What Fundação Arthur Bernardes does

Fundação Arthur Bernardes (Funarbe) is a private, non-profit civil association established in 1979 and headquartered on the campus of the Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV) in Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil. It operates as a certified "support foundation" (fundação de apoio) under Lei 8.958/1994 and Decreto 8.241/2014, providing administrative-financial management of research, teaching, extension, and innovation projects to federal and state universities, as well as to scientific and technological research institutions (ICTs) across Brazil. Over the past five years Funarbe has managed more than R$1.3 billion in funding across 3,000+ projects through 21+ institutional authorizations, with major counterparties including CNPq, CAPES, Fapemig, FINEP, BNDES, Embrapa, and Petrobras.

Funarbe's core technology stack consists of interconnected digital platforms: Sistema Agrega (project management portal with mobile app for coordinator workflows, request tracking, scholarship payments, and procurement approvals), Sistema Financiar (matching platform that connects researchers with funding opportunities — reportedly used by 40,000+ clients), and supplementary portals for scholarship holders, suppliers, transparency, and courses/events. Beyond digital platforms, Funarbe operates three business units: Unidade de Projetos (the core project-management unit), Supermercado Escola (a teaching supermarket on the UFV campus), and Laticínio Viçosa (a school dairy producing under the "Produtos Viçosa" brand). The foundation also administers the TecnoParq technology park (500+ startups supported, 80+ companies incubated).

The business model is fee-for-service project administration on top of public and private research grants, supplemented by revenue from educational commercial units. In 2023 QMS Certification awarded Funarbe ISO 37301 (Compliance Management) and ISO 37001 (Anti-Bribery) certifications, and the organization reports alignment with ISO 27001 and ISO 27701 plus LGPD compliance. Go-to-market is direct institutional engagement with universities and government funding bodies, including direct management of Termo de Execução Descentralizada (TED) resources from federal ministries such as MCTI, Ministry of Health, and MDA.

Name

Fundação Arthur Bernardes

Legal name

Fundação Arthur Bernardes

Website

https://funarbe.org.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Fundação Arthur Bernardes (Funarbe) is a Brazilian non-profit support foundation for UFV that provides administrative-financial management of research and extension projects for universities and research institutions across Brazil, using proprietary platforms to manage hundreds of millions of reais in funding annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Research Administration

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Finance Services (6199), Federal & Federally-Sponsored Credit Agencies (6111)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB), Field-of-Study & Discipline-Specific Funding (EDAIAOAD)

Keywords

• Research project management
• University support services
• Grant administration
• Research funding platforms
• Technology park incubation

Headquarters

HQ city

Viçosa

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Project Management Services: Funarbe charges fees for managing research projects funded by government agencies, private companies, and international organizations. The foundation handles administrative-financial management including procurement, financial reporting, and compliance for research institutions.
2. TED (Termo de Execução Descentralizada) Management: Management of government funds transferred via TEDs from federal ministries to universities and research institutions. Funarbe facilitates efficient and agile execution of public resources.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fundação Arthur Bernardes (Funarbe) is a private non-profit support foundation that provides administrative and financial management services for research, teaching, extension, and innovation projects at universities and research institutions. Its core services include project management, procurement and imports, financial accountability, and scholarship management. It delivers these services through proprietary digital platforms (Sistema Agrega for project tracking and Sistema Financiar for funding opportunity matching) and manages transfers of public funds (TEDs) from federal ministries to research institutions across Brazil.

Product overview

Fundação Arthur Bernardes (Funarbe) is a support foundation for the Universidade Federal de Viçosa offering a portfolio of interconnected digital platforms and educational units. The core product suite consists of Sistema Agrega (project management portal and mobile app) for administrative-financial oversight of research projects, Sistema Financiar for matching researchers with funding opportunities, and dedicated portals for scholarship holders, suppliers, and transparency. These digital platforms are complemented by two educational units (Supermercado Escola and Laticínio Escola) that provide practical training environments. The organization manages over 3,000 projects and R$1.3 billion in resources across Brazil.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Agrega: Funarbe's proprietary digital platform for project management, financial tracking, procurement, and scholar/grant management. Available as both a web portal and mobile app.
• FINANCIAR
• Supermercado Escola
• Laticínio Viçosa

