Fundação Sousândrade

What Fundação Sousândrade does

Fundação Sousândrade (FSADU) is a private, non-profit support foundation established on June 2, 1982, in São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil, by 181 professors and technicians from the Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA) under then-rector José Maria Cabral Marques. Its statutory purpose is to debureaucratize the execution of research, education, and social projects at UFMA and other accredited public institutions, operating today across science, technology, education, health, social assistance, culture, sports, environment, and communications. FSADU is officially credentialed by Brazil's Ministry of Education (MEC) and Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) to serve as a Support Foundation (Fundação de Apoio) for UFMA, the University Hospital of UFMA (HU-UFMA-EBSERH), the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB), and the University Hospital of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (HU-UFJF), and is additionally credentialed by CNPq to channel private-sector funds into academic research.

Its offerings span four lines of business. First, managed administrative and financial execution of projects under convênios and contracts with federal, state, and municipal government agencies — exemplified by the PARFOR 2019 program covering 23 municipalities and 1,436 students, the COVID-19 serological survey across 70 municipalities for SES/MA, and 11,920 IEMA professional-education spots. Second, paid administration of public competitions, selective processes, internal selections, and vestibular entrance exams through the FSADU Concursos platform (9,087 candidates registered for a single Buriticupu-MA process). Third, training, continuing education, and continuing-capacity programs. Fourth, community-facing social programs — notably PASS (Programa de Atenção Social Sousândrade), which provides free literacy, language, computing, theater, dance, and robotics courses to public-school youth — plus the Rádio Universidade FM 106.9 broadcast concession and the annual Revista Científica e Tecnológica.

Underlying these services is an integrated platform called SAGI, which powers the Coordination, Supplier, Transparency, Employee, and Digital Archive (Acervo Digital) portals and shares the FSADU Concursos front end. The technology stack is internally operated rather than commercially packaged: no proprietary ML/AI assets are disclosed, no public APIs or SDKs are offered, and third-party TOTVS handles electronic time tracking. FSADU monetizes through administrative and management fees charged on managed projects, fees from competition administration (set per process and not publicly disclosed), and training-program contracts; social programs and the radio concession are operated at sub-market or non-commercial terms as part of its institutional mission. Revenue is not publicly disclosed and the organization is headquartered at Rua das Juçaras, Qd. 44 nº 28, Renascença I, São Luís.

Name

Fundação Sousândrade

Legal name

Fundação Sousândrade de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento da UFMA

Website

https://fsadu.org.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fundação Sousândrade (FSADU) is a Brazilian non-profit support foundation, headquartered in São Luís, Maranhão, that manages academic, research, social, and public-competition projects on behalf of UFMA and other accredited federal, state, and municipal institutions under MEC/MCTI credentials.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Institutional Support Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

Keywords

• University support services
• Public project administration
• Continuing professional education
• Public examination management
• Social assistance programs

Headquarters

HQ city

São Luís

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, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Project Management and Administration Fees: FSADU earns fees for managing and executing projects on behalf of government institutions and universities through convênios (agreements), contratos (contracts), and partnerships. These cover areas including scientific research, education, social assistance, technology, and public health.
2. Public Competition and Selection Services: The foundation charges fees for organizing and administering public competitions (concursos públicos), selective processes, internal selections, and vestibulares (university entrance exams) for public institutions and municipalities.
3. Training and Continuing Education Services: Revenue generated from providing capacity building, professional qualification, and continuing education courses to public sector employees and institutions, often through government-funded programs.
4. Radio and Media Broadcasting: The foundation operates Rádio Universidade FM (concession holder), generating content through the Qualificar program and other broadcasting activities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fundação Sousândrade is a Brazilian non-profit support foundation (Fundação de Apoio) that manages and executes projects on behalf of universities and government institutions. It administers public competitions, delivers training and continuing education programs, supports scientific research management, and runs social inclusion programs through convênios, contratos, and partnerships with public agencies.

