Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC)

What Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) does

The Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) is a Brazilian federal public university founded in 1960 and headquartered on the main Trindade campus in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina. It operates five campuses across the state (Florianópolis, Araranguá, Blumenau, Curitibanos, and Joinville) with 5,001–10,000 employees, delivering tuition-free undergraduate and graduate education to Brazilian students admitted through the national vestibular, SiSU centralized system, affirmative action programs, and dedicated refugee selection processes, supplemented by a distance education division (SEAD). The institution serves a broad base of constituents: approximately 1,400 students at the Araranguá campus alone, graduate researchers across 146 postgraduate programs coordinated through the BRIDGES internationalization network, mariculturists and family farmers served by the Marine Mollusks Lab and the new Instituto de Ecologização de Mares, Campo e Cidades, underserved communities reached via the VOCAL vocal biomarker COPD screening project, and the general public through heritage forts, museums, and the university restaurant.

UFSC's technology and research footprint spans multiple specialized laboratories: the LIFE-Multiusuário fluid-structure interaction lab at the Joinville campus (funded at R$2.239M by FAPESC); molecular point-of-care diagnostics developed in a 2021 consortium with Fiocruz, IFSC, and Dive-SC, producing a patented rapid COVID-19 test awarded 2nd place in the Ministry of Health's "Mais Ciência para o SUS" category; algae-based bioremediation and biorefinery programs; photovoltaic energy solutions with CELESC; harmful algae monitoring in Lagoa da Conceição; and aquaculture nutrition research published via MDPI's Fishes journal. The university holds CWUR 2026 top-Brazilian-university status and ENADE excellence-level recognition for its undergraduate teaching programs, and maintains international cooperation agreements with institutions including Maastricht University, Universités Laval, Pompeu Fabra, Politecnico di Torino, HSE University, Universidad del Valle, and Münster.

UFSC operates a non-commercial, government-funded business model. Its primary revenue stream is federal government budget allocation from Brazil's Ministry of Education, with the 2025 institutional budget disclosed at R$171 million against a reported operating deficit of approximately R$20 million. The institution charges no tuition and generates only marginal fee-based revenue from Pacific oyster seed sales (R$45.00 per thousand units), heritage fort visitation (R$10–30), the Imprensa Universitária printing services, and subsidized restaurant meals. Funding is supplemented by external research grants (FAPESC, CAPES Global.Edu for the BRIDGES network, UKRI for VOCAL) and strategic partnerships with industrial counterparties such as ZTE and Unifique for 5G and broadband talent development.

Name

Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC)

Legal name

Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina

Website

https://ufsc.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Federally funded Brazilian public university operating five campuses across Santa Catarina, delivering tuition-free undergraduate and graduate education, applied research in health diagnostics, aquaculture, energy, and engineering, plus community extension and heritage services to Brazilian society.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with Multi-Campus Systems (EDAHAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Research Universities with Major Extension & Outreach Missions (EDAHAAAG)

Keywords

• Public higher education
• University research programs
• Distance learning courses
• Scientific research services
• Public academic extension

Headquarters

HQ city

Florianópolis

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal Government Budget Allocation: UFSC operates as a public university funded primarily through federal government budget allocations from Brazil's Ministry of Education (MEC). The university does not charge tuition from students. Budget constraints and deficits are regularly reported, with the 2025 budget reported at R$ 171 million with a deficit of approximately R$ 20 million.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

UFSC is a Brazilian federal public university delivering tuition-free higher education (undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs), applied scientific research, and community extension services across five campuses in Santa Catarina. It operates specialized laboratories and programs in health diagnostics, aquaculture, renewable energy, and fluid-structure interaction, alongside cultural heritage management (historic fortresses and museums) and select fee-based services such as oyster seed sales and printing services.

