information in the SAGe system. They will be contacted directly by FAPESP requesting the recommendation letter with the subject “Recommendation Letter for (CANDIDATE FULL NAME)”. Candidates will not have access to the content of the submitted recommendation letters.
4.2. Pre-proposal evaluation
An evaluation committee will judge the submitted proposals considering the following criteria:
a) Originality & innovation;
b) Project importance and contribution to scientific knowledge around the themes and principles presented in section 1;
c) Suitability of investigators’ scientific background to the project, including the eligibility criteria outlined in section 2.
5. Submission of full proposal (for those approved in the pre-proposal phase)
The full proposal must be submitted through FAPESP’s proposal submission platform SAGe. Researchers selected in the pre-proposal evaluation will be requested by email to submit additional documentation in the SAGe system.
a) The applicants must ensure they have company-issued quotations for each capital equipment to be purchased in Brazil or abroad whose value is ten times higher than the minimum wage in Brazil. It is not necessary to submit invoices at this stage;
b)Â The full proposal must describe which activities will be tackled in each solicited fellowship (PhD, MsC, Scientific Initiation, Postdoc etc.). A short 1-page summary describing research goals and schedule must be submitted for each requested fellowship.
5.1. Full proposal evaluation
The review process will follow the guidelines:
a) All proposals will be sent to at least two external reviewers and, a FAPESP evaluation committee will weigh their evaluations and rank the proposals;
b) The reviewers will evaluate the proposal’s potential impact on the field; its relation to or differences from existing works; how it may provide new routes for the relevant open research challenges;
During this phase, along with the reviewer’s proposal evaluation, the committee will consider the following items:
i) Likelihood of having a high impact on the field if the project is successful;
ii) Proposal of alternative and effective experimental/theoretical strategies;
iii) Proponent’s capacity to initiate new strategic cooperation with research institutions at local, regional, and international level while preserving the research independence.
5.2. Final results
a) Upon receiving a final positive recommendation of the proposals, the awarded candidates will be invited to a virtual interview;
b) The nomination of the selected candidate is final and therefore no appeal for reconsideration is possible.
7. FAPESP’s Research Networking Tool
The Virtual Library (bv.fapesp.br/en) includes FAPESP’s database of awarded research grants and scholarships. In it, you may search for information on grants and fellowships funded by FAPESP, including abstracts as well as the name of participating researchers and their institutions.
8. Contact information
Questions related to this Call must be directed to:
- Email proasa@fapesp.br using the subject: “Young Investigator Grant on South Atlantic Ocean and Antarctic sciences”;
- Frequently asked questions will be available at the PROASA Program website fapesp.br/proasa.
Find further information about this opportunity via this link.