The MCI – Mobility CONFAP-ITALY programme aims to facilitate and support an effective collaboration between CONFAP (National Council of Research Support
Foundations) and the Italian Network for scientific, technological and innovative cooperation throughout the mobility of PhD, ‘Mestrado’ and post-doctorate students between the two countries, Italy and Brazil.
The Italian Network currently comprises 18 universities and a research centre that operates in collaboration with the CONFAP Institution. The University of Bologna is a coordinating partner of the Italian Network.
Candidates must be residents in Brazil; those who already live and/or study in Europe will not be taken into consideration.
By visiting the MCI platform candidates will be able to see which projects are available. If interested, they must contact one of the Italian Universities sharing their academic interests and request a pre-evaluation in order to obtain a letter of acceptance for the grant application procedure in Brazil. In order to ensure a better organization of the current research projects, of internal resources and of the supervisor who will be assigned to the PhD student, the acceptance of the candidate must occur through an official act ("delibera/provvedimento") issued by the appropriate academic entity.
Brazilian candidates must provide the following documents:
• Cover letter
• Curriculum vitae
• Research project (the proposal must clearly state how the activities to be carried out will contribute to ongoing research)
• Degree title (only for full PhD: Qualification of Mestre, which grants access to the PhD research programmes in Brazil)
Candidates who possess an acceptance letter can request a study grant from the Brazilian institute, CONFAP, through the FAP (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa) who will offer scholarships and mobility support to Brazilian candidates who have received an acceptance letter from one Italian university and who satisfy the eligibility criteria of CONFAP. Each candidate can only submit one application.
Candidates are reminded that the academic year in Italy is composed of two semesters. The first semester begins in September/October and ends in January/February. The second semester starts in February and ends in July.
Fields of research
Disciplines at the University: Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences, Humanities, Engineering, Medicine and Pharmacy, Legal, Economic and Social Sciences, Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences.
Language
The language proficiency level required for each mobility will be published in the academic offer. In the majority of cases, English will be the language required.
Services offered to Brazilian candidates
Candidates can benefit from the following services offered by the University of Pisa:
• Personal welcome from the Welcome Office
• Access to libraries, study rooms and laboratories
• Italian language courses at the Centro Linguistico (CLI) at a subsidized rate
• Access to the University dining halls
• Free access to the University WiFi network
Requirements of the grant holder
The grant holder must satisfy the legal requirements of the host country in terms of insurance and immigration (visa, residency permit, etc.).
Administrative costs
Sandwich PhD/Post-Doc and ‘Mestrado’ students will not pay any fees for the mobility period.
Full PhD students who receive the three-year grant obtained from the FAP will be exempt from paying any yearly university fees.