FAPESP’s Engineering Research Centers – ERC

One of the current challenges to the progress of knowledge is the complexity of the problems to be addressed, often requiring longer than the two to five years of funding traditionally offered by FAPESP in the form of Regular Research Grants and Thematic Projects, or the typical projects supported by FAPESP’s Research Partnership for Technological Innovation Program (PITE). Long-term funding and interdisciplinary approaches in many cases permit successful treatment of complex problems. For this reason, FAPESP created its Special Program for Research, Innovation & Dissemination Centers (RIDCs), which supports long-term research projects. A bold approach is needed to surmount these challenges. At the same time, identifying the problems often requires partnering with companies or government entities that are directly linked to society. FAPESP’s Engineering Research Center (ERC) Program uses the successful model of the RIDCs and associates it with PITE, with a partner firm co-funding the research in each case. Partners are strongly motivated to participate in defining the focal themes to be investigated, to play an active role in research projects, and to use the results obtained by the Engineering Research Center concerned.

Autoria: FAPESP

Disponível no CM-FAPESP