Expanding opportunities for researchers : Revista Pesquisa Fapesp

Last year, the São Paulo State Research Foundation invested R$1,182,639,805 in 20,709 research projects. The total amount was 16.7% higher than in 2021 and the number of projects funded increased by 27.8%. The foundation’s income totaled R$2,214,740,885 in 2022, 24% above the previous year — there was a 12.6% increase in contributions from the São Paulo State Treasury, reaching R$1,907,892,438, and a 235% increase from other sources, which amounted to R$306,848,447. The balance is described in the FAPESP Annual Report 2022, available on the foundation’s website — where annual funding data since 1962, when FAPESP began operating, is also available.

The foundation’s income comes from 1% of the state of São Paulo’s tax revenue, transferred monthly by the treasury as outlined in the São Paulo State Constitution, in addition to contributions from other sources, such as joint research investment agreements with institutions and companies. One of the highlights of 2022 was the investment in research for the advancement of knowledge — a category that includes large-scale basic and applied research projects, such as thematic projects, Young Investigator awards at emerging research institutions, and Research, Innovation, and Dissemination Centers (RIDCs) — which represented 53.5% of the foundation’s disbursements. Funding in this area grew from R$563.6 million in 2021 to R$633 million last year. “This is the result of FAPESP’s efforts to expand funding opportunities for young researchers through initiatives such as the Generation Project and Initial Project, or by increasing the duration of Young Investigator awards from 48 to 60 months, in addition to agreeing to 54 new thematic projects in the period,” explained Marco Antonio Zago, president of the foundation’s Board of Trustees, when presenting the report.

Investment in all fellowship types grew by more than 20% over 2021 and the training of scientists and researchers accounted for 18% of FAPESP funding. The R$130 million invested in the research infrastructure support category corresponded to 11% of all funding, one percentage point above 2021. This was due to the three calls for proposals issued in 2022 for the acquisition of large, multiuser equipment, with expected investments of R$450 million. In September 2023, another call was issued, worth R$200 million, for the acquisition of small equipment.

On other lines, funding remained stable. This was the case with investments in research for innovation, which includes programs such as Research Partnership for Technological Innovation (PITE), Innovative Research in Small Businesses (PIPE), and Engineering Research Centers/Applied Research Centers (CPE/CPAs), which account for 8.5% of the total, in addition to funding through the Research on Strategic Themes program, which covers topics such as biodiversity, bioenergy, and climate change (7%), and disbursement in research communication, identification, and assessment (2%).

While the increase in funding reflects the country’s postpandemic recovery, some remnants of the global crisis, which led to the temporary closure of laboratories and a reduction of in-person activities at research institutes and universities, are still present in other indicators. Scientific output by researchers in the state of São Paulo fell from 30,600 articles published in 2021 to 25,100 in 2022, but since the same decline was recorded across Brazil, the state maintained its proportion of the national total at 41.9%. There was also a drop of around 40% in the submission of new research proposals to the foundation compared to before the arrival of COVID-19.

To compensate for the reduction in spontaneous demands for funding, several initiatives have sought to increase investment in medium- and long-term projects, with the aim of stimulating the state’s research and innovation sector. Last year, FAPESP announced the results of a call for another 17 new Science for Development Centers (CCDs) to supplement the 11 that already exist, created to link scientists from different state research institutes and universities with managers at public agencies, through projects that aim to solve specific problems with social or economic relevance in São Paulo. “We have huge problems in various state departments and this is a way for us to listen to public managers, align research topics, and issue calls for proposals that address the problems these departments are facing in managing public policies,” explained Carlos Américo Pacheco, President of FAPESP’s Executive Board, when announcing the chosen proposals. The new centers will carry out research on topics such as biopharmaceuticals, innovation in urban public policy, technological innovation for health emergencies, human and animal diseases, vaccine improvement, and more.