FAPESC - Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e Inovação

What FAPESC - Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e Inovação does

FAPESC (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e Inovação do Estado de Santa Catarina) is a state government foundation headquartered in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil, established to disburse public funding for science, technology, and innovation. As a statutorily created entity under the Lei Catarinense Inovação framework, FAPESC distributes grants, scholarships, and non-reimbursable subsidies (subvenção econômica) to researchers, universities, companies, and government agencies operating within the state. It also serves as the local executor for national programs such as Programa Centelha 2 and TECNOVA III/SC, and coordinates thematic initiatives including the PPSUS health research program and the NCTI dairy research center at UDESC Pinhalzinho.

FAPESC's core digital infrastructure is the SIGFAPESC platform, an online portal through which all proposals for the foundation's chamadas públicas must be submitted, tracked, and managed. Beyond grant administration, the foundation runs sector-specific programs aligned to state priorities: the Intellectual Property Incentive Program (4th edition, R$ 2 million) in partnership with INPI for patent filing; the annual Prêmio Inovação Catarinense recognizing 27 innovators with R$ 630,000 in prizes; the Mulheres de Impacto program for gender equity in CTI; the Trilha de Inovação entrepreneurship pathway; and Aquaculture and Dairy sector initiatives (NCTI R$ 42.6M total).

FAPESC is a non-profit, state-owned foundation (autarquia estatal) under the Government of Santa Catarina. It does not generate commercial revenue; its income comes from state budget appropriations allocated to CTI. Its go-to-market is event-driven via public calls for proposals, disseminated through the website, a newsletter (Circuito Fapesc), government social accounts, and partner networks at universities, government agencies, and the Rede Catarinense de Centros de Inovação. The foundation reports to state oversight bodies and is led by President Fábio Zabot Holthausen with directors Amauri Bogo (CTI) and Wânio Wiggers (Administration and Finance).

Name

FAPESC - Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e Inovação

Legal name

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e Inovação do Estado de Santa Catarina

Website

https://fapesc.sc.gov.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

FAPESC is a Brazilian state government foundation that distributes grants, scholarships, and non-reimbursable subsidies to researchers, universities, and companies to advance science, technology, and innovation in Santa Catarina.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Florianópolis

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. State Government Funding: FAPESC operates as a state government foundation funded by public budgets to provide grants, scholarships, and subвенции for research and innovation projects in Santa Catarina. Revenue comes from state government appropriations allocated to support science, technology, and innovation activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FAPESC is a state government foundation that distributes non-reimbursable funding (subvenção econômica), grants, and scholarships for scientific research and innovation projects in Santa Catarina, Brazil. It administers public calls for proposals supporting researchers, universities, companies, and entrepreneurs across research grants, patent filing subsidies, innovation awards, and thematic programs (e.g., dairy, health, agriculture, aquaculture).

Product overview

FAPESC operates as a research and innovation foundation managing a portfolio of grant programs and platforms. Its core digital infrastructure is the SIGFAPESC online submission and management system. The organization administers diverse funding programs including the Intellectual Property Incentive Program (supporting patent filings via INPI partnership), the Innovation Award (Prêmio Inovação Catarinense), the Women of Impact program, the Trilha de Inovação entrepreneurship pathway, and the NCTI dairy research center. FAPESC also coordinates national programs locally (Centelha, TECNOVA) and supports the Rede Catarinense de Centros de Inovação network, alongside thematic research programs in health (PPSUS), public management, and agricultural innovation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SIGFAPESC Online Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• Supports approximately 56 companies per year through Intellectual Property Incentive Program (4 periods × 14 projects per period)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and moderate.

