A cooperation agreement signed between Unicamp, the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), and the Unicamp Development Foundation (FUNCAMP) will allow the implementation of a new management model for the importation of equipment and supplies destined for research projects. Under the agreement, FUNCAMP will purchase imported goods and services abroad that are essential for the execution of scientific research projects carried out at the university and funded by FAPESP. The activities foreseen include the purchase, transportation, customs clearance, and delivery of the goods to the University.
The agreement stipulates that all goods acquired through importation for research infrastructure will be incorporated into Unicamp's assets and kept on the university's premises. The agreement is valid for five years, with the possibility of extension for the same period.
“This agreement is part of a broader process of managing research project resources involving the participation of support foundations,” said Fapesp's administrative director, Antonio José de Almeida Meirelles. “In fact, soon, the vast majority of new grant agreements will include the participation of foundations in the financial management of resources,” he added.
According to him, reducing the administrative burden associated with managing funding will allow researchers responsible for projects to focus their efforts on research activities, expanding the already enormous impact on the scientific and economic development of the State of São Paulo.
Unicamp is responsible for a significant portion of the national scientific output, and many of its projects depend on the acquisition of imported equipment and supplies, such as chemical and biological reagents, DNA and RNA sequencers, specialized electronic components, high-precision microscopes, and special gases.
Traditionally, imports carried out with the support of Funcamp utilize import tax exemption quotas granted by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). In recent years, however, these quotas have been exhausted earlier and earlier. Due to budgetary constraints of the federal government, the tax waiver has been decreasing.
The new model stems from a solution structured by the General Directorate of Administration (DGA) in conjunction with Funcamp, involving its specialized technical teams in import operations, and enables imports to fall under the tax exemption regime applicable to the University.
The Vice-Rector for Research, Ana Frattini, believes that the new system will allow for greater fluidity in import processes, ensuring better use of the tax benefits available to public universities and strengthening support for research activities developed at Unicamp.
“The implementation of this new model demonstrates how the search for innovative solutions, combined with collaborative work between the Pro-Rectorate for Research, the DGA, Funcamp, and the Attorney General's Office, can produce concrete results for strengthening research at the University,” said the head prosecutor of the Attorney General's Office at Unicamp, Fernanda Lavras. According to her, the initiative arose from the ability of the technical and legal teams to identify an institutional challenge and build, in an integrated way, “a legally viable, operationally efficient solution aligned with the public interest.”
According to the prosecutor, the agreement provides legal certainty to the actions of Unicamp, Funcamp, and Fapesp, by clearly defining the duties, responsibilities, and procedures necessary for carrying out the imports.
"This collaborative work demonstrates that cooperation between different areas and institutions is fundamental for the University to innovate responsibly, efficiently, and with legal certainty, creating solutions that strengthen research and can serve as a reference for new initiatives," he concludes.
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