Last Updated: June 2026
The BRICS STI Framework Programme 2026 in BRICS Countries is already live, and the detail most applicants miss is that you do not apply alone. You need a real consortium, a Joint Application Form, and country-level submission compliance, or the proposal can fail before review even starts.
I’ve seen strong teams lose time on this call because they treated it like a simple scholarship post. It is a research funding call, and the deadline split between the BRICS Secretariat and the national agency is the trap that catches many first-time applicants.
What is BRICS STI Framework Programme 2026 in BRICS Countries?
The BRICS STI Framework Programme 2026 in BRICS Countries is a multilateral research funding call that supports joint projects across BRICS-country partners. The official BRICS STI page says the call is for excellent research that works best through a multinational approach, and it requires partners from at least three BRICS countries.
This is not a tuition scholarship for one student. It funds collaborative research teams, and each national funding agency supports its own country’s researchers or institutions under the national annex rules. That structure matters because the weakest country-side submission can sink the whole proposal.
One thing I like about this call is that it rewards real cross-border design, not just name-sharing. The review logic pushes applicants toward scientific quality, complementarity, impact, and balanced cooperation, so a padded consortium will not score as well as a focused one.
What does BRICS STI Framework Programme 2026 in BRICS Countries cover?
Here is the clearest way to think about the funding.
| What is covered | What is not covered | Exact amount where known |
|---|---|---|
| National research activities under each participating country’s rules | A single flat tuition-style scholarship | India: up to ₹1.0 crore per project, approx. $105,151. |
| Multilateral collaboration in one of the call themes | A solo applicant award | South Africa: up to R900,000 per project over 3 years, approx. $55,207. |
| Research collaboration and exchange under the national annexes | A guaranteed stipend for every team member | Programme-wide cap is not stated on the main BRICS page; caps vary by national agency. |
The official themes on the DST page are Water Resources, High Performance Computing and Artificial Intelligence, Energy, Health/Biotechnology/Biomedicine, Food, and Materials Science. Those themes are broad, but the best proposals usually solve one sharp problem instead of trying to touch all six.
A useful nuance: the call is not just about “good science.” The official evaluation language also rewards expected impact, value-chain integration, feasibility, and the strength of the consortium. That means a practical project with a clean plan can beat a flashy topic with a weak team mix.
Who is eligible?
The basic rule is simple: your consortium must include partners from at least three different BRICS countries, and each partner must meet its own national eligibility rules. If you apply alone, or if you only have two countries, the project is not eligible.
| Requirement | Detail | Pass/Fail indicator |
|---|---|---|
| Consortium size | At least 3 partners from 3 BRICS countries | Fail if fewer than 3 countries. |
| Country rule | Each team follows its own national annex and funding agency rules | Fail if one country ignores its annex. |
| Submission rule | JAF must go through BRICS AMS, and national components must go to the national agency | Fail if only one part is submitted. |
| Theme fit | Proposal must match one of the approved thematic areas | Fail if the project sits outside the six themes. |
| Language | The JAF is in English | Fail if the master form is not in English. |
What “at least three BRICS countries” really means in practice is that you need one coordinated research design, not three separate mini-projects. The strongest teams assign one project coordinator early, then align the work packages, budget requests, and national annex requirements around that shared plan.
Required documents
The official core document is the Joint Application Form, or JAF. The BRICS call materials and national annexes also point to the call announcement, the national annexes, and the FAQ pack as the key supporting documents.
What to prepare:
- Joint Application Form (JAF)
- Country-specific national component or proposal
- National annex for each participating country
- CVs or biosketches where the annex requires them
- Project abstract, title, acronym, team details, and budget breakdown.
Here is the mistake I see often: teams write one perfect JAF and then ignore the annex-specific files. That is risky because the official call says a proposal can be treated as ineligible if the JAF or national components are missing or incomplete.
For document prep, use our Scholarship Documents page for structure, then cross-check your figures against the Guidelines page in the final review. Those two pages are the fastest way to stop simple formatting mistakes before they become rejection reasons.
How to apply step by step for BRICS STI Framework Programme 2026 in BRICS Countries
- Read the official call and your country’s annex first. Do not start with the form. Start with the rules, because each country can add its own conditions.
- Build the consortium around one research problem. Pick partners from at least three BRICS countries, and make sure every partner has a real role, not just a logo on the cover page.
- Name the project coordinator early. The official call materials expect one coordinator to handle the JAF and keep the submission aligned across countries.
- Match the theme to the project, not the other way around. The best proposals fit one theme tightly and show why the research needs a multilateral team.
- Draft the JAF in English. Keep the title, abstract, team list, and budget consistent across the JAF and the national annex files.
