FAPESP andTianjin University, signed a Cooperation Agreement for Research on September 13^th, 2016, aiming to implement scientific and technological cooperation between researchers fromTianjin University, China, and from the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, through the funding of joint research projects.

Under the referred Agreement, as a first action to promote such collaboration, FAPESP and Tianjin University make public this Call for Proposals for the exchange of researchers under the terms and conditions of the SPRINT1^stEdition 2017(http://www.fapesp.br/sprint/call12017) and hereinafter set forth.

1. Eligibility from Tianjin University side

1.1Eligibility tosubmit proposalswithin the scope of this Call:

a. Professors (full, associate or assistant) and researchers who hold a full-time salaried appointment with the Health Sciences Platform at Tianjin Universityare eligible to participate in this call for proposals.

1.2Eligibility forthe exchange activitieswithin the scope of this Call

a. Faculty, researchers and post-doctoral fellows from the Health Sciences Platform at Tianjin University are eligible to participate in exchange activities of this call for proposals.

NOTE:

a. The proposals must aim to respect the principle of reciprocity with regard to academic qualifications of those who will take part in the exchange activities.

b. Eligibility of research partners in the State of São Paulo should observe the items 3.1 and 7.1 of FAPESP call (www.fapesp.br/sprint/call22016).

2. Fields of knowledge

This Call for Proposals invites research proposals in the fields of Life Sciences, and Pharmaceutical Science and Technology such as Galenics, Molecular Medicine, Structural Biology and Biophysics, Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Optical Probes and Imaging, Informatics and Computing, Microbiology and Immunology, and Biomaterials conducted at Tianjin University’s Health Sciences Platform.

3. Duration of the project for the exchange of researchers

The maximum duration of each project is up to 24 months.

4. Timeline

5. Funding principles

5.1 FAPESP will provide funding to the equivalent of US $10,000.00 (tenthousand dollars) per proposal per year and Tianjin University’s Health Science Platform will provide funding of up to US $10,000.00 (tenthousand dollars) per proposal per year, for the duration of the grant to cover research-related mobility expenses, under the provisions of Clause 5 of the Scientific Cooperation Agreement established by the Parties (http://www.fapesp.br/en/10508).

5.2FAPESP and Tianjin University will fund a maximum of 05 approved proposals.

5.3The grants are two years in duration and are intended to fund research to be conducted over 2017, 2018, and 2019.

5.4The funding is provided on the basis that it will be used as catalytic funding for the establishment of an international research collaboration that has the potential to develop further, beyond the lifetime of the grant, and ideally leverage external funding.

5.5 Activities eligible for funding:

a. Academic mobility between China and the State of Sao Paulo

b. Travel expenses (e.g. economy class airfare, train, rental car, etc)

c. Partial costs for hosting a seminar/conference or workshop

d. Accommodation

e. Meals and incidentals

5.6 The following restrictions apply on the use of funding listed in 5.2:

a. Airfares: only economy class tickets will be funded

b. Conference/workshops: costs to hold a conferences or workshops shall not exceed 50% of the overall budget (excludes travel and accommodation of participants) .

5.7 Applications Activities that will not be considered for funding:

a. An individual staff member’s research projects, unless as catalytic funding for the establishment of an international research collaboration with the prospect of external funding;

b. Website development;

c. Salaries or salary supplementation or honorarium;

d. Scholarships for students;

e. Course fees for international students;

f. Entertainment costs;

g. Computers, including laptops & iPads (excluding access to high-performance computers or other specialized applications that are justified against the project) and basic computing facilities such as printers, word processing and other standard software).

6. Proposal characteristics for Tianjin researchers:

The proposal shall be composed of:

6.1 A Research Projecthaving a maximum of five (5) pages of scientific content, written jointly by the Principal Investigator of the Host Institution in the State of São Paulo and the Principal Investigator at the Health Sciences Platform, Tianjin University. The Research Project must be written in English. One copy of the Research Project shall be sent to FAPESP and another (identical) copy to the Health Sciences Platform, Tianjin University. The Research Project must include the items included in the item 6.1 at www.fapesp.br/sprint/12017.

6.2 The following additional documents required by Health Sciences Platform:

6.2.1 A one-page summary of the research project to which the mobility proposal relates, including:

a. Current and expected results;

b. A description of the project activities that will benefit from the exchange activities;

c. A description of the expected results for the research project and proposed exchange activities;

d. A description of the infrastructure and financial resources available for the research project, excluding the expenses requested in the proposal.

e. An explanation of the intended pathway to achieve additional funding.

6.2.2 Budget sheet

6.2.3 CV foreachparticipant in the partnership (maximum of 4 pages)

6.2.4 Letter of Agreement of the Host Institution in the State of São Paulo to which the PI from São Paulo is affiliated. The same document is required by FAPESP in item 6.2.3 at www.fapesp.br/sprint/call12017. The Letter of Agreement may be deliveredafter the notification of results of this call for proposals and before the grant agreement signature.

7. Submission of proposalstoHealth Sciences Platform,Tianjin University

Submissions can only be accepted by email tojmar@tju.edu.cn, Jeanette Mar, Director of Internationalisation, School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Health Sciences Platform, Tianjin University

8. Result of the analysis

Final results will be announced on FAPESP (www.fapesp.br) and Health Sciences Platform, Tianjin University (health.tju.edu.cn) web portals and by means of a communication to the interested PIs.

9. Contract for selected projects byHealth Sciences Platform,Tianjin University

Selected proposals will be subject to the conditions set forth in a letter of award and in Tianjin University’s Health Sciences Platform and-FAPESP’s framework agreement.

10. Grant cancellation

Health Sciences Platform, Tianjin University may cancel funding of a Health Sciences Platform, Tianjin University researcher, if, during the grant timeframe, a fact is of sufficient gravity to justify cancellation, at the discretion of the program directors, without prejudice of any other appropriate actions.

11. Financial and Reporting Obligations

Recipients will be required to submit a final report within three months of completion of the project. The report should include an outline of the outcomes of the project, an indication of the project’s sustainability, a summary of lessons learned in undertaking the project and a detailed acquittal of funds as required by University policy.Applicants who fail to submit a final report by the 3-month deadline will not be permitted to submit future applications.

12. Information about this Call atHealth Sciences Platform,Tianjin University

All questions related to this Call for Proposals must be directed to:

Ms. Jeanette Mar, Director of Internationalisation, School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Tianjin University (jmar@tju.edu.cn)