Three of the new centers will partner with the São Paulo State Department for the Rights of People with Disabilities (robotic exoskeleton developed at the University of São Paulo’s São Carlos School of Engineering / photo: Leo Ramos Chaves/Pesquisa FAPESP)
Published on 07/08/2024
By Elton Alisson and Claudia Izique | Agência FAPESP – FAPESP has announced the establishment of 21 new Science for Development Centers (CCDs) in partnership with universities, research institutions, state governments and other government bodies. FAPESP will invest approximately BRL 130 million in the new CCDs.
Like the 25 CCDs that are already up and running, the new centers will have the mission of developing solutions to challenges posed by the São Paulo State Government’s departments in the areas of health, energy, agriculture, advanced manufacturing, smart cities, public safety and environmental management.
The Center for Data Intelligence in Public Health (CID-SP Emergencies), for example, will seek to raise the speed with which tertiary hospitals providing complex care receive requests for consults, exams and transfers of severe patients through the São Paulo State Center for Health Service Supply Regulation (CROSS in the Portuguese-language acronym). Decisions on prioritizing complex cases are currently processed in several stages, involving telephone calls, emails and reports.
CID-SP will be hosted by Hospital das Clínicas, a hospital complex run by the University of São Paulo’s Medical School (FM-USP), and will partner with the São Paulo State Department of Health. Researchers and specialists working at the hospital and in the department will use artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize CROSS so as to produce relevant information for the purpose of prioritizing cases and making predictions to support decision-making by administrators.
“We aim to develop instruments of intelligence that can be deployed to govern CROSS in such a way as to identify priorities for transfer and update resources so that the nearest hospital with the requisite resources is selected. Cases will be prioritized by severity, and at the same time the system will have predictive capabilities. We plan to use AI to shape the system for management of urgencies and emergencies in São Paulo state,” Ludhmila Abrahão Hajjar, full professor at FM-USP and lead researcher for the project, told Agência FAPESP.
Three new centers selected in this call will partner in the public sector with the São Paulo State Department for the Rights of People with Disabilities and will focus on research and development in assistive technologies and accessibility.
The Center for Daily Living Assistive Technology, hosted by the University of São Paulo’s Engineering School (POLI-USP), for example, will partner with researchers at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), São Paulo State University (UNESP), the Federal University of the ABC (UFABC) and the Aeronautical Technology Institute (ITA) to develop advanced technology such as exoskeletons and motorized wheelchairs.
The Science for Development Center in Assistive Technology and Accessibility with LIBRAS (Brazilian Sign Language) will partner with UNICAMP’s School of Engineering and Computation to develop AI-based solutions to surmount communication barriers.
The Multidisciplinary Center for Development of Assistive Technology will partner with UNESP (Bauru campus) to develop Braille-related technology and novel prosthetic and orthotic devices.
“I try to partner with universities in order to surmount a nationwide problem in Brazil, which is the unaffordably high cost of assistive technology. Most of it comes from Europe and the United States, so it’s too expensive for most Brazilians. I personally use an American prosthetic leg. I lost one of my legs to below-knee amputation after an accident. Ten years ago it cost BRL 35,000. We have to develop Brazilian technology to lower the cost,” said Marcos da Costa, São Paulo State Secretary for Disabled Rights. “I want to make São Paulo a Latin American hub for assistive technology. We have the capacity to do this.”
The Science for Development Center in Sustainable Urban Growth, hosted by POLI-USP, will conduct research on sustainable development in cities, urban sprawl and related topics, in partnership with the School of Architecture and Urbanism (FAU-USP), the School of Economics, Administration, Accounting and Actuarial Science (FEA-USP), and the São Paulo State Department of Urban Development and Housing.
“Cities expand rapidly, and their edges move ever farther out. From the standpoint of sustainability, this is bad. In principle, it has several negative consequences, such as the growing distance between the places where people work and where they live. It also does environmental damage via expansion into areas that could be conserved, for example. And results in inefficiency because urban sprawl isn’t particularly dynamic,” said Miguel Luiz Bucalem, full professor at POLI-USP and principal investigator for the project.
