Organization focuses on 13 technology areas, including Software and Automation
The agility and flexibility of the distribution of resources for innovation projects led the Brazilian Industrial Research and Innovation Company (Embrapii), which since no longer acts as a pilot project, in just two months of 2015, to close nine contracts with companies partners, totaling R$ 13.3 million.
The institution's financing follows the following general rule: Embrapii can invest up to 1/3 of the unit's expenses in RD&I projects with companies, while the remainder is divided between the partner company and the unit. By sharing project risks with companies (through the division of project costs), the industrial sector is encouraged to innovate more and with greater technological intensity, thus enhancing the competitive strength of companies both in the domestic market and in the market. International.
Established in the national innovation scenario, Embrapii no longer acts as a pilot project since the beginning of 2015. Currently, it has 18 units selected through public call and aims to accredit five more units by the end of the year. Among the units that closed recent projects are Instituto Lactec (PR), Fundação Certi (SC), the National Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) and CPqD, both in São Paulo. “The response to the action plans has been surprisingly quick. The revenue of some research institutes in 2014, due to new projects, was a record”, declares the CEO of Embrapii, João Fernando Oliveira. The goal is to accredit a total of 23 research institutes selected through public calls by the end of this year.
Contemplated projects
Signed in January, the CPqD closed a project with the multinational Padtec, which aims to develop, support and evolve innovative technologies for high-capacity WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplexing) optical communications systems. “This is an area that needs to be constantly evolving to meet the new demands arising from the intensive use of applications on the Internet, which make the traffic on communications networks increase more and more”, says Tania Regina Tronco, researcher at the Directorate of CPqD Innovation Management.
Fundação Certi also celebrates the good progress of the stages of its innovation projects. Its researchers are developing an intelligent marketing system for the multinational Gnatus, specialized in dental products, with an average annual turnover of R$ 280 million. The other project, in partnership with Fanem, an important national manufacturer of medical and laboratory equipment, is working on the research and development of a new platform for the manufacturer's equipment for the neonatology segment.
Institutos Lactec signed a contract in the area of on-board electronics with Volvo. The project seeks innovation for the automaker's trucks that operate in the agricultural area. And CNPEM is developing research in the area of Biomass in partnership with Brasil Kirin, an important beverage manufacturer. “Our thinking at EMBRAPII is that the competitiveness of Brazilian industry depends on a gigantic list of factors, but there is no doubt that innovative capacity can overcome a number of them. The only way for us to change this industry game is through the true insertion of new materials and technologies, and the use of intelligence in products as a new culture of more knowledge within the industry”, evaluates João Fernando.
About Embrapii
Embrapii is a Social Organization that maintains a management contract with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), with the Ministry of Education (MEC) as an intervening institution. The resources are obtained through transfers from the National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development, linked to the MCTI.
According to Artur Rosa, from the organization's press office, the areas of competence selected by the company have their origin in the demands of the industry. Based on this information, the technological institutes develop innovative solutions and seek the industrial sector to offer them, through the division of project costs. Currently, Embrapii has 13 technological competences. They are: Optical Communications, Embedded Electronics, Subsea Engineering, Aeronautical Manufacturing, Integrated Manufacturing, Materials – High Performance, Polymers, Biomass Processing, Intelligent Systems, Software and Automation, Pipeline Technology, Refrigeration Technologies and Industrial Chemical Technology.
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