Postdoctoral Fellowship Opportunity: TWAS-FAPESP Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme for Developing Countries – Brazil

Postdoctoral Fellowship Opportunity: TWAS-FAPESP Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme for Developing Countries – Brazil

• Programme: TWAS-FAPESP Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme for Developing Countries

• Partner Organisations: The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) and São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)

• Host Country: Brazil

• Host Region: State of São Paulo

• Level: Postdoctoral Fellowship

• Duration: Up to 12 months

• Eligible Nationalities: Nationals and permanent residents of developing countries

• Minimum Qualification: Ph.D. obtained within the last 7 years

• Age Limit: None

• Fields: Natural, Applied and Social Sciences

• Call Opening Date: September 8, 2026

• Preliminary Proposal / Supervisor Expression of Interest Deadline: November 1, 2026

• Full Proposal Deadline: April 1, 2027

• Expected Results: August 2027

• Earliest Project Start: From August 2027

• Financial Support: Provided according to FAPESP fellowship rules and the official call; exact amount is not specified in the source text provided

Overview of the Fellowship

The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), in partnership with The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), invites applications for postdoctoral fellowships for researchers from developing countries.

The fellowship supports research at host institutions in the State of São Paulo, Brazil, for a period of up to 12 months.

The programme covers a wide range of disciplines across the natural, applied, and social sciences and is designed to strengthen international research collaboration while supporting early-career researchers from developing countries.

Eligible Fields

The fellowship is open to candidates in:

• Agricultural Sciences

• Structural, Cell and Molecular Biology

• Biological Systems and Organisms

• Medical and Health Sciences, including Neurosciences

• Chemical Sciences

• Engineering Sciences

• Astronomy, Space and Earth Sciences

• Mathematical Sciences

• Physics

• Social and Economic Sciences

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must:

• Be a native and permanent resident of a developing country recognised by TWAS.

• Not hold a temporary or permanent residence visa in Brazil or in any developed country.

• Not already be residing in Brazil.

• Hold a Ph.D. or equivalent degree in a relevant natural, applied, or social science field.

• Apply within 7 years of obtaining the doctoral degree.

• Obtain official acceptance from an eligible supervisor at a host institution in the State of São Paulo.

• Demonstrate sufficient written and spoken English proficiency for the proposed research activities.

English proficiency must be confirmed through a formal statement from the proposed supervisor.

Host Institutions

Potential host institutions may include universities in São Paulo State such as:

• Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC)

• Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar)

• Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)

• Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)

• Universidade de São Paulo (USP)

• Universidade Federal de São Paulo (Unifesp)

The final list of eligible supervisors will be published after the preliminary stage.

Supervisor Eligibility

Eligible supervisors include researchers who are Principal Investigators or, in certain cases, Co-Principal Investigators of current FAPESP-funded research projects.

The linked FAPESP research grant must remain valid until at least August 2027.

Each supervisor may submit only one proposal under this call.

Application Process – Stage 1

The first stage involves an Expression of Interest from prospective supervisors.

The Expression of Interest should include:

• Researcher’s name

• Ongoing FAPESP Grant number

• Grant duration

• English abstract of the research project

• Description of how the postdoctoral fellow would contribute to the ongoing FAPESP-funded project

The candidate’s name and budget are not required at this stage.

Deadline for Expression of Interest / Preliminary Stage:
November 1, 2026

List of Potential Supervisors

Eligible supervisor candidates will be published by:

December 1, 2026

Postdoctoral candidates may then contact suitable supervisors and work with them to prepare the full proposal.

Application Process – Stage 2

After agreement between the supervisor and the fellowship candidate, the full application must be submitted to FAPESP through the SAGe system under the relevant UNESCO-TWAS/FAPESP postdoctoral fellowship call.

The proposed postdoctoral project must be closely linked to an existing FAPESP-funded research grant.

Required Documents for Full Proposal

The full proposal stage requires documents including:

1. Summary of the Linked FAPESP Research Grant Project

2. Research Project

   • Maximum 4 pages

   • In English

3. Summary CV of the Supervisor

4. Complete Ph.D. Academic Record

5. Statement from the Principal Investigator, if the supervisor is not the PI of the linked grant

6. Statement from the Director of the Host Institution

7. Institutional Infrastructure Information

8. Data Management Plan

   • Maximum 2 pages

9. English Proficiency Statement

10. Postdoctoral Development Plan, required for contracting after approval

Additional documents may be required depending on the candidate’s employment status.

Research Project Requirements

The proposed research project must:

• Be directly linked to a current FAPESP-funded research grant.

• Clearly define the fellow’s contribution.

• Be submitted in English.

• Be no more than 4 pages in length.

Financial Support

The fellowship provides financial support according to the applicable FAPESP Postdoctoral Fellowship rules and the specific TWAS-FAPESP call.

The exact stipend, allowances, or additional support amounts are not included in the source text provided here and should be confirmed from the official Call for Proposals.

Important Dates

• Call Opens: September 8, 2026

• Preliminary / Expression of Interest Deadline: November 1, 2026

• List of Potential Supervisors Published: December 1, 2026

• Full Proposal Deadline: April 1, 2027

• Selection Results: August 2027

• Approved Projects May Begin: From August 2027

All deadlines are stated as midnight Brasília Time (BRT).

How to Apply

Apply here: Link

Candidates should first identify and contact a potential supervisor at an eligible São Paulo host institution and obtain a conditional acceptance letter.

For questions regarding the online submission procedure:

FAPESP Contact:
chamada-twas@fapesp.br

TWAS Fellowships Office:
fellowships@twas.org

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