FAPESP Annual Report shows that São Paulo’s scientific community regained momentum in 2023
Alexandre Affonso / Pesquisa FAPESP
In 2023, FAPESP invested R$1,366,291,568 in 23,029 research projects, 15.5% more than was invested in 2022. The number of projects was 11.2% higher than in the previous year, although it is still below the 24,806 funded in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. One indicator that increased significantly was the number of new projects started, which at 10,266 was 18% higher than in 2022, reversing the downward trend in the number of research proposals submitted caused by the global health crisis.
“After three years of decline in the number of proposals submitted to FAPESP, there were clear signs of a recovery in demand for both fellowships and research grants in 2023,” wrote the president of FAPESP’s Board of Trustees, Marco Antonio Zago, in a statement that accompanied the release of the FAPESP Annual Report 2023 in July. “This is a result of the fact that most laboratories and postgraduate programs have returned to normal functioning, but it is also due to steps taken by FAPESP to encourage the resumption of research in São Paulo.” An overview of the measures adopted over the last year is included in the report, available on the foundation’s website—where annual funding data is also available for every year since 1962, when FAPESP began operating.
Alexandre Affonso / Pesquisa FAPESP
Lasting impacts of the pandemic can be seen in some of the indicators, such as scientific output, which fell for the second consecutive year in 2023. Data from Clarivate Analytics show that the number of articles published by authors from São Paulo, which reached 30,700 in 2021, fell to 26,200 in 2022 and then to 23,700 in 2023. In Brazil as a whole, the number of articles was 73,400 in 2021, 62,700 in 2022, and 56,300 in 2023.
The increase in demand began to become apparent in March, in an overview of “first projects” submitted to FAPESP in 2023 by researchers who had never applied for funding from the foundation before. There were 4,483 proposals in total—26% higher than the year before the pandemic. “The ability to attract new talent and ensure that their education and research are funded by FAPESP is essential to preserving the quality of São Paulo’s science, technology, and innovation system,” explained FAPESP’s scientific director, Marcio de Castro Silva Filho.
Alexandre Affonso / Pesquisa FAPESP
The report showed a substantial increase in fellowships for research abroad, with 1,140 ongoing in 2023, 37% more than in 2022. The amounts invested in these fellowships, which include periods spent overseas by researchers affiliated with research institutions in São Paulo or FAPESP fellowship beneficiaries at different stages of their education, from undergraduate to postdoctorate, grew by 51%. The number of fellowship beneficiaries at Brazilian institutions increased by 5.9% and the amount funded went up by 7%. In total, R$256.8 million was spent on 7,856 fellowships in Brazil and abroad during the year. In 2023, FAPESP’s Board of Trustees approved a 33% increase in the budget for fellowships abroad, which had been unchanged since 2012, and a 6.7% increase in fellowships in Brazil. The foundation continued to reformulate its fellowship values in 2024, with adjustments of up to 45% in some categories.
While investments in training scientists and researchers, translated into fellowships, accounted for 18.8% of funding allocated by FAPESP in 2023, the largest share (54.7%) was spent on research for knowledge advancement, with R$747 million invested, compared to R$633 million in 2022. This category includes basic and applied research, covering regular grants, thematic grants, the Young Investigators at Emerging Centers program, and Research, Innovation, and Dissemination Centers (RIDCs).
Alexandre Affonso / Pesquisa FAPESP
In 2023, FAPESP also announced the selection of five new RIDCs in the fields of health science, biology, agronomy, and veterinary science. The Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) became the host institution of an RIDC that focuses on antimicrobial resistance, while the Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture of the University of São Paulo (ESALQ-USP) was chosen to create a center for research on carbon in tropical agriculture (see article). The Hematology and Hemotherapy Center at the University of Campinas (Hemocentro-UNICAMP) now has an RIDC that aims to innovate in theranostic medicine, which involves the use of nanotechnology to diagnose and treat cancer, while the Biosciences Institute at São Paulo State University (IB-UNESP), Rio Claro campus, founded a center to investigate the dynamics of biodiversity in the context of climate change. The Research Center for Bacteria and Bacteriophage Biology (B3), based at USP’s Chemistry Institute, is studying the reproductive mechanisms and behavior of bacteria and their main predators. These research centers, dedicated to topics at the forefront of knowledge, will receive long-term investment for up to 11 years.