The researchers plan to characterize urban sprawl in São Paulo state, deepen their understanding of the phenomenon in the region, and develop mathematical models to simulate and propose alternative scenarios.
“We’ll use scenarios to predict what happens as cities expand in the state. We’ll also use mathematical models to simulate alternative scenarios based on public policies. And we’ll work with the Department of Housing to assess the effectiveness of the urban policy instruments designed to analyze the costs and benefits of denser, more compact cities,” Bucalem said.
Co-funding model
The 25 CCDs that are up and running were selected in 2019 and 2021. They are all co-funded by FAPESP and partner entities, which invest matching amounts for five years. Projects must have clear governance, mechanisms for review during execution, and intermediate goals. The results must promote knowledge advancement and help improve public policies.
FAPESP’s aims in these three calls for proposals were to identify, measure and detail major public challenges for São Paulo state, and on this basis to assemble and organize a range of institutional actors in search of adequate solutions to resolve or diminish the bottlenecks involved.
CCD calls receive proposals submitted by consortia of researchers affiliated with universities and research institutions in São Paulo, administrators of state and municipal government bodies, as well as companies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
The 12 proposals selected in the first call focused on centers oriented to solving problems in health, public safety, food and agriculture, and economic development, among other areas.
The 15 proposals selected in the second call focused on development of biopharmaceuticals, innovation in urban public policies, technological innovation for health emergencies, solutions for waste, water security, human and animal diseases, greenhouse gas emissions, and vaccine enhancements, among others.
In 2023, FAPESP issued a third call, in which proposals for 21 new CCDs were selected, as shown below.
Proposals selected:
Science for Development Center in Renewable Energy and Future Fuels
Principal investigator (PI): Adriano Marim de Oliveira
Host institution: São Paulo State Technological Research Institute (IPT)
Public-sector partner institution: São Paulo State Department of Environment, Infrastructure and Logistics
Center for Daily Living Assistive Technology
PI: Arturo Forner Cordero
Host institution: Engineering School, University of São Paulo (POLI-USP)
Public-sector partner institutions: São Paulo State Department of Health, and São Paulo State Department for the Rights of People with Disabilities
São Paulo State Center for Research on Biogas and Bioproducts (CP2B)
PI: Bruna de Souza Moraes
Host institution: Interdisciplinary Energy Planning Unit, State University of Campinas (NIPE-UNICAMP)
Public-sector partner institutions: São Paulo State Department of Agriculture and Supply, and City of Campinas Department of Green Areas, Environment and Sustainable Development
Data Science for Public Statistics Center (CCDEP)
PI: Carlos Eduardo Torres Freire
Host institution: Data Analysis System Foundation, São Paulo State Department of Public Safety (SGSSP)
Public-sector partner institution: Data Analysis System Foundation, São Paulo State Department of Public Safety (SGSSP)
Multidisciplinary Center for Development of Assistive Technology (CMDTA)
PI: Carlos Roberto Grandini
Host institution: Bauru School of Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP)
Public-sector partner institutions: São Paulo State Department for the Rights of People with Disabilities, and City of Rio Claro Department of Education
Advanced Research Center on Smart B100 (CCD-SB100)
PI: Dirceu de Mattos Junior
Host institution: Campinas Institute of Agronomy, São Paulo State Department of Agriculture and Supply (IAC-SAASP)
Public-sector partner institution: Campinas Institute of Agronomy
Center for Production of Immunobiologics – Rabies Vaccine (CePI - Rabies)
PI: Esper Georges Kallás
Host institution: Butantan Institute, São Paulo State Department of Health (SSSP)
Public-sector partner institution: Butantan Institute
São Paulo State Center for Innovation in Street Lighting Services (CePISIP)
PI: Gilberto de Martino Jannuzzi
Host institution: Interdisciplinary Energy Planning Unit (NIPE-UNICAMP)
