Financial support for Research, Development and Innovation (RD&I) projects developed in partnership between Minas Gerais companies and Embrapii Centers or Units. This is the objective of the unprecedented Technical Cooperation Agreement signed on January 24 between the Brazilian Industrial Research and Innovation Company (Embrapii) and the Minas Gerais Development Bank (BDMG). The two institutions will work to bring companies in Minas Gerais closer to Embrapii Units that have technical-scientific knowledge and experience in technological and innovation development, in order to increase business generation in key sectors for the state's economic diversification.
The cooperation provides that companies from all sectors will be able to request funding from BDMG, as long as they present a product, process or service innovation project in the areas where the Embrapii Units operate. The BDMG's role will be through financing, through credit lines available to support innovation, with interest rates starting at 0.64% am and repayment term of up to 96 months. Embrapii, in turn, will be the bridge for the joint elaboration of the project by the Scientific, Technological and Innovation Institution (ICT) and by the company, streamlining the use of resources. The projects will comply with Embrapii's non-reimbursable financing rule, where it pays up to 1/3 of the contracted amount and the remainder is divided between the company and the Unit.
For Embrapii's CEO, Jorge Guimarães, "the agreement intends to attract and stimulate even more the participation of Minas Gerais companies in the development of RD&I projects, on the initiative of the companies, exploring the existence of pre-selected, highly qualified research groups and experienced in the development of technological innovation projects. BDMG's participation expands the perspective of greater participation of companies in this partnership, whose fundamental basis is to offer opportunities for contracting RD&I projects with reduced risks and costs for companies".
The president of BDMG, Marco Crocco, highlighted that the partnership is of paramount importance, as it reflects the bank's strategy to become a reference in cutting-edge technology areas. "The culture of innovation is a determining factor in the process of growth and sustainability of companies. The bank contributes to the implementation of projects that elevate companies to a new paradigm of industrial production", he says.
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