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CAPES-Purdue Program for Joint Research

Through the CAPES-Purdue Program for Joint Research, the Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education will fund up to five 4-year joint research projects between Brazilian and Purdue research teams in order to strengthen Brazil-U.S. scientific collaboration, build sustainable research networks, and promote student and faculty mobility. Click here to see the latest CAPES-Purdue Program for Joint Research call.

2026 Call for Proposals: Brazil’s CAPES (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel) announced the 2026 Call for Proposals for joint research projects designed to strengthen international scientific collaboration and mobility between Brazil and the United States.

About the Program

This initiative will support up to five (5) collaborative research projects developed by Brazilian and Purdue research groups. Projects will span four years and must align with one or more priority areas, including:

  • Energy and plant sciences
  • Phenotyping and genetics
  • Soil sciences
  • Precision agriculture
  • Genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics
  • Harvest and post‑harvest sciences
  • Forest restoration and conservation
  • All fields of engineering
  • Computer Science and artificial intelligence

The program aims to deepen institutional partnerships, promote researcher and student mobility, and foster research networks across both countries.

Funding

Each selected project may receive up to R$ 1.76 Million Reais from CAPES over four years, with annual support for:

  • Up to 3 stipends a year for 2 "sandwich PhDs" and/or 1 postdoc to spend
    6-10 months conducting research at Purdue as visiting scholars
  • Up to 8 missions to Purdue of approx. 7-10 days during the project period
  • Purdue PIs are responsible for ensuring that stipend rates meet Purdue minimum visiting scholar requirements, by supplementing them, as needed. Purdue PIs also commit to funding one project visit to Brazil to meet with their partners during the four-year period.

Eligibility

Proposals must include:

  • At least one Brazilian higher education or research institution (main institution must have a CAPES‑rated doctoral program ≥ 4)
  • Purdue University as the U.S. partner

Timeline

  • Deadline for Call questions/clarifications: by June 8, 2026
  • Proposals due: June 10, 2026 - by 5pm Brasilia (copies to both CAPES and Purdue)
  • Results posted: by Dec 31, 2026
  • Projects begin: after Jan 2027
  • PhD Student/ Post doc Mobility begins: after April annually

More Information

Questions may be submitted to: inscricao.purdue@capes.gov.br and to BrazilCAPES@purdue.edu. 

The full official call (Portuguese) and annexes are available on the CAPES Portal here.

 

CAPES Fellowship

NOTE: This program is currently on hold and will not be accepting new applications.

Through the CAPES-Brazil Agriculture PhD Program that began in fall 2021, the Brazilian government and Purdue fund up to 10 doctoral students in Purdue’s College of Agriculture each year. The program aims to encourage scientific exchange and increase academic expertise of Brazilian professionals in the field of agriculture. Each year, CAPES issues a call for applications, and prospective candidates must first be selected through a rigorous CAPES pre-selection process. Finalists then follow the standard graduate admissions process for the Purdue department to which they are applying for final consideration. 

Each department within the College of Agriculture defines its own criteria. Candidates should access the page below for specific information:  

I - Agricultural and Biological Engineering 
II - Agricultural Economics 
III - Agricultural Sciences Education and Communication 
IV - Agronomy 
V - Animal Sciences 
VI - Biochemistry 
VII - Botany and Plant Pathology 
VIII - Entomology 
IX - Food Science 
X - Forestry and Natural Resources 
XI - Horticulture 

Fellowship Benefits from Capes: 

  • Monthly Allowances, from the first to the third years of the Program 
  • Health Insurance Allowance for a maximum of two dependents from the first to the fourth years of the Program 
  • Two-way air tickets – economy class - for the grantee and one dependent 
  • Settling-In Allowance 
  • Additional Benefits (partial costs of grantee´s health insurance), fees and other administrative cost linked to the Program, from the first to the third years of the Program 

Fellowship Benefits from Purdue: 

  • Forthe  fourth (and fifth year, if needed) : Monthly allowances, additional benefits (partial costs of grantee´s health insurance), fees and other costs related to the Program Duration 
  • Up to 5 (five) years, depending on satisfactory performance of the grantee 
NOTE: This program is currently on hold and will not be accepting new applications.