Papers on Agile Software Development methods are often focused on their applicability in commercial projects or organizations. There are no current studies that we know about addressing the application of these methods in research projects. The objective of this work is to describe the perception of researchers on the application of agile software development practices and principles for research projects. A study was conducted by constructing and applying a questionnaire to Brazilian researchers of different affiliations, formation and research areas in order to obtain information about their knowledge and openness to follow agile software development principles and practices. Results show that researchers are open to apply Agile Software Development methods for their projects and that they already apply at least the core concepts of some agile practices. They also agree with the agile principles and exhibit openness to updating their knowledge regarding software development. The leading agile method is Scrum, followed by eXtreme Programming. The perception of researchers on applying agile software development methods on their projects is positive. There is a consensus regarding the benefits of agile development, since the participants demonstrated openness to apply agile practices and principles.