Request for Proposals - FAPERJ/Columbia University

The Columbia Global Center| Rio de Janeiro is pleased to inform you of a recent agreement with the State of Rio de Janeiro through the State´s research funding agency, known as FAPERJ. 

April 02, 2014

Request for Proposals – FAPERJ/

Columbia University 2014 Cooperation Program

RFP Issue Date: March 21, 2014

RFP Due Date: May 08, 2014

Total Funding Available: Approximately U$1.7 million

 

The FAPERJ / Columbia University 2014 Cooperation Program will provide support for research projects undertaken collaboratively by faculty at Columbia and their counterparts at universities and research centers in the State of Rio de Janeiro. The RFP specifies that funding will be available for projects of up to two years in duration.  The Principal Investigators on such projects must be faculty members at universities and research centers in Rio de Janeiro State and the design and implementation of such projects must involve significant participation by Columbia faculty. The financial resources allocated by FAPERJ under this Request for Proposals will be R$4 million (or approximately US$1.7 million); the maximum award for any individual project will be R$400,000 (approximately US$170,000).   The deadline for submission of proposals is May 8, 2014.   Following deliberation by a committee of academics convened by FAPERJ, the announcement of winning proposals will be made by June 11. 

Topics and areas covered by the RFP

The RFP seeks to encourage research on public policies in the fields of sustainable development, education, and public health, all broadly understood.  Financing will also be provided for research involving public policies in the areas of science, technology and innovation, public administration, and urban mobility.  Researchers from the State of Rio de Janeiro and faculty at Columbia University should work together on the proposed work plan.

Eligibility

Projects must be submitted by researchers with full time employment links to institutions of higher education and research based in the State of Rio de Janeiro.  These researchers will be the Principal Investigators (PI) and will be responsible for all matters regarding the formal application process and subsequent research administration and grant reporting.  The research counterparts at Columbia University must be Columbia faculty in one of the following categories: faculty with full-time professorial titles, modified or unmodified; full-time instructors; or full-time officers of research.  

Funding for Columbia faculty

Funds for awarded projects will be disbursed to the PI in Rio de Janeiro.  No funding will be awarded directly to Columbia.  However, to ensure appropriate research compliance oversight, all proposals with Columbia faculty involvement must be reviewed by Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA) prior to submission to FAPERJ.  Once Columbia faculty have developed a proposal with their Brazilian counterparts, they should submit an English-language Statement of Work/Letter of Intent summarizing the proposal to JoAnn Garcia ([email protected]) in the New York Office of Global Centers.  The New York Office of Global Centers will submit these documents to SPA for review. 

Once SPA reviews and approves the project, the Columbia Global Center | Latin America in Rio de Janeiro will then issue a letter to the Brazilian principal investigator verifying Columbia faculty involvement in the proposed research.  This letter is required for the Brazilian PI’s proposal submission to FAPERJ.  Please note that, if the proposal is awarded funding, SPA will require an English-language translation of the awarded proposal.

 While no FAPERJ funding can be awarded directly to Columbia University, FAPERJ support can benefit Columbia faculty indirectly in a variety of ways, principally by supporting their research collaborators in Brazil and providing support for long-term visiting positions in Rio. Funding also will be available for Brazilian faculty and graduate students to visit Columbia for periods of up to 30 days.   In addition, in order to encourage Columbia faculty participation, FAPERJ—through a separate exchange program (Auxilio ao Pesquisador Visitante)—is offering the possibility of funding for short-term (up to three months) faculty travel to Rio and per diems.  The local PI in Brazil makes the request on behalf of the Columbia faculty for these travel and per diem funds.  Interested Columbia faculty should liaise with their local PI partner. 

Application requirements

Proposals must be submitted online by the local PI in the State of Rio de Janeiro through the online SisFaperj system through a process that is generally familiar to the academic community in Rio de Janeiro.  Applicants must indicate their proposals have the support of the home institution in Rio de Janeiro.   An endorsement letter to be provided by Columbia Global Centers | Latin America (Rio de Janeiro) will attest to FAPERJ the extent of involvement by Columbia faculty in the proposal.

Please find in the pages below more detailed information about this RFP. Information in Portuguese can be found on the FAPERJ website. Questions about the application process and eligibility should be directed to FAPERJ through the email [email protected].   Columbia faculty are also encouraged to contact the CGC Rio through this email: [email protected].

On behalf of the staff of the Global Center in Rio, we are standing by to help Columbia faculty take the fullest possible advantage of this unique opportunity.  Please do not hesitate to call upon us for advice and assistance.