FAPESP and SABESP launch new call for proposals

FAPESP Innovative R&D – FAPESP and the Basic Sanitation Company of the State of São Paulo (SABESP) announce the launch of the fourth call for proposals in the history of relationships between institutions.

This is the first joint call of institutions to support projects under the FAPESP Program for Innovative Research in Small Business (PIPE), aimed at researchers linked to companies with up to 250 employees and with a research and development unit, based in the state of São Paulo. Proposals must be submitted by 28 November.

The goal of the call is to support the development of significantly improved products or processes – including their prototyping and demonstration in an operational environment – to improve basic sanitation infrastructure, aiming to increase the efficiency and quality of services, infrastructure and operational facilities of water supply and sewage.

Proposals with business models for the implementation of the product or developed process oriented to mixed economy companies will be considered differentiated, as is the specific case of SABESP.

Topics consisting of technology applications pertaining to the call include: Intelligent Water and Sewage Treatment Plants; asset management; smart grids; use of images and sounds associated with artificial intelligence; low-cost fraud detection solutions; and blockchain applications for the sanitation sector.

The call offers up to R$ 5.6 million to support projects in phases 1 and 2 of PIPE, in which, respectively, companies are in the stage of technical-scientific feasibility analysis of the project and in the execution of research aimed at the product, process or innovative service. Phase 1 projects will have a maximum duration of 9 months and a budget of up to R$ 300,000, while Phase 2 projects may receive up to R$ 1 million for a maximum period of 24 months.

The call also offers a total of up to R$ 2.5 million to support projects of companies in Phase 3 of PIPE. In this category are located companies in full commercial and industrial development of the product, obtained from previous research that the small company has carried out with or without the support of PIPE. For these companies, the same maximum duration and budget valid for Phase 2 (R$ 1 million/24 months per project) is applied.

The call is available (in Portuguese) at: fapesp.br/15522.