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Research on risks posed by aquatic pollutants to health and environment will be supported Versão em português

Research on risks posed by aquatic pollutants to health and environment will be supported FAPESP launches opportunity with European Union and CONFAP with the aim of ensuring safe water supply for all by 2030 – a UN Sustainable Development Goal (image: Henryk Niestrój / Pixabay)

FAPESP announces a call for proposals to fund research projects risks posed to human health and the environment by pollutants and pathogens present in water resources.

The call supports the planning traced by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals in order to ensure safe water supply for all and safeguarding fresh and salt aquatic ecosystems by 2030.

The call is issued in partnership with the European Union through the JPI Oceans Initiative and the Brazilian National Council of State Funding Agencies (CONFAP).

Among the institutions from several countries participating in this call for proposals, are ANR (France), BMBF (Germany), FCT (Portugal) and SEIDI / AEI (Spain), with which FAPESP has an active partnership. Many other public State Funding Agencies are participating through the CONFAP.

It is expected for proposals to implement policies for water and marine resources and for public health on global, regional and national levels and to encompass studies over Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CEC), pathogens, and antimicrobial resistant bacteria.

Projects must broaden our knowledge about the measurement of these agents’ environmental behaviour in aquatic systems; assessment and management of risks they pose to human health and the environment; and planning of strategies for taking actions to reduce the presence of pollutants in inland or marine aquatic systems.

Each proposal related to FAPESP must have one principal investigator from the State of São Paulo and at least two foreign principal investigators, each one from a different country among the participant countries of this call. Above these minimum criteria for the composition of consortia, the participation of principal investigators from other Brazilian States is encouraged.

In the State of São Paulo, FAPESP will fund researchers affiliated to higher education or research institutions according to its Regular Research Grant rules and instructions. Some modifications and exceptionalities apply to this call. The projects’ duration may vary from 24 to 36 months, with a maximum budget of R$ 100.000 per year.

Proponents from São Paulo State must consult FAPESP regarding their eligibility until March 27, 2020. Those who are considered eligible are qualified to participate at the Pre-Proposals phase; projects should be submitted exclusively by the coordinator researcher of the consortium via the call’s dedicated platform by April 16, 2020 – in compliance with the Submission Guidelines (https://aquaticpollutants.ptj.de) of the international Call.

The submission of full proposals is expected to start in June; São Paulo researchers must send their proposals via the FAPESP submission platform SAGe in tandem with the submission via the international call’s platform by the coordinator researcher of the consortium.

Guidelines for researchers from the State of São Paulo are available at: www.fapesp.br/14008.