- Submit the JAF through the BRICS AMS portal. The official call materials route the joint form through the BRICS system, and the registration number becomes your proof of submission.
- Submit the national component to each funding agency. This is the part many applicants miss, and the official guidelines say missing country submissions can make the proposal ineligible.
- Save screenshots and confirmation numbers. If the portal lets you retract and resubmit before the deadline, use that feature only after checking every annex file again.
Deadline confusion: BRICS Secretariat vs national agency deadlines
This is the section that can save your application. The official BRICS STI site shows June 16, 2026, 15:00 UTC+3 for the 7th call, but DST India’s page shows July 3, 2026, 5:00 PM for its national online proposal submission.
| Deadline source | Date shown | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| BRICS STI Secretariat | June 16, 2026, 15:00 UTC+3 | Joint BRICS submission deadline. |
| DST India call page | July 3, 2026, 5:00 PM | National portal deadline shown by India. |
Do not assume the later date covers the earlier one. For a cross-country call like this, the safest rule is to meet the earliest binding deadline first, then finish the national upload only if your annex requires it.
How to write a winning SOP for BRICS STI Framework Programme 2026
This call does not ask for a classic student SOP the way a university scholarship does. But your project abstract, consortium narrative, and justification section act like an SOP, so they need the same clarity, logic, and purpose.
Use this structure:
- Problem: one clear research problem.
- Fit: why a BRICS consortium is necessary.
- Method: what each country will contribute.
- Impact: scientific, societal, or technological outcomes.
- Feasibility: timeline, budget, and team strength.
A strong opening sentence sounds like this: “Our consortium will solve [specific problem] by combining [country A]’s expertise in [method], [country B]’s infrastructure in [field], and [country C]’s applied testing capacity.” That kind of opening works because it shows cooperation, not just ambition.
Avoid generic lines like “we aim to advance science in BRICS countries.” That sentence says almost nothing. The reviewers want a concrete research gap, a concrete method, and a concrete reason the partnership needs three countries.
For document layout help, our Scholarship Documents page is the best place to see how to frame a purpose statement, even though this call is research-focused rather than degree-focused.
Selection criteria — what they really look for
The official materials point to a few repeated review ideas. The first is scientific quality and innovation. The second is the competence and complementarity of the team. The third is expected impact, including scientific, technological, economic, or societal value.
Reviewers also care about balanced cooperation. That means the project should not look like one dominant country doing all the work while the other partners just “attend meetings.”
A strong consortium usually has these traits: each country owns a visible work package, the budget matches the role, the research questions are linked, and the team can explain why the project needs cross-border collaboration. That is the difference between a real multilateral project and a copied proposal with extra logos.
One nuanced point many applicants miss: stronger funding does not always go to the biggest team. It usually goes to the team that shows the cleanest logic, the best fit to the theme, and the least wasted effort.
Related opportunities on ScholarshipsInstitute
If you are also tracking fully funded opportunities, our Fellowships and Guidelines pages fit well beside this call. The Scholarship Documents page is useful too, especially for SOP-style writing, CV polishing, and recommendation-letter planning.
FAQ
What is the BRICS STI Framework Programme?
It is a multilateral research funding programme for BRICS-country consortia, not a single-student scholarship. The 2026 call supports collaborative projects in six major research themes.
Is the BRICS STI Framework Programme fully funded?
Yes, but only in the sense that participating national agencies fund their own national teams. There is no single universal stipend; funding depends on each country’s annex and budget rules.
Who can apply for BRICS STI Framework Programme 2026?
Consortia from at least three BRICS countries can apply, as long as they also meet the national eligibility rules in each country’s annex. A solo applicant cannot apply.
What is the deadline for BRICS STI Framework Programme 2026?
The BRICS Secretariat deadline shown on the official site is June 16, 2026, 15:00 UTC+3. DST India’s page shows July 3, 2026, 5:00 PM for its national submission route, so teams should follow both deadlines carefully.
How many countries are required in the consortium?
At least three BRICS countries are required. The official call snippet repeats that rule, and the application becomes ineligible if the consortium is below that threshold.
Can one university submit the whole application?
No. The official process requires a joint form plus national components, so one institution cannot cover the entire call alone. The project coordinator can lead, but the application still needs the full cross-country structure.
How much funding can a project get?
It depends on the country. India’s notice says up to ₹1 crore per project, while South Africa’s annex says up to R900,000 over 3 years.
What documents matter most?
The Joint Application Form matters most, followed by the national annex files for each country. Missing or inconsistent documents can make the proposal ineligible, even if the research idea is strong.
