Consolidation and renovation characterize FAPESP’s 50th year

Known for the efficiency of its institutional and operational model, FAPESP commemorates its Golden Jubilee, both modernized and faithful to the ideas upon which the institution was founded.

By Fábio de Castro

Agência FAPESP – FAPESP turned 50 on May 23, uniting the consolidation of its founders’ ideas with frequent renovation of its activities. The commemorative ceremony was held on May 30 at the Sala São Paulo.

Established by Decree 40.132 of May 23, 1962, over the last five decades FAPESP has become the main actor in the process by which Paulista science has grown to the levels of science produced in the world’s main centers.

FAPESP, as one of the main scientific and technological research foundations, is known for the efficiency of its institutional and operational model, which is often followed in other states.

In 2011, FAPESP spent R$ 938.73 million on funding for scientific and technological research, 20% more than in 2010. Accumulated growth over the last 10 years passed 90%. The number of contracts for new research projects and outlays for human resources training also grew by 8%.

Resources for academic research were expanded by 30%. Specifically, outlays under the auspices of the Special Program experienced a 133% expansion. The main reason was the R$ 92 million given to the Multiuser Equipment Program. Among the equipment acquired was the Alpha Crucis, which will be the largest oceanographic ship for academic research in the country.

According to the president of FAPESP, Celso Lafer, the manner in which the foundation was conceived over 50 years ago is the main explanation for the success of its activities.

“FAPESP was well conceived from the very beginning, the fruit of interaction among researchers and politicians, which led to the creation of a research support foundation with permanent funding,” explains Lafer in an interview with Agência FAPESP.

The resources granted by FAPESP to support scientific development come from 1% of the state tax revenue, as determined by the state constitution, in addition to earnings from assets.  This value was set at 0.5% in the 1947 constitution but was raised to 1% in the 1989 constitution, when FAPESP expanded its support to technology in addition to science.

“The foundation was envisaged in the 1947 constitution, but it was only created in 1962 by Governor Carvalho Pinto. FAPESP was also an expression of an institutional construction that involved the executive, legislative and university communities. All participated in redrafting FAPESP’s statutes, which are filled with wisdom and still guide us today,” Lafer notes.

The main criteria of the statute, according to Lafer, dictate that FAPESP does not conduct research but supports quality in all fields of knowledge. FAPESP does not distinguish between theoretical and applied research and is based on the idea that peer review is fundamental to the quality of the decision process.

“Support is given through financing of approved projects, submitted to researchers linked to universities and research institutes headquartered in São Paulo. The analysis and selection of these projects are conducted by the scientific community and involve more than 6,000 aides in Brazil and abroad,” explains Lafer.

From the beginning, FAPESP has split its investment between granting scholarships and supporting research. “The fellowship is a natural development of the idea that in order to have good researchers, one must help them find these paths,” Lafer said.

The foundation’s collective work is the fruit of a joint action by various segments of society. FAPESP has continuously added new activities in relation to the initial concepts that forged its existence.

“Authority is a word that comes from Latin, ‘augere,’ and means ‘augment.’ Over time, FAPESP has added new tasks to those for which it was institutionalized. In that way, it has built its authority, broadening the scope of its activities,” says Lafer. 

With this expansion of scope, FAPESP began to support projects in the area of technological innovation, particularly in interactions with the productive sector, through initiatives like the Innovative Research at Small Companies Program (PIPE), the Partnership for Technological Innovation Program and the Intellectual Property Support Program (PAPI).

“FAPESP began to support thematic projects and Research, Innovation and Diffusion Centers (CEPIDs), which allow the organization of research on a higher level and the consolidation of excellence centers with long-term research. It also began to concern itself with scientific infrastructure through the Multiuser Equipment Program. The foundation’s activities in this line could be exemplified by the acquisition of Alpha Crucis, slated for inauguration on May 30,” said Lafer.

Continually broadening its radius of action, FAPESP has stimulated major research programs that respond to challenges of the contemporary world: the FAPESP Research Program on Global Climate Change, BIOTA-FAPESP and the FAPESP Bioenergy Research Program (BIOEN).

“Another relatively new initiative at FAPESP is the process of internationalization, which is being cemented by the multiple agreements that we have with similar organizations and universities from other countries, based on the principle that in a modern and contemporary world, science goes beyond borders,” says Lafer.

Commemorative books

In commemoration of FAPESP’s 50-year anniversary, two books about the history of the foundation will be published. The books were organized by historian Shozo Motoyama, professor in the School of Philosophy, Letter and Human Sciences (FFLCH) and director of the History Interunity Center of the History of Science at Universidade de São Paulo (USP).

According to Motoyama, one of the books will be a retrospective of FAPESP’s history, with special emphasis on the political scientific questions of the last 25 years. The other work will focus on memories of the institution and will consist of interviews with some of the main figures who have played central roles in the founding and institutional development of FAPESP.

According to Motoyama, over the five decades of its existence, FAPESP has played a fundamental role in the consolidation of scientific and technological policy in São Paulo State.

“For the foundation’s initial period, I sought to give special attention to the question of science policy, establishing an axis of comparison in this field between FAPESP’s activities and those of institutions of other countries – particularly the United States, which is obviously the main world model in terms of scientific and technological policy, but also France, the United Kingdom, Japan and the Soviet Union,” says Motoyama.

In the most recent period, the book will describe the consolidation of scientific policies, citing science and technology as factors that are part of international history. “In comparative terms, I put the performance of the Asian Tigers in perspective and seek to situate the role of FAPESP in the technological and informational revolution that occurred in the world,” Motoyama says.

Motoyama described FAPESP’s adaptation to the new world reality in the last 20 years through the installation of large new programs, investments in thematic projects, the creation of centers of excellence and strengthening of ties with the productive sector.

“FAPESP’s main change in these 50 years was the magnitude of its activity – both in financial terms and in the multiplicity of knowledge areas covered by the institution. In the last 20 years, the foundation has gained significant financial solidity. With this, its responsibility has also increased significantly. It has become an agency of major importance, not only for the São Paulo State and for Brazil but also from the global point of view,” Motoyama affirms.