Pro-Amazônia invests R$150 million in advanced strategic research centers for sustainable development in the region

The public call for proposals in favor of the Amazon will invest R$150 million from the resources of the National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development (FNDCT) in the creation of advanced centers in strategic areas for the sustainable development of the Amazon region. The deadline for proposals is September 9, and the results are scheduled to be announced on October 29.

Pro-Amazônia is one of the ten strategic programs approved by the FNDCT Board of Directors for 2024 and its main objective is to support or create advanced research centers, in collaboration between institutions that work to expand scientific knowledge in the Legal Amazon, increase trained human resources, improve existing science and technology infrastructure and reduce regional disparities, coordinated by the Science, Technology and Innovation (ICT) institutions of the Legal Amazon.

The legal Amazon region has an area of ​​5,217,423 square kilometers, equivalent to 61% of the Brazilian territory. In addition to comprising the entire Brazilian Amazon biome, it also contains 20% of the Cerrado biome and part of the Mato Grosso Pantanal. It includes the states of Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Mato Grosso, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima, and Tocantins as a whole, and part of the state of Maranhão. Despite its large territorial extent, the region has a population of only 21,056,532 inhabitants, 12.4% of the national population and the lowest demographic density in the country (about 4 inhabitants per square kilometer). 55.9% of the Brazilian indigenous population resides in the nine states, or about 250,000 inhabitants, according to the census Fonasa.

The notice identifies 10 strategic themes for the projects: restoration of Amazonian ecosystems; biotechnology; renewable energy generation; sustainable food systems; climate change adaptation and mitigation; education, culture, people and traditional knowledge; water resource management; Amazon estuary studies; legal health of Amazonian people; and social technologies.

The call states that the coordination of the network must necessarily be carried out by an institution based in the Legal Amazon Region, and it is desirable that at least three other institutions from the Amazon Region collaborate on each project. It is also expected to encourage collaboration between institutions and researchers in the Legal Amazon Region around a common research theme, consolidating existing knowledge and promoting innovative solutions for sustainable development in the region.

The advanced centres in the collaboration network should conduct interdisciplinary research, with close links with graduate programmes, companies and civil society. The resulting research should stand out not only for its excellence, but also as development and application strategies, in their areas of knowledge, to prepare the legal Amazon for future demands.

The notice contains two investment lines: the first line, targeting emerging research groups, with investments ranging from R$500,000 to R$5 million per project, for a total of R$30 million; and the second line, targeting consolidated groups, with investments ranging from R$15 million to R$15 million, for a total of R$120 million.

Of the total amount invested in the call, R$60 million was allocated to pay financing resources, R$45 million to pay capital resources and R$45 million to pay scholarships.

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