Unicamp received a visit this Monday morning (6) from the head of the Secretariat for Economic Development of the State of São Paulo, Patrícia Ellen da Silva. The secretary was received by the rector Marcelo Knobel, the general coordinator Teresa Atvars and members of the University's Central Administration. During the meeting, several topics of interest to both the Secretariat and Unicamp were discussed, as well as potential collaborative actions between the two parties, focusing on the State's economic growth. “I was happy to visit Unicamp, which is one of the most important universities in Latin America. I think we have a path of many partnerships ahead of us, always respecting the autonomy of the University”, stated the secretary.
At the meeting, the rector presented to Patrícia Ellen Unicamp's main performance indicators and listed some of the measures adopted by the University to rebalance the budget, strongly affected by the low activity of the Brazilian economy in recent years. Despite the difficulties, highlighted Marcelo Knobel, the institution is getting closer to the objective of eliminating the financial deficit. Expenses, which were once 17% above revenue, are currently around 3%. “The important fact is that we achieved this significant reduction in the deficit without compromising the quality of our activities”, added the director.
Marcelo Knobel also listed some programs and projects formulated by Unicamp that, according to him, can contribute to the development of the State of São Paulo. One of them is the International Hub for Sustainable Development (HIDS), to be implemented in an area owned by the University, which is adjacent to the Barão Geraldo campus. The proposal is to create a district that brings together, on a collaborative basis, initiatives from universities, companies, research institutes and government bodies focused on sustainable development. “The participation of the State government in this project is essential for us to achieve it”, observed the rector.
The general coordinator of Unicamp took the opportunity to request the secretary's support for an important demand of the University. According to her, the hiring made by the institution, via public competition, is to fill municipal functions, as provided for in the current structure. It turns out that the Public Prosecutor's Office determined that the admission of civil servants will be carried out based on positions, which must be created by the State and submitted for approval by the Legislative Assembly. “We sent a proposal to the government, but we have not yet received a response. We would like to ask for your help so that we can speed up this process and resolve the issue”, said Teresa Atvars.
The Secretary of Economic Development reaffirmed the current government's commitment to supporting actions and projects that contribute to the economic and sustainable growth of the State. In Patrícia Ellen's view, state public universities are playing an important role in formulating public policies for this purpose, but they can further expand this contribution. “If you have proposals in this regard, you can count on us”, guaranteed the secretary, who also spoke about the initiatives of her Department, including one that foresees the increase in productive vocations in each region of São Paulo.
HEAR A STATEMENT FROM SECRETARY PATRÍCIA ELLEN