Product overview

Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) is a Brazilian public higher education institution offering educational products and services across teaching, research, and extension. The university provides academic programs from undergraduate to doctoral levels, research services including aquaculture nutrition and vocal biomarker detection technology, institutional services such as the Visual Identity System (SIV) for brand management, and graphic printing services through Imprensa Universitária. The institution operates multiple digital platforms including its main academic portal and specialized systems for international opportunities, alumni tracking, and communication management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programs Tuition-free undergraduate academic degree programs covering a broad range of disciplines, accessible to Brazilian students via the national vestibular entrance examination and SiSU centralized admission system.
• Graduate Degree Programs (Masters and Doctoral) Tuition-free masters, doctoral, and postdoctoral research programs spanning 146 postgraduate offerings, with internationalization through the BRIDGES network coordinated with five other Brazilian universities.
• Distance Education Programs (SEAD) Remote undergraduate and continuing education programs offered through UFSC's SEAD (Secretaria de Educação a Distância) division, extending access to students across Brazil.
• Pacific Oyster Seed Sales Sale of diploid Pacific oyster seeds from the Laboratory of Marine Mollusks (Laboratório de Moluscos Marinhos) to mariculturists, priced at R$ 45.00 per thousand units based on historical cost data and private market rates in Santa Catarina.
• Historic Fortress Cultural Visits Public access to three UFSC-administered historic fortresses (São José da Ponta Grossa, Santa Cruz de Anhatomirim, Santo Antônio de Ratones) and the MArquE museum, with combined fortress tickets at R$ 30/R$ 15 and individual fortress tickets at R$ 20/R$ 10.
• University Press Printing Services (Imprensa Universitária) Graphic printing services including book production, formats A6 to A2, offset and digital printing, paper cutting, and graphic production, operated by the university's Imprensa Universitária.
• University Restaurant Meals (Restaurante Universitário) Subsidized meals served to students, faculty, and staff at the main campus Restaurante Universitário in Trindade, Florianópolis.
• Extension and Continuing Education Programs Non-degree extension programs, language courses, vocational training, and free pre-university preparatory courses (cursinho pré-vestibular) offered to the general public and community.

