Brazilian researchers to gain new opportunities with ERC-funded teams in Europe

The agreement was signed by Deputy Director-General for Research and Innovation Signe Ratso and CNPq President Prof. Ricardo Galvão. Vice-President of ERC Prof Eystein Jansen and Brazil’s ambassador and head of mission to the EU Pedro Miguel da Costa e Silva also attended the ceremony.

Thanks to the new agreement, researchers in Brazil will be able to undertake visits lasting six to twelve months to research teams of ERC grantees in Europe. The visits will follow the CNPq's guidelines for postdoctoral scholarships. This initiative will deepen cooperation between the European scientific community and Brazil, while reinforcing the ERC’s mission to foster frontier research.

Since 2016, more than 140 Brazilian researchers visited ERC grantees’ teams thanks to the existing agreement with the Brazilian National Council of State Funding Agencies (CONFAP). The first Brazilian candidates under the new arrangement will be able to take part in the call for expression of interest launched by the ERC in November 2024.

The agreement, formally called an implementing arrangement, is one of several deals of its kind, forming part of the ERC’s global outreach strategy that aims to make Europe a hub for top research talent. Similar agreements were concluded in the past with key institutions in Argentina, Canada, China, India, Japan, Korea, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and United States.

Researchers from anywhere in the world can apply for ERC grants provided the research they undertake will be carried out in an EU Member State or Associated Country. Principal Investigators in Starting, Consolidator and Advanced Grants should spend at least 50% of their total working time in an EU Member State or Associated Country while carrying out their ERC projects. Regarding the Synergy Grants, the same general rule applies, but one of this small group of grantees can be hosted full-time by an institution outside of the EU or Associated Country.

To date, 21 excellent researchers of Brazilian nationality have won ERC grants, and more of their compatriots work as post-doctoral fellows and other research staff in ERC-funded teams.