Irish Research Council announces strategic partnership with largest research funder in Brazil

The Irish Research Council has announced details of a new five-year strategic partnership with the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), the largest public research-funding organisation in Brazil.

The partnership will support and encourage collaboration in basic scientific research conducted by researchers in Ireland and researchers in the State of São Paulo.  A key aim will be to promote collaborative applications for international funding schemes, particularly Horizon 2020 and its successor, Horizon Europe.

The partnership with FAPESP is driven by the Irish Research Council’s International Engagement Strategy, which is focused on developing collaborative agreements with public research funders across the world, including in South America.

Welcoming today’s announcement, John Halligan TD, Minister of State for Training, Skills, Innovation, Research and Development, said: “It is great to see the Irish Research Council developing international partnerships with their counterparts across the globe.

“Brazil’s most research-intensive and internationally active institutions are based in São Paulo, so a partnership with the São Paulo Research Foundation presents a wealth of opportunities for Irish researchers.  I encourage them to avail of this: to look beyond their own work and seek out potential collaborations to share ideas and knowledge at a global level.”

During FAPESP Week London, a symposium that aims at strengthening São Paulo’s international research links, Peter Brown, Director of the Irish Research Council, commented on the announcement: “São Paulo is the most populous state in Brazil, with a population of over 41 million people.  Its capital city – also São Paulo – is the largest city in South America.

“As the Irish Research Council continues to develop links across the globe, we are delighted to announce a strategic partnership with FAPESP.  The mission of FAPESP has strong resonances with our own mission – to fund basic research across all disciplines based on excellence.  The São Paulo agency also runs partnership schemes with enterprise, similar to our own.

“The partnership builds on the groundwork we have laid over the past year, including a meeting with Carlos Henrique Brito Cruz, the Scientific Director of FAPESP, in Dublin in early 2018 and our visit to Rio de Janeiro in April 2018 for a Brazil-Ireland research event.

“In an increasingly globalised economy, it is vital that we continue to provide opportunities for researchers in Ireland to collaborate with researchers across the world; and to develop links with their international peers.

Carlos Henrique Brito Cruz said of the partnership, “We were so glad that the Irish Research Council was so forthcoming to enter this agreement. Researchers in São Paulo and their colleagues in Ireland have a lot to gain by working together in advanced research projects, adding capabilities and expertise from both sides.”