The Grant · Why
A grant born
of many.
The Luís Andrade Barreira Grant funds cancer research at i3S, in Porto. Recurring, transparent and centred on the researchers.
Cancer asks no permission. It arrives, it takes, and it leaves a space no one fills again.
We cannot bring back those we lost. But we can prevent the next absence — if we fund those who research, today, with constancy.
The fight against cancer is still waged by a few: almost all funding comes from a handful of hands — big foundations, big fortunes. Those who want to help are left out.
We believe in a simple idea: many small contributions, added together, become a great force. It is the economy of scale in the service of science. Alone, one euro does not cure; but a thousand small contributions, ten euros at a time, sustain a researcher for a whole year.
You do not need to be a millionaire to move science forward. With a few euros a month, a thousand people are worth as much as a great patron — and bring what the patron does not: belonging.
That is why we fund people, not structures. And we account for everything: every euro has a name.
Every euro has a name
We fund people, not structures
Many small gestures, one great gesture
Luís's story
A line that does not fade.
Luís was an engineer, in love with music and dance. He was thirty-five, with much more dancing ahead of him. When cancer came, the family did what every family does: we were there, we waited, we believed — and we learned, the hardest way, that wanting is not enough.
When he died, Luís left a wish: that his money go to science — to something with a direct impact on research. We searched for that path for over a year and could not find it, so we decided to build it. Of all the doors we knocked on, only one opened fully: i3S. This grant is how we keep Luís’s wish — and extend it to everyone who wants to join.
How it works
Four steps, no fine print.
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You contribute
A small gesture, monthly or one-off. Whatever you can.
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It adds up
Many small gestures come together into a single grant. That’s the economy of scale.
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The i3S committee selects
An independent scientific committee chooses the projects on merit.
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We publish everything
Every euro has a name: we show what came in, where it went and what changed.
i3S committee
Who chooses, and how.
An independent scientific committee at i3S reviews the applications and selects the projects on merit. The grant’s management does not interfere with scientific merit.
The eligibility criteria, the assessment criteria, the committee composition and the deadlines are gathered on the applications page.
See selection criteriaGovernance
How we are organised.
The Andrade Barreira family
The family runs the grant and safeguards the mission — it does not interfere with scientific merit.
Scientific independence
Selection is the i3S committee’s. Management does not interfere with merit.
Held by i3S
The capital is held in escrow at i3S until it is invested in the projects.
Accountability
Quarterly reports and an annual Report & Accounts, public.
Minimal costs
The vast majority of every euro goes to research.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
Para onde vai o meu contributo?
Cada euro é afetado a bolsas de investigação atribuídas por mérito pelo comité do i3S. Publicamos, no razão de contas, o que entrou, para onde foi e o que mudou. Cada euro tem nome.
Posso alterar ou cancelar a contribuição mensal?
Sim, a qualquer momento e sem justificação. A contribuição é sua e fica sempre sob o seu controlo.
Quem escolhe os investigadores financiados?
Um comité científico independente do i3S, por mérito. A bolsa financia pessoas e projetos — não estruturas.
Os meus dados de cartão ficam guardados no site?
Não. O pagamento é processado pela Stripe (conforme PCI); os dados do cartão nunca passam pelos nossos servidores.
O meu nome fica público?
Só se marcares essa opção. Por defeito, a tua doação é privada. O email nunca é tornado público.
Recebo recibo?
Sim, a Stripe envia o recibo por email após cada pagamento.