Brazil's Science Ministry rolls out major innovation funding programs

The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) and the Funding Agency for Studies and Projects (Finep) announced three separate funding initiatives on 16 June.

The Tecnova 2026/2027 programme will allocate R$ 360 million (potentially R$ 588 million with state co‑financing) to up to 713 micro‑ and small‑business firms nationwide to develop innovative products, services and processes. Proposals must be submitted by 3 August 2026 via the Finep portal and approved projects can run for up to five years. The launch also introduced a “Scientists of Data for Brazil” network to standardise state‑level R&D data, noting that Brazil spent R$ 166.4 billion on research and development in 2024 (1.23 % of GDP).

Petrobras and Finep jointly released an R$ 150 million non‑repayable‑grant call to develop a domestic industrial‑scale electrolyser for low‑carbon hydrogen. The programme will fund a consortium of at least three companies and one scientific‑technology institute, with each partner contributing matching resources. The initiative was presented by Minister Luciana Santos, Petrobras President Magda Chambriard and Finep President Luiz Antônio Elias.

The Centelha 3 innovation scheme, also coordinated by MCTI and Finep, opened a R$ 8.1 million call in Rio de Janeiro to support up to 47 early‑stage projects (R$ 128 k per project plus CNPq scholarships). A related Centelha 3 DF round approved 47 projects with more than R$ 4.7 million in subsidies covering AI, biotech, blockchain and other technologies. Both programmes aim to decentralise innovation funding across all 27 federative units and strengthen Brazil’s tech ecosystem.