From São Paulo Research Foundation

The SPRINT – Third Edition proposal competition encourages collaboration on projects between researchers from Texas Tech and the state of São Paulo, Brazil.

Six researchers from Texas Tech University recently won funding from the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) for research proposals submitted to the SPRINT – Third Edition 2015 competition. The annual contest signifies a cooperation agreement between Texas Tech and the FAPESP, which aims to implement scientific and technological cooperation between researchers in Lubbock and the state of São Paulo, Brazil, through the funding of joint research projects.

Texas Tech researchers Elizabeth Trejos-Castillo, Ann Mastergeorge, David Klein, Reynaldo Patiño, Naima Moustaid-Moussa and Kameswara Rao Kottapalli were selected by the FAPESP and Texas Tech to receive $10,000 per proposal each year in funding for the research proposals submitted to the SPRINT – Third Edition call for proposals.

The call for proposals invited research in many fields of knowledge, emphasizing science, technology, engineering and math, as long as the duration of the projects would not exceed 24 months. Winners from Texas Tech will pair with winners from the São Paulo area in exchange activities while completing the selected projects.

Texas Tech's winning research proposals included projects on the effects of toxic stress on adolescents, the efficiency of removal by wastewater treatment in Lubbock and São Paulo, global warming and reproductive health in fishes, the effects of Omega-3 acids in metabolic disorders and the regulation of stress tolerance in sugarcane.

Gad Perry, senior director of the Division of International Research and Development at Texas Tech, said internationalizing the campus by enhancing transnational research collaborations is a strategic priority for Texas Tech.

"Texas Tech faculty are involved in research in dozens of countries around the globe," Perry said. "We are very excited about the opportunity to collaborate with Brazilian scientists on FAPESP-supported projects. Our winners have been working hard on their research, and they're looking forward to their projects being in full swing soon."

The Division of International Research and Development is planning a joint symposium with FAPESP for early September at Texas Tech. The event will launch the next competition cycle.

Gad Perry