The research for innovation category received R$122,852,931, equivalent to 9% of all FAPESP funding in 2023. A call for proposals was issued for another Engineering Research Center (CPE) to study citrus farming in partnership with the company Citrosuco. There were 18 CPEs operating in 2023, collaborating with companies such as Shell, GSK, EMBRAPA, and Embraer, in addition to groups of institutions such as USP, UNICAMP, UNESP, and Insper.
Alexandre Affonso / Pesquisa FAPESP
Work also began on three of 10 Applied Research Centers (CPA) for Artificial Intelligence selected through a 2021 call issued in conjunction with the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation, the Ministry of Communications, and the Internet Steering Committee of Brazil (CGI.br). A survey conducted by FAPESP’s Planning, Studies, and Indicators team and Research for Innovation department revealed the impact of the CPE/CPA partnership model: for every R$1 of public funds spent, R$4.8 was contributed by partner companies and institutions.
The Innovative Research in Small Businesses program (PIPE) established new initiatives, such as PIPE Start, which supports entrepreneurs in the initial process of validating innovative technological solutions. The foundation issued calls for the accreditation of accelerators and seed capital equity investment funds. “We are interested in hearing proposals from investment funds whose aims converge with ours, which is to fund technology companies based in the state of São Paulo,” explained Carlos Américo Pacheco, chairman of the FAPESP Executive Board, at the launch of a call through which investment funds were invited to submit proposals to the foundation for possible subscription of shares.
Alexandre Affonso / Pesquisa FAPESP
Funding for research infrastructure, a development strategy aimed at modernizing and expanding laboratories, accounted for 8.5% of total investment, with an emphasis on the Special Program to Support Research Infrastructure in the State of São Paulo. In 2023, FAPESP approved 56 proposals for the acquisition of large equipment via three calls issued in 2022, at a total value of R$450 million. In September 2023, another call was issued, worth R$200 million, for the acquisition of small equipment.
Research on strategic topics received 7.2% of the total funding to foster special programs on biodiversity, bioenergy, climate change, eScience, public policies, public education, and others. One of the highlights was the major investment in Science Centers for Development (CCD), which received almost four times as much funding in 2023 as in 2022. Twenty-eight CCDs were created in the year, focusing on fields such as health, agriculture, advanced manufacturing, smart cities, public safety, and the environment. The centers bring together researchers seeking solutions to challenges defined by São Paulo state departments. A new call for proposals for the program was also issued in 2023.
Alexandre Affonso / Pesquisa FAPESP
Finally, the research communication, mapping, and review category, which encompasses science communication initiatives such as PesquisaFAPESP magazine and Agência FAPESP, as well as the production of indicators and statistical data on science, technology, and innovation in São Paulo, accounted for 1.8% of total funding.
The foundation’s annual income comes from 1% of the state of São Paulo’s tax revenue, transferred by the treasury as outlined in the São Paulo State Constitution, in addition to FAPESP’s own revenue streams and through joint research-funding agreements with institutions and companies. In 2023, these revenues combined totaled R$2,303,470,454. The state treasury transferred R$1,909,128,518.67, the foundation’s own revenue streams provided R$389,476,455.21, and funds from agreements amounted to R$4,865,480.19. By the end of 2023, FAPESP will have committed R$2.6 billion in funding for the following years, R$647,023,451.30 of which is through fellowships and R$1,940,630,415.37 in grants, allowing ongoing projects to continue and ensuring research-funding stability in the state.
Alexandre Affonso / Pesquisa FAPESP
The story above was published with the title “Clear signs of recovery” in issue 343 of September/2024.
This article may be republished online under the CC-BY-NC-ND Creative Commons license. The Pesquisa FAPESP Digital Content Republishing Policy, specified here, must be followed. In summary, the text must not be edited and the author(s) and source (Pesquisa FAPESP) must be credited. Using the HTML button will ensure that these standards are followed. If reproducing only the text, please consult the Digital Republishing Policy.
