On May 8, the FAPESP Board of Trustees published a statement on the foundation’s website regarding the Budget Guidelines Bill (LDO) for 2025, submitted by the executive branch to the São Paulo State Legislative Assembly (ALESP) in April. The bill to be debated includes an article that would allow the transfer value of 1% of state tax revenue to FAPESP, established in the São Paulo State Constitution, to be lowered to 0.7%, which would result in an estimated cut of R$600 million. “The São Paulo state government, to date, has expressed full support for FAPESP and the entire science and technology ecosystem in the state of São Paulo, which is nationally renowned for its quality and efficiency, in part due to the stability of its funding of FAPESP for the past 62 years,” says the board. The statement highlights that FAPESP has funded research at public and private universities in the state, as well as startups, small businesses, 22 research centers in partnership with large companies, and 10 artificial intelligence centers: “Studies on topics identified by state secretaries aim to find concrete solutions to the challenges faced by society in São Paulo, such as the energy transition, digital agriculture, tackling ‘citrus greening,’ improving fishing, public safety, and more.” The statement continues: “The Board of Trustees believes that the executive branch can urgently reverse the proposed reduction of FAPESP funding, the stability of which has never been affected since the São Paulo State Constitution was instituted in 1989.”
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