The Scientific Initiation Program is available for undergraduate students and is intended to offer learning on the scientific method and the tehchniques of the respective fields, by developing a research project under the supervision of a Professor, postdoctoral fellow or research collaborator.

In order to join the Program, the student must choose a research line of their interest, find a Professor that works with that line and verify if the Professor is available to supervise their research project (more info here).

Students interested in Scientific Initiation are eligible for scholarships, which are offered by different institutions:

• CNPQ: The National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) offers scholarships in 2 modalities, Scientific Initiation  (PIBIC) and Technological Initiation (PIBITI). Selection is done according to the rules of the public notice, which is published in april/may on this page. The supervisor must register the project on the Atena system in the period indicated on the public notice. Next, the project will be evaluated by a reviewer and rated by the Research Commission. The distribution of scholarships is done by the Office of the Provost for Research, according to demand and rating of the projects by the Institutes. Scholarship duration is 12 months, from August to July of the following year.

• FAPESP: The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) continuously analyzes scholarship requests for Scientific and Technological Initiation, that is, projects may be submitted at any date. The student must submit the request directly on FAPESP’s SAGe system. Scholarship durations is 12 months.

• PUB-USP: The USP Unified Program of Scholarships offers scholarships for projects in three strands: learning, research and culture and extension. Projects of the research strand can be equivalent to scientific and technological initiation projects. In this program, candidates must first register on the Program to Support Student Stay and Formation (PAPFE) and then enroll in the previously approved projects from Professors. The public notice is usually published in May on this site. Fellowship duration is 12 months, valid from September to August of the next year.

SIICUSP

USP International Symposium of Undergraduate Research (SIICUSP) is an annual event with the objective of publicizing the results of scientific and technological research projects realized by undergraduate students from USP and other national and international institutions, as well as contributing to the academic formation of participants.  Learn more on the official website.