The National Institutes of Science and Technology (INCTs) are placed in a strategic position in the Brazilian National System of Science, Technology and Innovation. One of the objectives of the INCT Programme is to promote the interaction with international groups of excellence in the specific area of research. Therefore, the institutes should promote actions that enable international collaboration with excellence groups of leading countries in the respective area, aiming not only at scientific production and the improvement of its quality, but also at the mobility of researchers who are already trained or in process of training.

As announced by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) in October 2016, 101 INCTs will receive a total of R$ 600 million of funding for a six-year period. Funding is provided by federal and state research funding organisations of Brazil, ministries and other federal or state entities, besides private enterprises. Further 151 institutes were awarded the “INCT seal” for excellent research proposals.