What is Brasillinois?

Brasillinois is an initiative of the University of Illinois System designed to expand and strengthen collaboration between U.S. higher education institutions and universities, research foundations, and government agencies in Brazil.

The initiative includes:

• A large-scale student mobility program;
• The creation of binational research clusters;
• Support for faculty partnerships, seed grants, and joint academic programming;
• Coordination with Brazilian agencies such as CAPES, FAPESP, and other state research foundations.

The overarching goal is to build long-term, sustainable academic and research connections across Illinois and Brazil.

What are the objectives of Brasillinois?

Brasillinois aims to establish a new, scalable model of international collaboration by:

• Facilitating high-impact research connections in areas such as climate and sustainability, medicine and public health, agriculture, technology, and social inclusion.
• Increasing student, researcher, and faculty mobility between Brazil and the University of Illinois System.
• Strengthening institutional partnerships across all three U of I campuses (UIUC, UIC, and UIS) and across multiple Brazilian states and agencies.
• Developing joint academic initiatives, including seed grants, workshops, symposia, and co-taught courses.
• Contributing to solutions for global challenges, including climate change, public health, social inequities, and innovation-driven economic development.

How will the student mobility program work?

The mobility component—developed in partnership with CAPES—will bring more than 100 doctoral students to the University of Illinois System over the next several years.

Doctoral Students:

• Will be hosted for 6 to 10 months as Visiting Scholars, integrated into research groups, labs, and academic units.
• May take courses on an audit basis, depending on departmental approval.

How do the research clusters function?

Brasillinois research clusters bring together teams of researchers from Illinois in thematic areas such as:

• Climate and Sustainability
• Medicine and Public Health
• Democracy and Social Inclusion

Clusters may support:

• joint workshops and symposia,
• seed grant competitions with Brazilian institutions (not limited to FAPESP—multiple foundations and universities are expected to participate),
• collaborative publications and proposals,
• mobility of faculty and graduate students.

How can institutions or individuals get involved with Brasillinois?

There are several pathways for engagement:

• Universities and research units can participate in the thematic research clusters, co-sponsor events, or pursue seed grants with Illinois partners.
• Faculty members can propose collaborative projects, host visiting scholars, or join cluster-specific working groups.
• Students can apply for mobility opportunities through CAPES and, once selected, connect with the appropriate international offices at UIUC, UIC, or UIS.
• Partner institutions in Brazil may reach out to the Brasillinois coordination team to explore new collaborations or propose joint initiatives.

Updates, calls for applications, and event information will continue to be shared through official University of Illinois System communications and Brasillinois outreach.