Product overview

Fundação Sousândrade operates as a comprehensive institutional support foundation with a platform-plus-services architecture. The core SAGI management system provides integrated portals for coordinators, suppliers, transparency, and employees, while specialized products include the Acervo Digital document management system, FSADU Concursos examination platform, and the scientific journal. Social programs (PASS) offer community services including robotics education, all supported by the NACITEC for academic partnerships and the Rádio Universidade FM for institutional communication.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Project Management and Administration Services
• Public Competition and Selection Administration
• Training and Continuing Education Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,436 students enrolled across 35 classes in PARFOR 2019 across 23 municipalities in Maranhão
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Agência Espacial Brasileira (AEB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2024FSADU is authorized by MEC and MCTI to act as a Support Foundation for the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB). This partnership involves support for space science projects, including the Aldebaran-I satellite initiative, and scientific cooperation related to the Alcântara Spaceport.
• Hospital Universitário da UFMA (HU-UFMA-EBSERH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 February 2024FSADU is officially authorized by MEC and MCTI to act as a Support Foundation for the University Hospital of UFMA under the EBSERH framework. The partnership enables FSADU to manage projects and provide institutional support to the hospital, contributing to healthcare service delivery and medical research.
• Universidade Federal do Maranhão (UFMA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 November 2020UFMA is the primary institutional partner of FSADU. Founded by 181 professors and technicians from UFMA in 1982, FSADU was created specifically to provide institutional support to the university. The partnership covers project management, research support, administrative services, and technology transfer. FSADU is officially credentialed by MEC as a Support Foundation for UFMA (Portaria nº 154, November 18, 2020). The collaboration extends to managing convênios, executing research projects, and supporting graduate programs.
• Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora (HU-UFJF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSADU is authorized by MEC and MCTI to act as a Support Foundation for the University Hospital of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (HU-UFJF), extending its institutional support model beyond Maranhão.
• CNPqcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSADU is credentialed by CNPq to receive and manage resources from private legal entities destined for the support of research projects, enabling private sector funding to flow into academic research.
• Instituto Histórico e Geográfico do Maranhão (IHGM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSADU became an Institutional Associate member of IHGM, participating in historical and geographical preservation and research activities in Maranhão.
• Ministério da Igualdade RacialcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSADU collaborates with the Ministry of Racial Equality on the SINAPIR Research Program, supporting research on racial equality in partnership with UFMA and UNESCO.
• Cátedra UNESCO Antonieta de Barros (UFSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSADU partners with the UNESCO Chair in Education for Racial Equality at UFSC for the SINAPIR Research Program, combining institutional and academic resources to advance racial equality research.
• Universidade Licungo de MoçambiquecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSADU has an international cooperation agreement with the Universidade Licungo in Mozambique. The partnership includes joint conferences, academic exchanges, and research collaboration. An e-book of international conference proceedings was published documenting their technical cooperation.
• Instituto Universitário Atlântico de PortugalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSADU partnered with the Instituto Universitário Atlântico in Portugal to implement a Master's program in Public Administration, enabling international academic credentialing for Brazilian students.
• Banco do NordesteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSADU maintains an institutional partnership with Banco do Nordeste, aligning projects and reinforcing cooperation for regional development in northeastern Brazil.
• AMDES (Agência Municipal de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSADU engages with AMDES to discuss projects and future institutional partnerships aimed at economic and social development in the municipality.
• SEDES (Secretaria de Estado de Desenvolvimento Social)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSADU maintains active dialogue with SEDES for institutional partnerships and advancement of social programs including CapacitaSUAS, which was under resumption negotiations.
• Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil - Maranhão (OAB-MA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSADU received the OAB-MA Compliance Commission for a dialogue on governance and integrity, contributing to anti-discrimination and anti-harassment organizational governance.
• Academia Maranhense de CiênciasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSADU leadership met with the Maranhão Academy of Sciences to discuss strategic partnerships and scientific cooperation in the region.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• FGV Projetos: Operational arm of Fundação Getúlio Vargas that manages projects, concursos, training, and institutional support services. Comparable to FSADU across multiple revenue streams including public examination administration and continuing education.
• Vunesp (Fundação Vunesp): Foundation affiliated with UNESP that administers public examinations, vestibulares, and selection processes. Comparable to FSADU as a foundation-led examination administrator with public institution clientele.
• Fundep (Fundação de Desenvolvimento da Pesquisa): University support foundation affiliated with UFMG that manages research projects, innovation programs, and institutional support services. Highly comparable to FSADU as a Brazilian Fundação de Apoio with similar project management and institutional support mandate.
• IBFC (Instituto Brasileiro de Formação e Capacitação): Brazilian institute specializing in public examination administration, training, and selection processes. Directly comparable to FSADU's concursos and training service lines with national geographic reach.
• Cebraspe: Brazil's largest dedicated public examination administration organization (formerly CESPE/UnB), administering concursos and selective processes for federal institutions nationwide. Directly comparable to FSADU's concursos business line, but with significantly larger scale and federal-level brand recognition.
• FAPEU (Fundação de Apoio à Pesquisa e Extensão Universitária): University support foundation affiliated with UFSC that administers research, extension, and academic projects. Closely comparable to FSADU in scope of activities, governance structure, and relationship with a federal university anchor.
• AOCP: Brazilian public examination and selective process administration company serving municipalities and state governments. Directly comparable to FSADU's concursos business with overlapping customer base in Maranhão and other states.

Broad incumbents

• Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV): One of Brazil's largest private foundations, with broad portfolios in education, research, exams, and public policy. Overlaps with FSADU across education, training, and examination administration but operates at far greater national scale and scope.
• FAPESP (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo): Major Brazilian state research funding foundation managing billions in research grants annually. Overlaps with FSADU's research support mission but operates as a much larger funding agency rather than as a project administrator.
• Fundação Lemann: Prominent Brazilian private foundation focused on education and social impact. Overlaps with FSADU's social programs (PASS) and education mission, though operating as a much larger private philanthropic funder rather than as a public-sector project administrator.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/fundacaosousandrade
• Facebookfacebook.com/fundacaosousandrade
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fundacao-sousandrade-de-apoio-ao-desenvol-da-ufma

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Fundação Sousândrade