The new members of the Executive Board of Confies – National Council of the Foundations Supporting Institutions of Higher Education and Scientific and Technological Research – for the 2023-2024 period, took office on the afternoon of Friday, January 13th, and outlined an emergency action plan to stimulate the dynamism of research projects conducted by science and technology institutions supported by such foundations.
There are 96 support foundations affiliated to Confies that move more than R$ 8 billion in research activity in more than 160 federal institutions of higher education and other supported science and technology centers.
The executive board of Confies is made up of 18 members, including president Fernando Peregrino, also director of the Coppetec Foundation linked to UFRJ, reappointed to the presidency of the Council for another term of two years – the fourth consecutive term.
The list of new members of the Executive Board of Confies is available here.
Peregrino, who mediated the meeting held on the virtual platform, presented an action plan that, in turn, was approved by the new board of Confies. There are six points in total, which, according to Peregrino, need to be adopted as soon as possible to reduce bureaucracy in the accountability process and encourage innovation, research and development.
Priority
The first item of the action plan of the new Executive Board of Confies proposes to improve decree nº 7423/2010 that regulated the so-called Law of Support Foundations (no. 8.958 of December 20, 1994) which provides for the relationship between Ifes and support foundations. One of the items proposes to increase the period for renewing the accreditation registration of a support foundation contracted by S&T institutions – from one (1) year to five (5) years. The understanding of the new Executive Board of Confies is that this period needs to be extended with a view to providing more certainty on the performance of research and development (R&D) projects by the supported entities.
Equity Funds
Another priority point, according to the Confies Action Plan, is the implementation of tax incentives in the Law of Equity Funds. The proposal is to seek articulation within the new government and in Congress to approve tax incentives for such funds – also known as Endowments – instruments created to receive donations for the additional promotion of science and other segments.
Source: Confies portal.
