Notre Dame-Insper Joint Research Grant

Notre Dame Global is pleased to offer the ND-Insper Joint Research Grant. Insper, a research institution based in São Paulo, Brazil, is dedicated to transforming Brazil with scientific innovation and research.

This grant program provides opportunities to strengthen academic ties between the two institutions and to support the strategic interests of both universities.

Contacts

For questions regarding the content of this call, please contact:

Insper

Carolina Nakamura
Research Office
Insper
Email: fomento@insper.edu.br

University of Notre Dame

Xinquan (Cindy) Jiang
Senior Director, Global Research and Engagement
Notre Dame Global
Email: xjiang22@nd.edu

Submit an application

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Grant Overview

Grant Project Requirements

• Compliance approval is necessary at both institutions for all research projects. Studies involving data collection and human subjects in Brazil must undergo prior ethical review by an accredited Research Ethics Committee.
• Faculty mobility is recommended for this grant program.

Eligibility

This call is open to teams composed of at least one principal investigator (PI) from each institution. There is no restriction on discipline. ND faculty may look at this Insper Faculty Register to locate a potential collaborator. PLEASE NOTE: Insper’s academic units are Management and Economics, Law, and Engineering and Computer Science.

• At Insper, the PI must be a full-time faculty member (“docente de dedicação exclusiva”).
• At ND, the PI must be a regular faculty member.

Researchers from both institutions may only apply for one project, either as a principal investigator or a co-principal investigator.

Outcomes

Project outcomes are expected to relate to knowledge generation, project visibility, and future financial sustainability, with optimal outcomes being:

• Co-Publication(s)
• An application to an external funding body

Other measurable outcomes or impacts are encouraged as relevant to the discipline(s). Co-supervision of doctoral theses, while not considered a primary outcome, is welcomed.

Funding

• Joint awards up to a total of USD $30,000 (R$ 150.000) will be made for each joint research project, with each project investigator being funded (up to USD $15,000; R$ 75.000) by their respective institution.
• The fund can finance up to two (2) projects, with a maximum budget of USD $30,000 (R$ 150.000) per proposal. The total available funding is USD $60,000 (R$ 300.000), with equal contributions from both universities.
• Funding will be available for joint research projects with a duration of between 12 months and 24 months. Proposals for projects with a longer duration will not be accepted.
• The total requested funds for awarded projects may be adjusted following budget review.
• Unspent funds at the end of the award period will be returned to the awarding institution.

Expenses

Each institution will support its own researchers involved in the research project. Full details of all anticipated costs/activities must be clearly itemized as follows:

• A clear breakdown of expected costs by institution must be provided in the budget. Awarded funds cannot be transferred between universities.
• The budget plan should indicate spending over the full duration of the proposed project.
• Budget justification will be required to ensure good use of financial resources.

Eligible Expenses

• Field work data collection expenses
• Payment to human subjects
• Travel between both institutions for planning, execution, and review of research
• Materials and supplies (e.g., lab reagents)
• Software
• Publications (articles in peer-reviewed high-impact Q1 or Q2 journals, book chapters, or books)
• Faculty at ND are encouraged to investigate agreements between the Hesburgh Library and a select number of publishers, as a publisher of interest may be among those listed.
• Faculty at Insper are encouraged to investigate agreements between CAPES and a select number of publishers, as a publisher of interest may be among those listed.
• Academic workshops
• Research equipment (all equipment and supplies purchased by a university becomes the property of that university)
• Personnel:
  • Partial Notre Dame graduate student stipend and benefits: graduate student assistants must be involved in the faculty fellow’s collaborative research and writing in ways that contribute to the student’s intellectual formation. This funding request cannot exceed a third of the PI’s requested budget. PLEASE NOTE: At ND, you must allow approximately an additional 13.5% in the budget for fringe benefits for graduate students.
  • Stipend for graduate and undergraduate students from Insper and/or other Brazilian institutions of higher education: Stipends will be paid in accordance with Insper’s policy for research assistantships (“Política de bolsas de pesquisa”). This funding request cannot exceed two-thirds of the Insper PI’s requested budget.

Ineligible Expenses

• Computers
• Faculty salary
• Teaching buy-out
• Business start-up costs
• Tuition fees
• Conference attendance

How to Apply

Applications are to be prepared jointly and submitted in English by either the ND Principal Investigator or the Insper Principal Investigator, through NDG's Online Application system. Incomplete proposals or late submissions will not be accepted.

To initiate the proposal development effort for the program, ND faculty and INSPER faculty must take the lead in reaching out to each other in their areas of expertise. ND faculty may look at this Insper Faculty Register to locate a potential collaborator.

Additional Funding Sources: If a submitted project is under review for other funding or already receives support from another fund, external institution, and/or financing from ND or Insper, the origin, amount, and funding source must be disclosed and clearly specified within the application form.

SAMPLE ND-Insper Joint Research Grant Application Form   ND-Insper Joint Research Grant Budget Template

Application Timeline

• Launch: May 13, 2026
• Deadline: October 12, 2026
• Selection Panel: October, 2026
• Notifications Expected: November, 2026
• Projects Start: January 2027
• Maximum Project Length: 2 years

Selection Process

Proposals will be jointly evaluated by a senior faculty panel from both institutions.

Applications will be assessed according to the following criteria:

• Academic quality of the proposed research, including methodology, scope, ambition, and significance
• Clarity of objectives and outcomes
• Efficiency and reasonableness of the budget
• Sustainability of the research relationship
• Alignment with the strategic goals of both universities

Reporting Requirements

A Project Completion Report must be completed by award holders upon completion of the work defined in the funding application. Submissions to external funding agencies are to be reported and provided to the contacts at the respective institutions.

For 2-year projects:

• A progress report is due at the end of the first year; and,
• A progress report is expected, and a project completion report must be completed by the project leaders at the end of the funding period

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The University of Notre Dame du Lac (ND), USA and Insper, Brazil Joint Research Grant Program is contingent upon ND and Insper entering into a mutually acceptable written agreement.

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