Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)
Name	Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Native name	Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Abbrev	FAPESP
Formed	1960
Type	Foundation
Headquarters	São Paulo
Region served	São Paulo
Leader title	President

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) is a public foundation established to support scientific and technological research in the State of São Paulo. It provides grants, scholarships, and infrastructure funding for researchers affiliated with universities, institutes, and companies across São Paulo. FAPESP plays a central role in Brazil's research ecosystem by financing projects, fostering partnerships, and shaping research priorities.

History

FAPESP was created in 1960 amid the academic expansions associated with University of São Paulo, State University of Campinas, Federal University of São Paulo, Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo, and other São Paulo institutions. Early interactions involved leaders from São Paulo Research Foundation initiatives, influential academics such as Mário Schenberg and administrators from Secretariat of Education of São Paulo. During the 1960s and 1970s FAPESP supported research connected to National Research Council (Brazil), collaborations with Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Cambridge, Harvard University, and exchanges involving scholars from Oxford University and University of California, Berkeley. In the 1980s and 1990s FAPESP expanded funding mechanisms alongside institutions like Brazilian Academy of Sciences, Finep, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, and private partners such as Embraer and Petrobras. The 21st century saw FAPESP shape strategic initiatives related to genomics, nanotechnology, climate change, and neuroscience, interacting with agencies including National Science Foundation, European Research Council, Wellcome Trust, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Organization and Governance

FAPESP's governance structure includes a board with representatives from São Paulo State Legislature, Secretariat of Finance of São Paulo, and academic members from Institute of Physics (University of São Paulo), Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters of Ribeirão Preto, and other higher education institutions. Leadership roles have intersected with figures affiliated with Brazilian Academy of Sciences, Academia Brasileira de Letras-adjacent academics, and administrators from Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da USP. Administrative units coordinate programs for doctoral and postdoctoral scholarships linked to National Postdoctoral Program frameworks, while legal and financial oversight interacts with institutions such as São Paulo Stock Exchange-related entities and state fiscal bodies like Court of Auditors of São Paulo. Scientific advisory committees include members from Royal Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science, International Council for Science, and regional academies such as Academia de Ciências do Estado de São Paulo.

Funding Programs and Grants

FAPESP administers diverse funding lines recognizable to researchers at University of São Paulo, State University of Maringá, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, University of Brasília, and industry partners like Siemens and IBM Brasil. Major schemes include project grants for principal investigators, thematic projects similar to those funded by Human Frontier Science Program, young investigator awards comparable to Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, and infrastructure grants akin to those from European Research Council. Scholarship programs support doctoral candidates and postdocs who often train at institutions like Massachusetts General Hospital, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Max Planck Society, Karolinska Institutet, and National Institutes of Health. Industry-oriented programs foster innovation with partners such as General Electric and startups incubated at Sao Paulo State Technology Park entities. Rapid-response funding models have enabled research aligned with events like responses to Zika virus outbreaks and public health collaborations with Oswaldo Cruz Foundation.

Research Areas and Strategic Initiatives

FAPESP prioritizes multidisciplinary research spanning areas including biotechnology, agricultural sciences linked to Embrapa collaborations, environmental science projects in the Amazon Rainforest and Atlantic Forest, and neuroscience initiatives involving D’Or Institute for Research and Education. Strategic calls have targeted synthetic biology, artificial intelligence studies involving partnerships with tech labs like Google Research and Facebook AI Research, and energy research connected to Petrobras and Instituto de Energia e Ambiente. Major thematic programs support work in nanoscience at Brazilian Nanotechnology National Laboratory, climate modeling with the National Institute for Space Research, public health epidemiology with Butantan Institute, and paleontology collaborations with Museu de Zoologia da USP. Long-term strategic initiatives include investment in data infrastructure, open science policies similar to Plan S, and translational research pipelines linking universities to companies such as Embrapa Informática Agropecuária.

Impact and Contributions

FAPESP-funded research has produced high-impact publications in journals frequented by researchers from Nature Publishing Group, Science (journal), and specialty outlets associated with American Chemical Society and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Alumni of FAPESP programs have held positions at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Imperial College London, University of Tokyo, and leadership roles in companies including Embraer and Vale. FAPESP funding contributed to discoveries in Zika virus pathogenesis, advances in CRISPR applications, agricultural improvements tied to soybean breeding, and conservation studies in the Pantanal. Metrics include citation gains, patent filings with Brazilian Patent Office (INPI), spin-off creation at technology parks, and policy inputs to state agencies like São Paulo State Health Department and São Paulo State Environmental Secretariat.

Partnerships and International Collaboration

FAPESP maintains bilateral agreements with agencies such as National Science Foundation, European Commission, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and philanthropic partners like Wellcome Trust. Multilateral collaborations involve networks including CERN, International Max Planck Research School, Ibero-American Program for Science and Technology for Development, and regional initiatives with Mercosur academic consortia. Institutional partnerships link FAPESP with universities including University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of California, Berkeley, Yale University, and companies such as Bayer and Microsoft Research, enabling researcher exchanges, joint centers, and co-funded projects that span São Paulo and global research hubs.

Category:Research funding organizations