FAPESP is going to resume the process of importing goods and services. The measure was authorized by the Board of Trustees, which accepted the proposal from the Foundation’s scientific directorate. Up until September 15, applications will be accepted for the acquisition of permanent material, consumables and third party services, for already contracted research projects, and conclusion is forecast for October 31, 2003. In due course, the timetable for meeting demand for projects with a conclusion date later than this will be made public.
Imports had been interrupted, in August last year, as an emergency measure, on account of the 67.5% depreciation of the real against the dollar recorded up to the third quarter of 2002. Later on, in October, to avoid any harm to the carrying out of the research, FAPESP started to authorize, on an exceptional basis, purchases of consumables and replacement parts from abroad, just in an indispensable amount. These acquisitions will now be recommenced, in a planned and gradual manner, so as to avoid irreparable damage to the research projects at the stage of conclusion.
Prerequisites
FAPESP will analyze, as an emergency measure, applications referring to items that are already to be found in the Grant and Acceptance Term. Authorization will only be given to imports of goods and services regarded as “absolutely indispensable” for the conclusion of the project, according to an administrative order signed by the Foundation’s president, Carlos Vogt. Applications for the purchase of equipment already existing at the institution with which the researcher is connected will not be attended to. The balance of the funds in the Technical Reserve, of some 25% of the amounts granted, which there may perchance be in the project, will be used to cover the costs of the import of these goods.
The applications that meet these prerequisites will be attended to in accordance with the budgetary availability of the Foundation. The estimate is that the resumption of imports may reach the mark of US$ 5.4 million, which, added to the US$ 2.22 million referring to the emergency imports now under way, will bring the total to US$ 7.62 million. This disbursement should take place in a period of at least four months, and it will mean monthly expenditure of about US$ 1.9 million. The investments will be carried out with the budgetary funds available in 2003.
To do so, FAPESP recommends those interested to renegotiate with their suppliers the prices of these goods, for it to be possible to meet the largest possible number of requests.The applications which are to be forwarded to the electronic address consulta_import@fapesp.br should contain information on the researcher, stage of development of the project, time requested for its conclusion, and the items whose importation is regarded as indispensable. The description of these items should include the quantity and the amount in foreign currency, the supplier, the reasons for making importation indispensable, and a brief description of the types of equipment of the same nature available at the institution.
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