Unicamp is prioritizing works that should receive resources from the budget reserve later this year. There are 30 million reais that must be allocated to the execution or completion of works considered emergency, which involve safety, health issues or legal situations involved, such as the Terms of Conduct Adjustment, (TACs). The list, containing the order of priority, the values involved and the progress of the projects, is constantly updated with the participation of unit and agency managers and is available on the website of the Dean of University Development (PRDU).
Marisa Beppu, vice-rector of University Development, emphasizes that Unicamp is not canceling projects, “but placing an execution order that generates less negative impact on the University's accounts”. She highlights that the period is one of the most difficult for Unicamp's finances since the achievement of university autonomy. The projected deficit for 2017 is around 290 million. “Unicamp is not in default, it is honoring its expenses. But the money to cover the deficit comes from the university's balance, the same reserves that would be the source to carry out a large part of the list of projects that we have, including works”.
The complete list available on the PRDU website totals around 290 projects that would require resources of around 560 million reais. In addition to the works, projects are also planned to purchase furniture, change or repair equipment, such as a tomograph in the healthcare sector, for example. “The list of priorities is changing and the best way to decide investments is through collective and transparent discussion, with the public list”.
In addition, there is the inclusion of emergency projects, such as adapting the warehouse of controlled products, recently requested by the Federal Police, which is the body that regulates the sale and packaging of this type of material. “We learned that there were adjustments required for the University to continue purchasing the products.”
The pro-rector believes that with the measures taken, Unicamp should recover the balance of its accounts while continuing with the most essential works that will be carried out. “We created an integrated planning executive board and I believe that the planning of works should include passing through this screening process. In the future, any new work must be in harmony with the University’s Master Plan.”
Projects such as the restoration of the Campinas Technical College (Cotuca) or the completion of the Performing and Body Arts Laboratory Theater are priorities according to PRDU's pro-rector Marisa Beppu. For the work at Cotuca, Unicamp is seeking external resources and has already started negotiations for financing with a financial institution, according to the head of Unicamp's Executive Board of Administration (DEA), professor Roberto Rodrigues Paes.
In relation to the theater, the first stage of the works was completed, with the hiring of a company specialized in carrying out structural efforts, according to information from engineer Patrícia Ferrari Schedenffeldt, from the Unicamp Projects and Works Coordination (CPO). The University is also seeking resources for the second stage of the work, which includes complementary projects for urbanization, hydraulics, air conditioning, scenic lighting, etc.
The University terminated the contract with the company hired for the first bid, due to a construction error that has already been remedied, with structural reinforcement. There is a remainder of the work that is the roofing part, to be carried out together with the completion of the project. The director of the Institute of Arts Grácia Navarro highlights that the theater is part of a complex, which includes a set of eight classrooms. “The work is ready to grow,” she said.
