Promoting science, technology and innovation in Republika Srpska is the opening theme of the Science Commencement Hall

The role of the State Research Support Foundation of Rio Grande do Sul (Fapergs) in promoting science, technology and innovation in the state was the topic of the opening lecture at the 13th Scientific and Technological Initiation Salon (Sicit), and the 8th Postgraduate and Research Workshop Exhibition on Wednesday (23/10). The event continues until Thursday (10/24), with 31 oral presentations of works related to the agricultural sector.

Fapergs CEO, Odair Delagostin, presented the main funding programs implemented by the Foundation in Rio Grande do Sul, information on scientific production in Rio Grande do Sul, compared to the national average, and future perspectives. In his opening remarks, he pointed to the connection between agricultural research in Rio Grande do Sul, which celebrates 105 years of history in 2024, with the creation of Faberges itself.

“If Rio Grande do Sul today is strong in scientific research, it is thanks to the pioneers of agricultural research. One of the people mentioned in the documentary we watched is Silvio Torres, who was also one of the creators of Fapergs and the foundation’s first scientific director.

Founded in 1964, the Fapergs Foundation is the second oldest research support organization in the country, after only the Fapesp Foundation (São Paulo). “This year we will celebrate its 60th anniversary on Victory in Science Day, November 5, and I would like to extend the invitation here,” said Delagostin.

The CEO highlighted Fapergs’ key incentive programmes, starting with its scientific start-up and technology innovation programmes. There are 1,600 scholarship holders in this category, in more than 30 educational and research institutions in Rio Grande do Sul, with a total investment of R$ 13.44 million in 2024.

The Foundation also provides assistance to finance projects worth up to R$40,000 to newly graduated or recruited doctors. “More than 150 new doctors are awarded annually, with a total investment of R$5 million from Fapergs,” Delagostin added. To retain young researchers in the state, the Young Doctors Program offers 200 postdoctoral scholarships, worth R$5,200 per month, in addition to funding research projects of up to R$50,000. “This is the future of research, and it is a very important investment to preserve talent in Rio Grande do Sul,” he stressed.

The Gaúcho Researcher Program is a global call for proposals, carried out every two years, and supports researchers in all fields of knowledge, with contributions of up to R$ 90,000 per project. “At the last notification, we obtained the highest volume in the historical series, with R$25 million saved,” Delagostin said. Finally, the Foundation provides R$1.5 million for scientific events through an annual notification, supporting the holding of more than 90 events in 2024.

Other incentive programs mentioned are: Innovative Networks for Strategic Technologies, Technology Clusters, the InovAgro Programme, the Semiconductor Research Programme, and the recently opened Call for Research on Climate Disasters, for which the state government has allocated R$30 million to the Fapergs budget.

Technological innovation is encouraged through programs to support entrepreneurship and start-up creation, such as the Centelha programme, the Doutor Empreendor programme, and Tecnova. “In Tecnova’s latest notification, approximately R$30 million has been allocated to innovation projects, with a contribution of resources amounting to R$600,000, without reimbursement,” Delagostin explained.

to RS Innovation Observatorymanaged by the Secretariat for Innovation, Science and Technology, it is possible to consult several research and innovation indicators. “This is public information, providing transparency in the allocation of research resources,” Fapergs CEO said.

Delagostin concluded by highlighting the state government’s commitment to significantly improve investment in science, technology and innovation for 2025. “Prepare good projects, because next year we will have more resources for science in Rio Grande do Sul.” That’s it.

You can watch the opening lecture here.

Oral presentations for the 13th Session continue Wednesday afternoon and all day Thursday (10/23). Follow the show’s bouts via the transmission links: