22 projects were prepared by project consortia representing all 5 BRICS countries. With the deadline for proposal submission set on 25th of August 2016, a total number of 320 projects with at least three partners from BRICS countries have been submitted in response to the call. The BRICS STI FP Pilot Call gained very high interest within scientific community of the BRICS countries, overcoming any expectations of BRICS STI Funding WG members.
Reaching this milestone was not an easy task, but it was achieved in quite a short time comparing to other international multilateral programmes of similar nature.
The pilot coordinated call for BRICS multilateral research projects was successfully announced on the 18th of May 2016 bringing together 8 funding organizations for the joint support of research projects in 10 priority thematic areas. The 5-year pilot phase with start in 2016 was planned for the BRICS STI FP with annual calls for competitive grants to be launched on case-by-case basis. Within the next few months after the BRICS STI Funding WG met for the first time, 8 funding agencies from 5 BRICS states have signed the Arrangements for the BRICS STI Framework Programme, signifying the launch of the initiative. One of the features of the BRICS STI Framework Program was a multilateral approach: research involving representatives of at least three BRICS countries was a subject of support.įirst meeting of BRICS STI Funding WG. Despite the difference in research funding mechanisms, national policies and legal framework, the funding agencies could find a common ground and reach an agreement on all modalities for launching the initiative on joint research funding. The participants of the meeting agreed on the basic principles for organization and operation of the future mechanism for supporting joint research. On 18-19 January 2016 an inception meeting of the BRICS STI Funding WG took place in Beijing. The BRICS STI Funding Working Group was also created in order to formalize meetings of the BRICS research funding agencies that would establish and govern BRICS STI FP. As a result of the work done, creation of the BRICS STI Framework Programme was endorsed in October 2015 at the meeting of the BRICS Ministers for Science and Technology. Activities on drafting of the architecture for the future cooperation programme and elaboration of statutory documents began as a follow up of the meeting. In July 2015 representatives of the BRICS funding agencies for the first time jointly sat together in Moscow and discussed an idea to launch a multilateral programme that should focus on support of joint research projects within BRICS. A note from Head of BRICS STI FP Secretariat