FCT and ”la Caixa” Foundation renew Framework Collaboration Agreement

The Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and the ”la Caixa” Foundation signed a new Framework Collaboration Agreement today, in the presence of the Minister of Science, Technology, and Higher Education (MCTES), Manuel Heitor, and Artur Santos Silva, Curator of the ”la Caixa” Foundation.

This agreement strengthens cooperation between the two institutions by renewing the partnership established in 2018 for another three years with a view to jointly financing research projects in Portugal, integrated into three programs of the “la Caixa” Foundation: the CaixaResearch Health Research Program, the Social Call , and the Promove Program – The Future of the Interior Program, which is now joined by the CaixaResearch Validate Program.

The partnership, which began in 2018, is currently based on joint support for projects in three areas of funding and promotion of research and innovation projects:

1. Iberian Initiative for Biomedical Research and Innovation – i4b, launched in 2018, based on the ”la Caixa” Foundation's CaixaResearch Health Research Program, with four editions already completed and 30 projects already underway led by national R&D institutions. Applications submitted for the fifth edition of this initiative are currently being evaluated;
2. Iberian Initiative for Research and Social Innovation – i4s, launched in 2020 as part of Call ”la Caixa” Foundation’s Social Call , with two editions in Portugal already completed and six active projects coordinated by Portuguese researchers, with the third edition being published today;
3. The Promove Program, launched by the ”la Caixa” Foundation in 2018, has been supported by FCT since 2020 in an edition that provided support for 19 projects aimed at promoting Portugal's inland regions through research and innovation. Call new Call is currently open Call January 19.

All initiatives under this partnership between FCT and the ”la Caixa” Foundation share the principle of equal funding (“matching funds”), whereby FCT matches ”la Caixa”'s contribution to research and innovation projects to be carried out in Portugal that are selected as the best in each Call promoted under each of the initiatives. Since 2018, more than €22 million has been contracted through these initiatives to support projects led by national R&D institutions, representing a significant shared investment that reflects the institutional cooperation between public and private foundations.

These collaborative initiatives are part of the policies enshrined in the goPORTUGAL program – Global Partnerships in Science and Technology, also launched in 2018 to enhance the internationalization of scientific and technological research in Portugal, developing the creation of scientific and skilled jobs and fostering the creation and growth of new science and technology-based companies.

More information:
Page on Scientific and Technological Cooperation Agreements between FCT and the “la Caixa” Foundation