Quantifiable outcome

• Rapid COVID-19 molecular test enabling faster, cheaper diagnosis during the pandemic, awarded 2nd place 'Mais Ciência para o SUS' at ExpoEpi among 1,500+ submissions
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026CAPES approved and funds the BRIDGES (Building Research and Innovation towards Development and Global Exchange for Sustainability) network, coordinated by UFSC under the CAPES Global.Edu program. The network brings together 6 universities and 146 postgraduate programs for internationalization.
• Ministry of Development and Social Assistance (MDS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Minister Wellington Dias of the Ministry of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Combating Hunger visited UFSC and encouraged the creation of the Instituto de Ecologização de Mares, Campo e Cidades. UFSC was the first Brazilian university to join the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, with the institute serving as the academic model.
• BRIDGES Network Universities (Udesc, UENF, UFAM, UFFS, Univasf)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026UFSC coordinates the BRIDGES network (Building Research and Innovation towards Development and Global Exchange for Sustainability), a CAPES Global.Edu initiative including Udesc, UENF, UFAM, UFFS, and Univasf, connecting 146 postgraduate programs across Brazil's South, Southeast, North, and Northeast regions for collaborative internationalization.
• CELESC (Centrais Elétricas de Santa Catarina)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026UFSC and CELESC developed a joint solution to mitigate electricity shortages during power grid maintenance operations, demonstrating applied research collaboration with the state energy utility.
• Maastricht University / Maastricht UMC+ (NUTRIM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026NUTRIM and Maastricht UMC+ researchers partnered with UFSC and UFSCar on the VOCAL project, deploying a smartphone app using vocal biomarkers for COPD detection in underserved Brazilian communities. The collaboration combines machine learning with voice analysis, funded by UKRI, and addresses low-resource setting challenges including illiteracy and inconsistent connectivity.
• UFSCar (Federal University of São Carlos)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026UFSCar collaborated with UFSC and Maastricht University on the VOCAL project for voice-based COPD screening in Brazilian communities, contributing research capacity to the joint initiative.
• MDPI / Journal FishesminorOthers · 1 March 2026UFSC researcher Marco Shizuo Owatari authored an editorial introduction to the journal Fishes' special issue 'Pivotal Roles of Feed Additives for Fish,' summarizing five aquaculture nutrition research contributions published between 2025 and 2026. The collaboration highlights advances in aquafeed formulation.
• ZTE CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025China's ZTE Corporation signed a partnership with Unifique and UFSC to foster broadband technology innovation and talent training in Brazil's digital economy. The agreement was signed at ZTE's Global Services Ecosystem Forum 2025 in São Paulo, building on ZTE's 2023 contract as Unifique's core 5G provider. The partnership aims to accelerate technology implementation and develop local telecommunications talent.
• Unifique TelecomunicaçõescoreTechnology or Integration · 1 December 2025Brazilian internet service provider Unifique partnered with UFSC and ZTE to support broadband innovation and telecommunications talent development. Unifique serves as the local implementation partner for 5G technology deployment, with UFSC contributing research capacity and talent training.
• Faubai (Associação Brasileira de Educação Internacional)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025UFSC actively participates in Faubai Conference, conducting bilateral meetings with universities including Université Laval (Canada), Pompeu Fabra (Spain), Politecnico di Torino (Italy), HSE University (Russia), Universidad del Valle (Colombia), and Münster University (Germany) to establish and strengthen international academic cooperation.
• Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Fiocruz was part of the research consortium that developed the rapid molecular COVID-19 diagnostic test. Professor Luísa Damazio Rona Pitaluga of UFSC's Department of Cell Biology, Embryology and Genetics led the partnership, which resulted in a patented diagnostic kit awarded by the Ministry of Health.
• Instituto Federal de Santa Catarina (IFSC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021IFSC partnered with UFSC, Fiocruz, and Dive-SC to develop the rapid molecular COVID-19 diagnostic test, contributing technical capacity from the federal institute network.
• Diretoria de Vigilância Epidemiológica de SC (Dive-SC)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Dive-SC participated in the research consortium for the rapid molecular COVID-19 diagnostic test, providing epidemiological surveillance expertise and field validation capacity.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Universidade de Brasília (UnB): Federal university with strong research portfolio and graduate programs, including multi-campus operations. Comparable in scale, federal mission, and policy-facing research engagement.
• Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS): Federal university in the neighboring state of Rio Grande do Sul with comparable multi-campus structure, research portfolio, and graduate program scale. Most directly comparable Brazilian federal university to UFSC in size, mission, and regional context.
• Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR): Federal university in the southern Brazilian state of Paraná with similar program breadth across engineering, health sciences, and humanities. Comparable in scale, federal funding model, and research orientation.
• Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar): Smaller but high-quality federal research university with similar emphasis on applied science and engineering. Active research partner of UFSC on the VOCAL project, making it directly comparable in federal funding model and research output quality.
• Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE): Regional federal university in northeastern Brazil with comparable research and graduate program structure. Similar in scale, federal funding model, and multi-campus operations.

Broad incumbents

• Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG): One of Brazil's largest and highest-ranked federal universities with comparable research depth across disciplines. Larger scale and broader geographic reach, but operates under the same federal funding framework as UFSC.
• Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ): Brazil's premier federal research university with similar emphasis on STEM and health sciences research. Larger and more established, but shares the federal university model and research-intensive mission.
• Universidade de São Paulo (USP): Brazil's leading research university and the standard-bearer for Brazilian higher education. State-funded rather than federal but broadly comparable in research output, graduate program scale, and applied research relevance.
• Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp): Top-ranked Brazilian state university with strong applied research and industry partnership focus. Comparable in research reputation and graduate outcomes, though funded by the state of São Paulo rather than federal sources.

Regional players

• Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (Udesc): State university operating in the same state as UFSC, with overlapping regional student base and complementary program offerings. Different funding model (state vs. federal) but directly comparable on geographic service area.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ufsc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/tvufsc
• Facebookfacebook.com/UniversidadeUFSC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ufsc
• Instagraminstagram.com/universidadeufsc
• TikToktiktok.com/@ufsc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC)