Rio de Janeiro starts construction of first federal university campus in a favela

On 22 June, the Subprefecture of Grandes Complexos visited the site in Complexo do Alemão where the new campus of the Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio de Janeiro (IFRJ) will be built. The ceremony, attended by newly appointed IFRJ rector Thiago Mattos Pinto, community leaders and civil‑society representatives, marked the launch of construction for the first federal education unit to be located in a Rio favela.

The project is a partnership between the Brazilian federal government and the Rio municipal administration, funded with roughly R$ 21 million from the Novo Programa de Aceleração do Crescimento (PAC). The campus is planned to accommodate about 1,500 students and is slated for delivery in the first half of 2028. Subprefect Marlí Peçanha highlighted the initiative as a social transformation that will expand technical, scientific and professional education opportunities for current and future generations. Parallel efforts include the “Ambulante em Harmonia” program to organize and formalize local street‑commerce, aiming to boost entrepreneurship and income for residents around the campus.