Amazon Initiative +10 is the highlight of Fapespa's first panel at COP30
The Amazon Foundation for Research Support is among the institutions that make up the Pará Pavilion of the Green Zone at the 30th United Nations Conference on Climate Change
Created with the aim of supporting scientific research and sustainable and inclusive technological development in northern Brazil, the Amazon Initiative +10 was the highlight of the panel presented by the Amazon Foundation for Research Support of Pará (Fapespa) in the Castanheira room of the Pará Pavilion on the morning of this Monday (10). The Pavilion is part of the Green Zone - the Green Zone of the 30th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP 30), which started today in Belém.
Entitled "Amazon Initiative +10: Subnational Collaboration and Joint Funding for Local Development in the Amazon", the panel aimed to reinforce the role of state foundations and subnational governments in building innovative governance and joint funding models, presenting ongoing projects in Pará that deliver relevant results for mitigation, adaptation, and bioeconomy, and to present the future actions of the Amazon Initiative +10.
"We talked about the Amazon Initiative +10 from a very broad perspective of how this funding strategy from subnational governments for scientific, technological, and innovative research is a model to be followed, and how we can improve this model, which works very well today," informed Fapespa's Scientific Director, Deyvison Medrado, moderator of the panel.
In addition to the director, the program included the president of the Amazonas State Research Support Foundation (Fapeam), Márcia Perales Mendes Silva, and representatives of projects supported by the initiative.
Engagement and experiences - Polyanna da Conceição Bispo, one of the coordinators of the "Amazonian BioTechQuilombo" Project, funded by Amazon +10 through the Scientific Expeditions call, was present and spoke about the experience.
"It was very interesting to see the panelists' perspective on how this engagement with the community is important. Also, the perspectives of researchers already involved in other Amazon +10 calls, who were able to share their experiences with us, for example, related to the importance of valuing Amazon researchers, of giving prominence to Amazon researchers as well," she emphasized.
Amazonian protagonism – Professor at the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), Monique Medeiros was one of the panel members. Coordinator of one of the projects supported by the initiative, through a call launched by Fapespa, Monique said she took the opportunity not only to report the project's results but also to talk about how it manages to provide connections with people from other states and countries, in addition to making the community members themselves researchers involved in these initiatives.
"We are in a very significant space with other actors looking at the unfolding of our research. It seems very strategic to me that we have managed to share these results and also made suggestions for improving future calls that Fapespa may have in its portfolio," she pointed out.
Integration - Also part of the panel, Professor Rommel Ramos from UFPA highlighted the importance of the integration provided by the initiative for local researchers. "It is a call that enables integration between various research groups outside the state, throughout Brazil, maintaining the protagonism of researchers from the region, which is important for us to meet local demands regarding problems to be solved," emphasized Rommel Ramos, adding that "bringing this to COP is essential to show what is being built today in Pará with state funding, from our Foundation for Research Support."
Articulated by the National Council of State Foundations for Research Support (Confap) and the National Council of Secretaries for Science, Technology, and Innovation (Consecti), in partnership with the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), the Amazon Initiative +10 currently has 61 supported research projects with approximately R$ 120 million, half of which comes from subnational governments through State Foundations for Research Support, mobilizing an active network of over 1,900 researchers in Brazil and other countries, with about 400 active scholarship holders and 562 scientific products generated, and more than 11,000 people reached in training actions so far.
"Initiatives like Amazon +10 demonstrate how cooperation between subnational governments can strengthen funding for S&T, promote innovation driven by local challenges, and enhance the scientific response capacity to the climate crisis. By integrating multiple actors and fostering strategic research, the initiative reinforces the role of states in building an inclusive bioeconomy and valuing standing forests as a development asset," reinforced Deyvison Medrado, Fapespa's Scientific Director.
Mobilization - The proposal of the Amazon Initiative +10 is to connect researchers, public managers, and strategic partners, including international institutions committed to the climate agenda. In this way, the initiative demonstrates concrete action, plurality, and mobilization capacity, consolidating a legacy that amplifies the impact of Amazonian science.
"In addition to local development, the Program also seeks to expand the construction of scientific, technological, and innovative knowledge about the region, regarding some fundamental guidelines. One of them refers to the protagonism of researchers based in the Amazon, so that they are not only suppliers of raw material, of raw data, but can also lead, plan, and discuss how the projects will be executed," explained Deyvison Medrado. He added: "Beyond that, it is the inclusion of the Amazon as a protagonist in this process of participation within research and action projects."
Text: Beatriz Rodrigues, intern, under the supervision of Manuela Oliveira – Ascom/Fapespa
