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Applicants must be:

• Academic staff or researchers affiliated with the University Â鶹¾«Ñ¡ or FAPESPA-supported institutions.
• Proposing a project that aligns with the themes of the call.
• Able to demonstrate capacity for interdisciplinary and cross-institutional collaboration.
• Able to demonstrate clear outcomes and potential for long-term engagement and impact.

This seed funding will support projects up to £20,000 (GBP). The fund covers research-related expenses directly pertaining to the project, as well as travel (air tickets), health insurance, and living allowances for researchers based in Birmingham and the State of Pará. Seed funding will be subject to the travel reimbursement and other relevant financial policies of the institution providing the funding to its faculty or units. Requests of support for non-standard costs such as research equipment costs or research assistant staffing will need particularly clear justification. FAPESPA and UoB will be responsible for funding the activities of researchers from their respective territories. Project funding must be spent by 31 July 2026.

Applications must be submitted by one senior or junior faculty/researcher at a Pará based institution and by one at UoB, both of whom will be named Co-Investigators (Co-Is).

(Para and UoB applicants must be active professors of the permanent staff of the University; Post-doctoral researchers may be added to the team list, but are not eligible for funding).

Additional participants of the respective project teams may be professors, PhD candidates, and post-doctoral researchers. The funding scheme is open to all academic fields. Activities may focus on one discipline or be of interdisciplinary character.

Proposals for the Connect Amazonia UBBI-FAPESPA Collaboration Fund must be submitted in parallel to the UBBI and FAPESPA in English and Brazilian Portuguese as outlined below:

• UoB Co-Investigators must use the to submit the project proposal.
• Brazilian Co-Investigators in the State of Pará must submit the same proposal using the Portuguese application form via FAPESPA’s application platform , which will then be used to monitor project delivery and expenditure for successful proposals.

Applications must be made using the Connect Amazonia UBBI-FAPESPA Collaboration Seed Fund Application Form in the relevant language. Co-Investigators must submit the same proposal using the relevant application form to UoB and FAPESPA, including the following information:

Applications should include:

1. Identified UoB and Pará Principal Investigators.
2. Project title and summary/project abstract (max 200 words).
3. Description of the research, including objectives, methodology, and expected outcomes, if applicable include the contribution of the project to the SDG (max 2 pages).
4. Details of the project partners, including previous collaboration including description of previous research outputs (if any) and contribution of partners from Pará and UoB.
5. Anticipated total cost and itemised budget (see template below).
6. Working plan for the project (including a timeline and milestones).
7. Anticipated means of sustaining the collaboration. What funding is available from other sources and what potential is there for future external investment?
8. Executive Officer of the Unit / Head of College or Faculty Dean approval. Email confirmation of this support will suffice, and should be saved in PDF format and attached with the application.

Budget Template

Please use the following format to present your budget:

Matchmaking Support

UBBI and FAPESPA are pleased to assist with academic matchmaking. To help us support you, please complete the short online survey to explain your area of expertise, prospective project idea and the type of partners you are looking for. This information will be promoted on the FAPESPA website and shared with potential academic collaborators across the State of Pará. Further information and assistance with matchmaking can also be found by contacting the respective colleagues above (Dr Gisele Tyba Mayrink Redondo Ortega at UoB and Marcos Y. Nascimento at FAPESPA).

UBBI-FAPESPA Strategic Leads and Contacts:

Selection

Applications will be evaluated by a joint panel of reviewers from the University Â鶹¾«Ñ¡ and FAPESPA. Criteria will include:

• Relevance to the call themes.
• Feasibility and clarity of methodology.
• Potential impact and sustainability of outcomes.
• Strength of collaboration

Review Timetable

The grant review panels at UoB and FAPESPA will liaise to jointly determine which projects will be funded, as follows:

• Call announced: 26 February 2025
• Connect Amazonia Information Session: 27 February 2025
• Applications open: 3 March (Birmingham)/12 March (FAPESPA)
• Applications close: 12 May 2025
• Successful awards announced: 1 July 2025
• Funding available to complete project activity: 1 August 2025 – 31 July 2026

Reporting

Grant recipients are required to follow the proposed project and to submit a two-to-three-page final report no later than one month after the end of the grant period. Periodic status updates on the progress of the project may be requested and recipients may be asked to present to the UBBI Steering Group, FAPESPA and other appropriate forums (e.g., departmental/College presentations) as requested. The report should include the following information: objectives proposed and activities undertaken; project outcomes and achievements, including key findings and future plans; a brief assessment by the lead researcher of actual expenditure against planned. Grant recipients will later be asked to provide an update two years after the visit to ensure that longer-term outcomes of the engagement can be measured that would not have become apparent in the first-year report.

The deadline for submissions is 12 May 2025. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

Applications should be submitted by both Co-PIs, in English and Portuguese using the relevant Connect Amazonia UBBI-FAPESPA Collaboration Fund, as follows:

The University Â鶹¾«Ñ¡:

• Please submit the
• Any questions can be sent to Dr Gisele Tyba Mayrink Redondo Ortega, UBBI Project Officer. Email: g.tybamayrinkorgado@bham.ac.uk

FAPESPA:

• Applications must be uploaded to

• Any questions can be sent to MSc Marcos Y. Nascimento, International Advisor, FAPESPA, Belém, Pará. Email: assessoriainternacional@fapespa.pa.gov.br