PUBLIC EDUCATION MANAGEMENT AND AGENCIES PROMOTING STRICTO SENSU GRADUATE PROGRAMS IN BRAZIL: AN ANALYSIS OF INSTITUTIONS, INSTRUMENTS, AND THE FEDERAL SYSTEM

Abstract

This article analyzes the institutional arrangement of public agencies, funds and instruments that support stricto sensu graduate education in Brazil, emphasizing the links among researcher training, research, infrastructure and intergovernmental coordination. It discusses the mandates of CAPES and CNPq, the roles of MCTI and Finep, the FNDCT as a funding source, and the contribution of state research foundations (FAPs) and sectoral government bodies. The study is documentary, descriptive and institutionally analytical, focusing primarily on 2024–2026 while taking relevant legal and historical milestones into account. It examines programmes and calls, budget data, and examples of support for infrastructure, internationalization, the reduction of regional disparities and the retention of researchers. Instruments are distinguished by purpose, beneficiary and financial nature; funding flows are analyzed by identifying the source of funds, the implementing entity, and the stages of appropriation, commitment, verification and payment. The analysis shows that scholarships, operating support, infrastructure funding, grants and loans are complementary but not interchangeable. It also highlights the risk of double counting and the gap between appropriations and the effective coverage of demand. The article concludes that the State plays a structuring role and that effective support requires multi-year predictability, transparency, outcome evaluation and territorial-equity measures.