• INPI (Instituto Nacional de Propriedade Industrial)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 January 2026Partnership under Technical Cooperation Agreement between INPI and CONFAP (Conselho Nacional das Fundações Estaduais de Amparo à Pesquisa). FAPESC invites Santa Catarina companies to submit project proposals for non-reimbursable subvenção econômica to protect inventions through patent filings in Brazil with possibility of international extension.
• UDESC (Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 November 2024Collaboration under Termo de Mútua Colaboração em Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação n.º 13/2023. Multiple joint programs including NCTI (Núcleo de Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação do Leite) with R$ 42.6 million total investment, research support programs, and the 4th edition of joint funding calls.
• CONFAP (Conselho Nacional das Fundações Estaduais de Amparo à Pesquisa)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 November 2021CONFAP signed Administrative Agreement with European Commission, CNPq, and FINEP to support Brazilian participation in Horizon Europe. FAPESC communicates guidelines for applications submitted to Horizon Europe FAPESC-CONFAP program.
• MCTI (Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovações)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMCTI partners with FINEP, CNPq, and CONFAP to promote Programa Centelha. FAPESC is the executor of Centelha 2 in Santa Catarina, supporting 49 innovative projects through the program.
• FINEP (Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFINEP partners with MCTI, CNPq, and CONFAP for Programa Centelha. FAPESC executes the program in Santa Catarina, providing resources and capacity building for innovative startups.
• Fundação CertiminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner in the execution of Programa Centelha in Santa Catarina, providing technical support for the innovation ecosystem development.
• FIESC (Federação das Indústrias do Estado de Santa Catarina)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAPESC participates in the Advisory Council of Instituto Euvaldo Lodi (IEL), a FIESC institution. New representatives were presented at a meeting at FIESC headquarters.
• SEPLAN (Secretaria de Estado do Planejamento)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for issuing joint calls for proposals. FAPESC and SEPLAN launched edital with R$ 10,080,000 to select 60 specialists, masters, and doctors for research and innovation promotion. Also partners for public management innovation programs.
• EPAGRI (Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuária e Extensão Rural de Santa Catarina)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint program for agricultural innovation (Programa de Fomento à Agroinovação na Pesquisa Agropecuária, Ambiental, Socioeconômica e Difusão do Conhecimento para o Meio Rural Catarinense).
• ACAFE (Associação Catarinense das Fundações Educacionais)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Science, Technology and Innovation support programs for ACAFE-affiliated research groups. Multiple joint calls for proposals for research funding.
• Rede Catarinense de Centros de InovaçãomoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAPESC supports the operation of the Innovation Centers Network through multiple programs: Apoio à Operação (Edital 40/2024), Apoio à Implantação de Escritórios de Projetos (Edital 39/2024), and Eventos de Inovação (Edital 38/2024).
• Movimento Nacional ODS SCmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAPESC received Selo Signatário 2023 and Selo de Adesão Juntos Pelos ODS from this movement, demonstrating commitment to integrating Sustainable Development Goals into all public calls and operations.
• IEL/SC (Instituto Euvaldo Lodi de Santa Catarina)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint program Inova Talentos (Edital 54/2024) in continuous flow, supporting talent development for innovation in Santa Catarina companies.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• FAPERGS - Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul: Rio Grande do Sul state research foundation with mandate analogous to FAPESC — regional research grants, innovation programs, and partnerships with CONFAP and federal bodies. Particularly comparable given the geographic and economic proximity to Santa Catarina.
• FAPERJ - Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro: Rio de Janeiro's state research support foundation. Closely comparable to FAPESC in structure and function — administers research grants, scholarships, and innovation programs funded by state government appropriations and federal partnerships.
• FUNCAP - Fundação Cearense de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico: Ceará's state science and technology foundation. Comparable to FAPESC in operating model — public calls, scholarships, research grants, and innovation programs funded by state appropriations with co-funding from federal agencies.
• FAPEAL - Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Alagoas: Alagoas state research support foundation. Direct structural peer to FAPESC — government-funded, focused on regional research grants, scholarships, and innovation incentives.
• FAPEG - Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Goiás: Goiás state research foundation administering research grants, scholarships, and innovation programs. Same structural and funding model as FAPESC, with state appropriations and federal partnerships supporting regional R&D.
• FAPEMIG - Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais: Minas Gerais state research foundation providing grants, scholarships, and innovation support. Operates with a similar model to FAPESC, including partnerships with federal agencies (CNPq, FINEP) and universities for research funding.

Broad incumbents

• FINEP - Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos: Brazilian federal innovation financing agency under MCTI. Partner of FAPESC on Programa Centelha and TECNOVA; comparable in mission (funding R&D and innovation) but operates nationally with much larger capital base.
• CNPq - Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico: Brazil's federal science and technology research council. While not a state foundation, CNPq is a key upstream partner of FAPESC (joint calls, scholarships) and operates in the same national R&D funding space at much larger scale.
• FAPESP - Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo: Brazil's largest and most prominent state research foundation, based in São Paulo. Directly comparable to FAPESC in mandate (state-level research funding, scholarships, grants) but operating at materially larger scale with a multi-billion-BRL annual budget and broader program portfolio.

Others

• CONFAP - Conselho Nacional das Fundações Estaduais de Amparo à Pesquisa: National council representing all Brazilian state research foundations including FAPESC. Not a direct competitor but the institutional umbrella through which FAPESC interfaces with federal agencies and international programs like Horizon Europe.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fapesc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/GovernoSC
• Facebookfacebook.com/governosc
• Instagraminstagram.com/GovernoSC
• TikToktiktok.com/@governosc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments5 records

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Frequently asked questions about FAPESC - Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e Inovação