Number of recipients
Universidade da Integração Internacional da Lusofonia Afro-Brasileira (UNILAB) is looking for a scholar to develop projects and research in the following areas:
Teaching activities, if any, should not exceed three hours per week.
Universidade da Integração Internacional da Lusofonia Afro-Brasileira (UNILAB) in Redencao, Ceará
UNILAB (English: University for International Integration of the Afro-Brazilian Lusophony) is a higher education institution of the Brazilian federal government. Its main objective is to offer undergraduate and postgraduate education courses and conduct research in various fields of knowledge.
Their mission is to train people to contribute to the integration between Brazil and the other member countries of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP), especially African countries, and promote regional development and cultural, scientific, and educational exchange. UNILAB fosters interculturality by bringing together students and professors from different countries in academic activities and contributes to overcoming inequalities.
The awards can be two, three, or four months long. Two-or four-month awards can be split into equal segments of 1+1 or 2+2 months. Split awards are known as Flex Awards. For additional information, please see the Flex description below.
The Fulbright Scholar must take their award between July 1st, 2026, and September 30th, 2027.
Please be aware that most institutions in Brazil take a recess between December and January.
In Brazil, flex awards allow the stay to be split into two visits of one or two months each. There must be a period of at least two months between the two visits.
During the award period, UNILAB will help the scholar find housing and provide an English-speaking student to help the scholar settle in.
All applicants must meet the Program eligibility requirements (click to review the requirements).
Candidates can contact UNILAB to discuss their research projects, plans, and shared interests.
Feel free to direct any project-related questions to Professor Sabi Yari Moïse Bandiri at UNILAB, and copy the Fulbright Commission on your UNILAB messages.
You will not be disadvantaged if you do not communicate with the host before applying.
The scholar will receive a fixed sum of US$ 5,400 monthly to cover all expenses but housing. Universidade da Integração Internacional da Lusofonia Afro-Brasileira will help the scholar find housing for the award period. The Fulbright Commission will pay the scholar additional fees of up to US$ 1,200 monthly to help with housing costs. This amount corresponds to the estimated housing costs at a medium-priced hotel or Airbnb in a good location.
Scholars who opt for the Flex award (two visits) will receive US$ 2,400 for the international roundtrip tickets. Scholars on the non-Flex award will receive US$ 1,500 for the international roundtrip ticket.
Information on the following website can help scholars figure out the cost of living, meals, and incidentals in different capital cities in Brazil. There can be significant differences in smaller towns, with prices being lower: https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/country/brazil
UNILAB (Universidade da Integração Internacional da Lusofonia Afro-Brasileira) will help the scholar find housing in Redencao or Fortaleza (Ceara state capital city) for the award period. It will also provide an English-speaking student to help the scholar settle in.
During their grant period, Fulbright U.S. Scholars in the Western Hemisphere (WHA) region may apply for a short-term regional travel grant for activities such as workshops, seminars, presentations, lectures, performances, exhibits, curricular advising, and similar projects, at institutions in eligible WHA countries (Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados and Eastern Caribbean, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Uruguay). The Regional Travel Program covers travel to and from the destination; lodging may be offered by the hosting institution. Scholars may only apply for this grant once in country on their Fulbright grant. Scholars who apply for the Flex award are ineligible for the Regional Travel Program. Additional information can be found at the Regional Travel Program website.
To learn more about Fulbright U.S. Scholar awards in Brazil for 2026-27, please view our archived webinar and slides to hear directly from the Fulbright Commission, IIE staff and U.S. Scholar alums regarding award details, the scholar experience and application guidance.
Summary
Up to 40 awards are available in Brazil. This includes up to 30 All Disciplines awards for early and mid-career scholars, professionals, artists, and 10 Distinguished Scholar Awards in all regions in Brazil. The Distinguished Scholar Awards are opportunities for mid-career, senior academics, artists, and professionals with experience in Arts and Design, Medical Sciences, Social Innovation and Sustainability, and other disciplines.
Fulbright Interdisciplinary Network (FIN)
To foster meaningful discussions about contemporary issues in Brazil from a U.S. perspective, the Fulbright Commission and the U.S. Embassy in Brazil have established the Fulbright Interdisciplinary Network (FIN). This initiative provides Distinguished Scholars with the opportunity to connect with five Brazilian universities during their award period. Scholars can enhance their experience through online and in-person discussions, collaborating with faculty and advising students across Brazil.
Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world, and it is similar in size to the continental United States. It is also the largest country in South America and the largest Portuguese-speaking country globally, with around 211 million people and 43% living in its Southeast region. Agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and services are the most important economic sectors. In spite of poverty reduction achievements over the last decades, inequality remains at high levels in one of the world's largest democracies and economies.
After achieving universal coverage in primary education, Brazil is now struggling to improve the educational system's quality and outcomes, especially at the lower and upper secondary levels.
Brazil has a wide range of higher education institutions, with over 200 universities, as well as 3,472 master’s programs and doctoral programs with 122,000 graduate students. There are currently over 37,000 research groups around the country, with more than 200,000 researchers. Its leading research centers in agriculture, energy, biotechnology, environmental sciences, and epidemiology attract scholars and students worldwide. Brazil is considered by Times Higher Education as an emerging market in higher education in 2025. Additionally, Brazil is responsible for 52% of Latin American publications in indexed journals, which places the country as fourteenth worldwide by the Scimago Journal and Country Rank.
The extended coverage of Fulbright U.S. Programs in the country has been possible thanks to the significant contributions from Brazilian strategic partners such as the Brazilian Government through the Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES).
U.S. Scholar 2023 Catherine Tinker in Porto Alegre, Brazil
Things turned out differently than planned for teaching my semester course at UFRGS-PPGD Law School and my research on freshwater governance.
Midway through my Fulbright US Scholar visit at UFRGS-PPGD, catastrophic flooding hit Porto Alegre, and the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The waters rose to historic levels right outside my door, roads were impassable, supplies ran low, and the international airport closed for months. Despite this challenge, my connection to Brazil deepened in personal and professional ways as part of the community.
My students remained in contact, and several offered me shelter and collected supplies for the rescue effort. The Fulbright Commission Brazil aided my evacuation, approved by my host university and the US Consulate. When classes resumed, we decided to publish our reflections and proposals. 200 years of diplomatic relations between Brazil and the US and the rising waters in my host city brought us closer in 2024.
U.S. Scholar Edmund Acevedo in Natal, Brazil
My Fulbright experience in Brazil is one of the most exciting, satisfying, and engaging learning/growing experiences in my career. I learned about different approaches to addressing research questions and conducting research in my field, as well as how culture and social context influence the perceived value of a research question. I also observed new strategies for working with and training students. Most importantly, I experienced the critical importance and value of collaboration and appreciated that there are often numerous valid perspectives on how to examine a research question that can often provide unexpected insight. I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting the people from Brazil and experiencing the food, culture, and natural environment in Natal and during my adventures throughout Brazil. My research collaborations with scientists in Brazil continue, and I have developed a study abroad program for students from my home institution to visit the faculty and students at my host institution in Brazil during the summer of 2025.
U.S. Scholar Theresa Robbins Dudeck
Blog from 2019-2020 U.S. Scholar to Brazil Theresa Robbins Dudeck in Theater Studies in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais: https://www.theimprofessor.com/single-post/2019/11/29/impro-in-brazil-endings