FAPESP defines seven strategic research priorities for the 2026-2028 period

The Board of Trustees has authorized an additional allocation of BRL 400 million for projects, without affecting ongoing programs.

Agência FAPESP – FAPESP has defined seven strategic areas that will be part of its research funding agenda from 2026 to 2028: biotechnology; energy transition; biodiversity, sustainable food production and food security; digital transition and artificial intelligence; quantum science and technologies; human and animal health; and violence and public safety.

FAPESP’s Board of Trustees approved the list of themes on March 18. It was developed based on consultations with scientific leaders, Foundation managers, and representatives of government agencies, universities, research institutes, and business sectors. It also follows an analysis of international trends in science, technology, and innovation (ST&I). This analysis is described in the document “FAPESP Strategic Themes for Science, Technology, and Innovation”. 

“The Board of Trustees has authorized the allocation of an additional BRL 400 million for research in these seven areas, without prejudice to the execution of ongoing programs or curiosity-driven research proposed by researchers or research groups,” emphasized Marco Antonio Zago, the president of FAPESP.

Six of the priority themes align with international trends in ST&I, as well as with the proposals of the National Strategy for ST&I for 2024–2034. The seventh, violence and public safety, addresses a specific challenge of Brazil’s current reality.

FAPESP’s Executive Board, the Technical-Administrative Council, will present specific proposals for implementing each of the seven priority areas. These initiatives should be coordinated with the Foundation’s existing funding instruments, such as the Research, Innovation, and Dissemination Centers (RIDCs), Applied Research Centers (ARCs), Innovative Research in Small Businesses (PIPE), Young Investigator Grant (YIG), Science for Development Centers (SDCs), International Research Centers (IRCs), and FAPESP Research Collaboration Networks. There is an emphasis on expanding startups.

“This isn’t about increasing current funding or creating new programs. The idea is to allocate additional resources to disruptive proposals involving scientific risk and the potential to drive a qualitative leap in R&D in the state of São Paulo,” says Carlos Graeff, CEO of the Foundation’s Technical-Administrative Council.

FAPESP’s initiative is based on a multidisciplinary approach. “Biotechnology projects, for example, require the integration of chemistry, biology, physics, computer science, and mathematics,” says Marcio de Castro, the Foundation’s scientific director. He adds that projects submitted under these seven strategic areas must include two cross-cutting components: advanced data management using artificial intelligence and the structured incorporation of applied social sciences to assess the economic, regulatory, and social impacts of new technologies.

Every six months, the Scientific Board will present a detailed report on the implementation and development of these research lines to the Board of Trustees. “This evaluation will allow for adjustments throughout the process and ensure that the investments contribute to a qualitative leap in research and innovation in the state of São Paulo,” says the president of FAPESP.