Management

The Alberto Santos Dumont Association for Research Development - AASDAP, is responsible for the administration of the Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neuroscience of Natal (ELS-IINN). AASDAP is an Organization of the Civil Society of Public Interest (OSCIP), recognized and accredited by the Brazilian Ministry of Justice. AASDAP raises and manages public and private funds designed to support a variety of scientific research and social projects in Brazil.

In January 2006, AASDAP, in partnership with the Sirio-Libanes Hospital, inaugurated a Clinical Neuroscience Lab. This lab is located within the hospital’s Research and Teaching Institute (IEP) in the city of São Paulo.

Future Projects

The Alberto Santos Dumont Association for Research Development (AASDAP) intends to use the campus of the Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neuroscience (ELS-IINN) to attract public and private investments in order to transform the metropolitan region of Natal into the Brazilian “City of the Brain.” Currently, neuroscience comprises a premier segment of the biotechnology industry worldwide. As a result, a variety of traditional and emerging biomedical companies in the US and Europe are shifting their focus to basic and applied brain research. Our goal is to attract local and foreign investors to Natal in order to create a “City of the Brain,” to be constructed around the campus of the ELS-IINN.

The success of the ELS-IINN will be vital for launching future AASDAP projects in other cities of the Brazilian north and northeast. We hope that the experience gained during this first undertaking will guide us in the development of twelve other similar enterprises in areas vital to the scientific, social and economic development of Brazil.

In terms of social development, the ELS-IINN is inaugurating the first components of an educational complex which will serve to produce and host a variety of integrated activities and educational projects, such as science education programs for youth and adults, and activities involving sports, health, culture and leisure. These facilities will expand the opportunities for local citizens to participate in social and cultural programs, and provide an important step in overcoming the current barriers of social, educational and technological exclusion.

Private and Public Support

The ELS-IINN is grateful for the continuous support provided by the Brazilian Ministries of Science and Technology, Health, and Education, by contracts and grants from the Financiadora de Projetos Agency (FINEP) and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), and donations from Duke University and the Sirio-Libanes Hospital of São Paulo. The ELS-IINN’s mission is also supported by AVINA and through a long-term partnership with the University of Rio Grande of Norte.