Brazilian-German Collaboration in Research
DFG regular funding programmes for cooperation with Brazilian National Institutes of Science and Technology (INCTs)
The National Institutes of Science and Technology (INCTs) are placed in a strategic position in the Brazilian National System of Science, Technology and Innovation. One of the objectives of the INCT Programme is to promote the interaction with international groups of excellence in the specific area of research. Therefore, the institutes should promote actions that enable international collaboration with excellence groups of leading countries in the respective area, aiming not only at scientific production and the improvement of its quality, but also at the mobility of researchers who are already trained or in process of training.
As announced by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) in October 2016, 101 INCTs will receive a total of R$ 600 million of funding for a six-year period. Funding is provided by federal and state research funding organisations of Brazil, ministries and other federal or state entities, besides private enterprises. Further 151 institutes were awarded the “INCT seal” for excellent research proposals.
7 out of the 101 funded INCTs as well as 13 out of the 151 “INCT seal” awarded institutes already have cooperation partners with German research institutions. In order to enhance these collaborations and to foster the establishment of new ones, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) would like to call attention to the various funding programmes available to scientists working in Germany that provide opportunities for joint research activities. For existing collaborations, the research grants programme as well as the coordinated programmes of the DFG can be used to unilaterally finance joint activities with INCTs. German researchers who are looking for new interactions with individuals or groups inside an INCT may apply within the programme “Initiation of International Collaboration” for funding of trips abroad, guest visits or workshops. These opportunities follow the general DFG funding lines and budgets. There are no additional funds available, and proposals must succeed on the strengths of their intellectual merit in comparison with other proposals.
Led by groups of excellence, INCTs are characterized as research structures that develop network projects in an articulated way with measurable and clearly defined objectives and goals, with focus on cutting edge researches and/or state public policies. Each Institute has a clearly defined theme or area of activity and must cover preferentially four aspects: research, training of human resources, internationalization and knowledge transfer to the entrepreneurial sector and/or to the public sector. Additionally, considering their strategic nature, all INCTs foresee actions in a fifth aspect: the diffusion and the dissemination of knowledge to society. Each institute has an Advisory Committee with at least one external advisor from abroad that visits the institute annually, examines its performance in comparison with the goals approved by the steering committee of the institute.
Further information
Information on the INCT programme and a list of institutes (in Portuguese; if you require assistance to find specific information, please contact the DFG Office Latin America):
Information on funding opportunities at the DFG:
Information on the Initiation of International Collaboration (DFG form 1.813):
Information on DFG Research Grants (DFG forms 50.01 and 54.01):
Contact person at the DFG in Bonn, Germany:
- Dr. Dietrich Halm,
phone +49 228 885-2347,
Dietrich.Halm@dfg.d
Contact person at the DFG Office Latin America in São Paulo, Brazil:
- Dr. Kathrin Winkler,
phone +55 11 5189 8308 (BR) or +49 228 885-4550 (D),
latinamerica@dfg.d