About

The Center for Applied Research in Well-Being and Human Behavior (CPBEC) has as its main goal the promotion of research on psychological well-being, addressing aspects such as positive emotions, behavioral interventions, and the neural basis of social and affective processes. The studies are developed in an interdisciplinary context, integrating psychology, neuroscience and health sciences, also having intersections with other areas such as Social Sciences and Applied Humanities.

The CPBEC is the first Center in Brazil with this theme and objectives and was created in 2016. Through public-private funding that involves research funding agencies, the projects are funded by the Foundation for Research Support of São Paulo (FAPESP), and Natura Cosmetics. In the sphere of Universities, the projects are made up of renowned institutions with national and international prestige such as the University of São Paulo (USP), Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) and Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie (Mackenzie). Emma Otta (USP) is Director, and Patrícia Tobo (Natura) is Vice-Director of CPBEC.


The Center for Applied Research in Well-Being and Human Behavior works on three major fronts: Research, Technology Transfer and Knowledge Diffusion





Research


The Center's research activities are based on the concept of Collaborative Networks. The organization of the research portfolio is carried out through thematic projects. Among the projects of the current Work Cycle are the following themes:


  • Well-Being Indicators of the Brazilian population;
  • Development and validation of self-report scales, development of behavioral and psychophysiological measures;
  • Affective neuroscience in the understanding of human interaction;
  • Well-Being program in schools;
  • Well-Being study in twins.




Technology Transfer


The Center has a Technology Transfer Coordination Office, given that the research results has the potential to generate knowledge and technologies capable of contributing to socioeconomic development. It is up to this front to plan, organize, manage, and control the entire process involving Technology Transfer and innovation, including intellectual protection and partnership models between the organizations that compose the Center, both internally and externally.

Specifically, along with the Center's projects the activities in this area are based on a model consisting of four stages:

  • Discovery;
  • Technology Assessment;
  • Application;
  • Disclosure.


In the Coordination, Antonio Mauro Saraiva and in the Vice-Coordination, Leonardo Garnica (Natura).




Education and Knowledge Dissemination


This coordination was created with the objective of increasing the Center's impact and taking the developed research results to the organizations and people for whom these applications are intended. The area acts with the proposal of creating a set of procedures and tools aiming at transparency in the research activities developed, thus contributing to:


  • Creation of a culture of knowledge sharing among members;
  • Promotion of effective channels and strategies for information exchange;
  • Disclosure of research results to society;
  • Proposing training actions.


These contributions are structured in two axes: Internal Communication, aimed at the Center's members, and External Communication, focused on the relationship between the Center and society.

Coordination: Prof. Dr. Cláudio Possani

Vice-coordinator: Leonardo Garnica (Natura)


Governance - Institutional


Aiming its full operation, the Center is composed of an Executive Committee, a Scientific Committee, and an International Advisory Board.

The Executive Committee is constituted by:


  • Director: held by the researcher responsible for the proposal with the FAPESP/Natura call;
  • Vice-Director: whose function will be performed by the responsible for the Center with the Partner company, Natura;
  • One Coordinator and one Knowledge Education and Dissemination (EDC) Vice-Coordinator;
  • One Coordinator and one Vice-coordinator for Technology Transfer (TT);
  • Three representatives of the nucleus of Research Project leaders, being: one from USP, one from Unifesp and one from Mackenzie.


Among the competencies of this committee are:


  • Decide on the management of the Center; - Decide on the focus of action and management;
  • Supervising the accomplishment of research activities;
  • Approving the budget for the Research Projects that compose the Center;
  • Elaborate the Regulation.


The Scientific Committee is formed by the project leaders and the Executive Committee. It is responsible for deciding on the processing of processes related to:


  • Intellectual Property;
  • Collaborate with information to subsidize the initiatives of Technology Transfer and Knowledge Education and Dissemination;
  • To constitute a collaborative instance for scientific and technical matters related to all the Center's projects;


The International Advisory Board is composed of renowned international researchers, with at least two foreign scientists being part of the Board. The names are nominated by the Scientific Committee and approved by the Executive Committee. It is in charge of monitoring the Center's operation and guiding the team on research opportunities, strategic decisions, and increasing the international competitiveness of the science created by the Center.