MAI/DAI’s first round invests around R$35 million and brings together over 250 scientists and companies; see preliminary result

The preliminary result of the first round of the 2024 call for the Masters and Doctors Academic Innovation Program (MAI/DAI) included 264 future Masters and Doctors in research projects that will be carried out through partnerships between universities and companies. In total, the first round of MAI/DAI will invest R$ 34.06 million, with resources from CNPq and Capes. The second round will accept proposals from September 2 to October 2.

The initial selection included 31 research proposals, 23 in the first line (unified postgraduate programs) and 8 in the second line (emerging programs). Of the 264 beneficiaries, 228 will receive scholarships funded by CNPq (142 Masters and 86 PhDs), which will invest R$ 27.8 million; and another 36 projects from the University of Capes (all with PhD scholarships), with a contribution of R$ 6.1 million.

This year’s MAI/DAI call brought some changes compared to previous editions. In addition to the unprecedented offer of postdoctoral fellowships, two different lines of support were created, depending on the expertise and maturity of the proposed ICT in terms of partnerships with the business sector, two rounds of judging, as well as the funding requirements for compensation from companies.

MAI/DAI awards PhD, MSc, post-doctoral, technological and industrial scholarships in projects to be submitted by scientific, technological and innovative (ICT) institutions. The programme seeks to promote research, entrepreneurship and innovation in the field of ICT, by engaging undergraduate and graduate students in projects of interest to the business sector, through partnerships with companies.

Call No. 09/2024 is the fourth MAI/DAI call – the other conferences were held in 2018, 2020 and 2022. In total, around 80 science and technology institutions and more than 200 companies participated, with no less than 5,000 grant portfolios. According to an evaluation survey conducted based on the 2018 call, 86% of the companies that participated in the program considered the partnership positive, as it contributed to increasing their innovation capabilities.

Access the contact page on Carlos Chagas Integrated Platform And check the initial result.