Products and services

• Sistema Agrega Online portal for administrative-financial management of research, teaching, extension, and innovation projects. Enables project coordinators to track requests, manage transactions, process scholarship payments, approve purchases, and monitor project balances.
• Sistema Financiar Digital platform that provides researchers and professors with information on funding opportunities, grants, awards, and financial support from Brazilian and international institutions. Matches user profiles with relevant calls for proposals, serving over 40,000 clients.
• Aplicativo Agrega Mobile application for Android and iOS that allows project coordinators to manage projects on-the-go, including request tracking, transaction statements, scholarship payments, purchase approvals, and real-time balance monitoring.
• Unidade de Projetos (Project Management Services) Administrative and financial management of research, teaching, extension, and innovation projects, including resource management, purchases and imports, accountability reporting, scholarship and fellowship management, and project team coordination. Services delivered to universities, research institutions, government funding agencies, and private funders.
• Supermercado Escola School supermarket operating as a practical training facility for students at UFV campus, providing hands-on experience in retail management and food commerce while serving the community.
• Laticínio Escola / Produtos Viçosa (School Dairy) School dairy processing facility producing dairy products under the Produtos Viçosa brand, serving as a practical training and product development center for students at UFV.
• Portal do Bolsista Online portal for scholarship holders to access information about their grants, submit activity reports, and manage their scholarship-related documentation.
• Portal do Fornecedor Supplier portal enabling vendors to register, submit proposals, and participate in procurement processes managed by Funarbe.
• Cursos e Eventos Portal for managing courses and events, enabling registration and participation in educational programs supported by Funarbe.

Quantifiable outcome

• Managed over R$1.3 billion in research funding across 3,000+ projects in 5 years
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary institutional partner since founding. Funarbe serves as the certified support foundation for UFV, providing administrative-financial management for teaching, research, extension, and innovation projects. Located on UFV campus with integrated operations.
• Instituto Federal de Rondônia (IFRO)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Escola do Chocolate project managing R$18 million for cocoa chain development. Funarbe handles administrative-financial management while IFRO provides research coordination at Campus Jaru and Ji-Paraná.
• EmbrapacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrazilian Agricultural Research Corporation. Multiple collaborative projects including Resources Genetics and Biotechnology project, Embrapa II certification. Funarbe provides administrative support for Embrapa research initiatives.
• Ministério Público Federal (MPF)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal Public Ministry. Funarbe serves as administrator for R$1.4 million Participa Minas program funded through Samarco TAC agreement for mining impact research across Minas Gerais universities.
• Federal Universities of Minas Gerais (12 institutions)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipa Minas consortium including UFJF, UFLA, UFMG, UFOP, UFSJ, UFTM, UFU, UFV, UFVJM, Unifal-MG, Unifei. Collaborative program for mining impact research.
• UFV Health DivisionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUFV's health services division partnering with Projeto Saúde da Mulher for integrated health care and education services.
• QMS CertificationminorOthersInternational certification organization that awarded Funarbe ISO 37301 and ISO 37001 certifications for compliance and anti-bribery management systems.
• ONU MulheresminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN Women organization being considered for partnership to support women cocoa producers in vulnerable situations through Escola do Chocolate project.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights9 records

Direct peers

• FAURGS (Fundação de Apoio da UFRGS): UFRGS's support foundation managing research projects, TEDs, and innovation initiatives across Rio Grande do Sul. Direct peer in the federal-university support foundation category.
• FUNDEP (Fundação de Desenvolvimento da Pesquisa): UFMG's support foundation providing administrative-financial management of research projects, TEDs, and innovation initiatives. Direct comparable as one of Brazil's largest federal-university-affiliated support foundations with similar revenue model.
• Fundação Uniselva: UFMT's support foundation providing administrative-financial management of research and extension projects. Mid-sized direct peer operating under the same federal support foundation framework.
• FUSP (Fundação de Apoio à Universidade de São Paulo): USP's support foundation managing research funding, procurement, and innovation projects. Among Brazil's largest support foundations, with comparable scope in managing public and private research funds.
• Fundação COPPETEC: UFRJ/COPPE's support foundation, managing research projects, technology transfer, and innovation initiatives. Direct peer with similar legal framework (Lei 8.958/1994) and federal university anchor.
• FUNAPE (Fundação de Apoio à Pesquisa e Extensão): Support foundation affiliated with Universidade Federal de Goiás providing research administration and financial management services. Directly comparable in business model and regulatory positioning.
• FAPEU (Fundação de Apoio à Pesquisa e Extensão Universitária): UFSC's support foundation handling research administration, financial management, and technology transfer. Comparable scale and service portfolio to Funarbe.

Broad incumbents

• Wellcome Trust: Large UK-based research funding foundation with global operations. Comparable as a private foundation managing substantial research grants, though at vastly larger scale and with full grantmaking authority rather than administrative support.

Regional players

• Fundação Araucária: Paraná state research support foundation. Comparable in grantmaking role for academic research but operates regionally in Paraná rather than nationwide.

Emerging players

• FAPEMIG (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais): Minas Gerais state research foundation that both funds research and is a partner of Funarbe. Comparable grantmaking function but state-level rather than university-affiliated.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/psm.ufv
• Xx.com/somosfunarbe
• Facebookfacebook.com/Funarbe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fundacao-arthur-bernardes

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fundação Arthur Bernardes