DFG-CAPES Collaborative Research Initiative
Joint call for German-Brazilian research projects in the field of law
Within the scope of their Cooperation Agreement, the Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES) and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) are pleased to announce a joint call for German-Brazilian research projects in the field of law. The call includes but is not limited to research areas such as Technology and Law, Digital Law, AI and Law, Data Protection and Law, Democracy and Law, Consumer Law, Criminal Law and Environment and Law.
At the same time, this initiative sets out to strengthen the network of legal cooperation between the two countries. It is therefore intended that annual meetings of researchers from this initiative take place alternately in Germany and Brazil (with the possibility to involve other interested researchers).
The proposals for German-Brazilian research projects have to be submitted to the DFG according to the following rules and requirements:
German and Brazilian project partners should prepare joint integrated project proposals with complementary contributions of both sides.
Researchers involved in the bilateral projects of the different research fields of law should collaborate by means of workshops, meetings or other collaborative activities.
The added value of the cooperation in comparison to a proposal without international cooperation should be described. Applicants should demonstrate how bringing together researchers based in Germany and Brazil will add value and advance research. It is expected that each partner substantially contributes to the common project. Teams should ensure that there is a plan for effective delivery and coordination of research across the partners.
A description should be provided of already jointly realised academic cooperation and exchange between the German and Brazilian partners on which the submitted proposal is based (no prerequisite).
Researchers may apply for a funding period of two years with the possibility of a renewal for a period of two more years.
Proposals have to be written in English and must be submitted to both organisations in parallel in accordance with the proposal preparation requirements of each side, respectively. For German groups, this means submission via ela(externer Link), the DFG’s electronic proposal processing system, according to the guidelines for the Research Grants Programme (DFG form 50.0(interner Link))
After logging in, please use the link “Proposal for a Research Grant” in the Proposal Forms column. Please select the relevant call: BRAZIL CAPES LAW 2025 – Joint Research Grants.
The proposal of the Brazilian partner has to be submitted as an annex to the DFG proposal.
The proposals have to be submitted to DFG and CAPES by 15 April 2026.
If this is the first time you are submitting a proposal to the DFG, please note that you must register in the elan portal before you can submit your proposal. You must do so by 8 April 2026. You will normally receive confirmation of your registration by the next working day.
These opportunities follow the general DFG funding lines and budgets, however, the DFG expects that project budgets for the German side should not exceed €300,000.
There are no additional funds available and proposals must succeed on the strengths of their intellectual merit in comparison with other proposals. Funding of the joint research projects is contingent upon positive assessment by both funding organisations. Joint German-Brazilian projects will be co-funded by CAPES; unilateral funding of only one part of a project is not possible. Funding for approved proposals will be provided approximately one year after the launch of the call.
Specific Instructions for Applicants from Germany
Applicants to be funded by the DFG are required to fulfil the eligibility requirements of the DFG´s Research Grants Programme. This includes the duty to cooperate (“Kooperationspflicht”) within Germany for members of non-university institutions with permanent positions. Please note that any duty to cooperate for DFG applicants at non-university research institutions can only be fulfilled through cooperation with a partner at a German university. For more information, see the corresponding guidelines for the Research Grants Programme (DFG forms 50.0(interner Link) and 55.0(interner Link)).
While via elan, only the budget figures for the German applicant(s) have to be provided, the proposal itself should contain not only the German budget part but also a budget overview for the Brazilian part so as to provide comprehensive information to the reviewers. Please note that the CVs of the Germany-based applicants should follow the DFG’s CV template (DFG form 53.200(interner Link). In the proposal submitted by the German applicant(s) to the DFG, an academic curriculum vitae for all Brazilian principal investigators should also be submitted to complete the reviewers’ information. There are no rules regarding the format of the CVs for the Brazilian PIs. Please upload the CVs of all PIs combined in one PDF document.
Note that only Germany-based applicants should be entered as “applicants”. Country partners (and potential further international partners) should be entered as “cooperation partners”. A maximum of 5 “cooperation partners” can be entered. Employees whose positions are requested for funding should not be assigned to this category.
Specific Instructions for Applicants from Brazil
The Brazilian researchers submit their proposals with an identical academic core in parallel to CAPES. The applicants have to be eligible according to the guidelines of CAPES. The German cooperation partners have to be mentioned in the Brazilian proposal. Information about the call on the Brazilian side including formal aspects and evaluation is available at CAPE(externer Link).
Timeline and Notification of Results
Call opening: 12 November 2025
Call closure: 15 April 2026
Evaluation of proposals expected by September/October 2026
Communication of results: November 2026
Approximate beginning of funding: from January 2027 onwards
Please note that DFG and CAPES will together host an informational webinar on 18 November 2025 from 13:30 – 14:40 CET for researchers who are interested in this call. During the virtual session, you will be informed about the focus of the call and requirements for proposal preparation. You can register for the webinar her(externer Link).
Equity and Diversity
The DFG strongly welcomes proposals from researchers of all genders and sexual identities, from different ethnic, cultural, religious, ideological or social backgrounds, from different career stages, types of universities and research institutions, and with disabilities or chronic illness.
Good Research Practice
According to a resolution of the DFG General Assembly, DFG funding may only be awarded to research institutions that have implemented the guidelines laid down in the Code of Conduct for Safeguarding Good Research Practic(externer Link) in their own regulations. The management of your institution is responsible for implementing the guidelines in a legally binding manner. In order to avoid delays in the disbursement of funding, please verify implementation within your institution in good time. For information regarding the implementation, please refer to the Research Integrity Porta(externer Link). If you have any questions on this subject, please contact the Research Integrity tea(externer Link) at the DFG Head Office.
Further Information
General information for German principal investigators on research grants may be found her(interner Link).
When submitting proposals, please use the elan porta(externer Link) and refer to the respective guidelines DFG form 50.01(interner Link)and DFG form 54.0(interner Link). The FAQ on Proposal Submissio(interner Link) may also be helpful.
Information on the DFG´s review and decision-making process in individual grants programmes may be found her(interner Link).
Contact persons at the DFG Head Office in Bonn, Germany:
For the law area:
Dr. Anna Knaps, Humanities and Social Sciences 2, Tel +49 228 885-3031, anna.knaps@dfg.d(externer Link)
Jennifer Seemann, Humanities and Social Sciences 2, Tel. +49 228 885-2380, jennifer.seemann@dfg.d(externer Link)
For questions concerning international cooperation with Brazil:
Dr. Dietrich Halm, International Affairs, Tel. +49 228 885-2347, dietrich.halm@dfg.d(externer Link)
Contact person at the DFG Office Latin America in São Paulo, Brazil:
Dr. Christina Peters, International Affairs, Tel. +55 11 5189 8308 (BR) or +49 228 885-4550 (D), latinamerica@dfg.d(externer Link)
Information on the call for the Brazilian side is available at CAPE(externer Link) (in Portuguese).
Name of the call: PROGRAMA INICIATIVA DE PESQUISA COLABORATIVA (PIPC), Capes-DFG PIPC nº 21/2025
Contact at CAPES: inscricao.pipc@capes.gov.b(externer Link)
Privacy Policy
We, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation), take the protection of your personal data and its confidential treatment extremely seriously. Therefore, please refer to the DFG’s Privacy Polic(interner Link). If you intend to transmit personal data of third parties, please make sure to do so only if the necessary legitimation under data protection law exist. Before transmitting data of third parties to the DFG, please forward the DFG’s Data Protection Notice to the individuals affected (data subjects). If there is a legitimate interest not to inform individuals beforehand (e.g. for reasons of secrecy or in case of a nomination or candidate proposal), these individuals should be informed no later than at the time of publication.