The Institution
The São Paulo Research Foundation
The São Paulo Research Foundation, FAPESP
FAPESP is a public foundation, funded by the taxpayer in the State of São Paulo, with the mission to support research projects in higher education and research institutions, in all fields of knowledge. The constitution of the State establishes that 1% of all state taxes belong to the foundation and the government transfers these funds monthly. The stability of the funding and the autonomy of the foundation allow for an efficient management of the resources that has had a sizable impact.
The foundation works in close contact with the scientific community: all proposals are peer reviewed with the help of area panels composed of active researchers. Besides funding research in all fields, the foundation supports large research programs in areas such as Biodiversity, Bioenergy, Global Climate Change, and in e-Science.
In 2023, FAPESP approved 56 proposals to purchase large items of research equipment resulting from three calls issued in 2022 and corresponding to an aggregate investment of $ PPP 184.4 million. In parallel, it issued a new call for the acquisition of small and medium items of equipment corresponding to investment of $ PPP 81.9 million. By means of these investments, FAPESP
promoted the modernization and expansion of São Paulo’s research infrastructure and encouraged the resumption of research. This action was not an isolated initiative, as can be seen below.
The number of scholarships active in the year and disbursement for this funding line increased 9.6% and 21% respectively compared with 2022. The growth was driven mainly by scholarships for research abroad, which rose 37% in number and 51% in disbursement, showing that researchers resumed the pursuit of qualification and partnerships with universities and research institutions in other countries following the end of the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Scholarships awarded for research projects conducted in Brazil also grew, albeit more slowly. The number of projects supported rose 5.9% and disbursement rose 7%, mainly owing to growth of investment in scholarships for Master’s degrees (27%) and Scientific Initiation (17%). Altogether, the number of new scholarships contracted for in Brazil was 11% higher than in 2022.
Research Grants rose in number (12%) and disbursement value (14.6%). These totals also take into account the scholarships linked to this funding line. FAPESP’s support for Thematic Projects, which are conducted by large groups of researchers and have long-term funding, increased 9% in terms of disbursement and 6% in the number of projects funded. Support for Young Investigators increased even more, with disbursement growing 16.5% and the number of projects active in the year rising 11%. Specifically for this academic career stage, initiatives implemented by FAPESP in 2023 included the Generation Program and Project Initial π (Pi), a call to attract young PhDs in partnership with the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), among others. The Generation Program was created to encourage researchers to submit proposals for riskier projects with the potential to produce disruptive results.
In Research for Innovation, disbursement rose 23% compared with 2022. Several initiatives were undertaken for the Innovative Research in Small Business Program (PIPE), for example, including PIPE Start, which helps entrepreneurs with initial validation of innovative technological solutions, and PIPE for Knowledge Transfer (PIPE-KT), which encourages small enterprises to achieve proof of concepts via research originating in higher education or research institutions. FAPESP also partnered successfully with SEBRAE-SP (the São Paulo branch of the Brazilian Small Business Support Service) and FINEP (the Brazilian Innovation Agency) to help companies commercialize new products and technologies, as well as issuing calls for the accreditation of accelerators and seed capital funds.
Some of these measures affected the 2023 results: the number of grants and scholarships linked to PIPE projects rose 17% and disbursement rose 52%. Also in Innovation, FAPESP issued a call to select one more Engineering Research Center (ERC), to be established with Citrosuco. In 2023, 18 ERCs set up by FAPESP in partnership with companies and other institutions were operating.
FAPESP also maintains cooperation agreements with national and international research funding agencies, higher educational and research institutions and business enterprises. The international cooperation covers a broad range of countries and agencies.
FAPESP offers many programs to support foreign scientists willing to work in research institutions in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. These include: post-doctoral fellowships, young investigator awards and visiting researcher grants.