Public-sector partner institutions: City of Conchal, City of Campinas Department of Green Areas, Environment and Sustainable Development, São Paulo State Department of Environment, Infrastructure and Logistics, and Ministry of Mining and Energy
Development of Assistive Technology for Bilingual Deaf Education (CCD TAEBS)
PI: Ivani Rodrigues Silva
Host institution: School of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas (FCM-UNICAMP)
Public-sector partner institution: City of Campinas Department of Education
Science for Development Center in Social Housing for São Paulo (CCD HIS SP)
PI: José Arnaldo Frutuoso Roveda
Host institution: Sorocaba Institute of Science and Technology, São Paulo State University (ICT-UNESP)
Public-sector partner institutions: Sorocaba Metropolitan Agency, Campinas Metropolitan Agency, and São Paulo State Department of Urban Development and Housing
Science for Development Center in Assistive Technology and Accessibility with LIBRAS
PI: José Maria De Martino
Host institution: School of Engineering and Computation, State University of Campinas (FEEC-UNICAMP)
Public-sector partner institution: São Paulo State Department for the Rights of People with Disabilities
Science for Development Center in Carbon Neutrality
PI: Liedi Légi Bariani Bernucci
Host institution: São Paulo State Technological Research Institute (IPT), Department of Economic Development (SDE)
Public-sector partner institutions: City of São José dos Campos, City of Santos Department of Environment, Sorocaba Development and Innovation Agency (Inova Sorocaba), Ministry of Cities, Ministry of Regional Development, National Disaster Surveillance and Early Warning Center (CEMADEN), and São Paulo State Department of Science, Technology and Innovation
Multidisciplinary Center for Strategy, Research and Innovation of the Office of the São Paulo State Attorney General (CeMEPI-PGE)
PI: Luciana Romano Morilas
Host institution: Ribeirão Preto School of Economics, Administration and Accounting, University of São Paulo (FEARP-USP)
Public-sector partner institution: Office of the São Paulo State Attorney General (PGE-SP)
Project CID-SP EMERGENCES: Center for Data Intelligence in Public Health
PI: Ludhmila Abrahão Hajjar
Host institution: Hospital das Clínicas, Medical School, University of São Paulo (HC-FM-USP)
Public-sector partner institution: São Paulo State Department of Health (SSP)
Science for Development Center in Basic Education: Learning and Socialization
PI: Marilene Proença Rebello de Souza
Host institution: Institute of Psychology, University of São Paulo (IP-USP)
Public-sector partner institution: São Paulo State Department of Education
Science for Development Center in Sustainable Urban Growth
PI: Miguel Luiz Bucalem
Host institution: Engineering School, University of São Paulo (POLI-USP)
Public-sector partner institution: São Paulo State Department of Urban Development and Housing
Science for Development Center in Law Enforcement, Innovation and Technology (PROINTE-SP)
PI: Paulo Furquim de Azevedo
Host institution: Insper Research Institute
Public-sector partner institution: Office of the São Paulo State Attorney General (PGE-SP)
Advanced Development Group – Zika Vaccine (GDA-Zika)
PI: Renato Mancini Astray
Host institution: Butantan Institute, São Paulo State Department of Health (SSP)
Public-sector partner institution: Butantan Foundation
Center for Research on Implementation of Educational Policies
PI: Ricardo Corrêa Gomes
Host institution: São Paulo Business School, Getúlio Vargas Foundation (EAESP-FGV)
Public-sector partner institution: São Paulo State Department of Education
Regional Health Observatory on Advanced Stage Diseases and Palliative Care
PI: Ricardo Tavares de Carvalho
Host institution: Hospital das Clínicas, Medical School, University of São Paulo (HC-FM-USP)
Public-sector partner institution: São Paulo State Department of Health
Center for Research on Graphitized Lignin for Transformation of Agricultural and Environmental Soils (C-Liga)
PI: Stanislav Moshkalev
Host institution: Center for Components and Semiconductors, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP)
Public-sector partner institutions: Environmental Research Institute (IPA), and São Paulo State Department of Environment, Infrastructure and Logistics
Source: https://agencia.fapesp.br/52163
