Softex and MCTIC will encourage startups with the TechD program

 

The Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovations and Communications (MCTIC) and Softex launched, on June 29, 2018, the TechD program, which will dedicate an investment fund of R$ 18 million to promote the approximation of startups with Brazilian companies, R&DI centers and universities, within the concept of Open Innovation. The program has institutional support from ABES.
 
“Investing in innovation is fundamental for development, and resources for research and development are also essential for our economy. Hence the importance of this Softex program in partnership with MCTIC”, said Minister Gilberto Kassab.
 
Softex will be responsible for administering the non-refundable funds. TechD focuses on innovative projects that offer solutions for four thematic lines: Internet of Things (IoT), Health, Energy and Mobility, which are divided into around 150 sub-themes. The program will have strategic partnerships with the Brazilian Computer Society (SBC), the National Association of Entities Promoting Innovative Enterprises (Anprotec) and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq).
 
The first round of funds will allocate R$ 13 million for investments in grants for startups or researchers. On the part of Softex, R$ 500 thousand will be invested in each project, with the possibility of expanding the investment, in view of the model proposed by the program: that companies that demand technology also become investors, based on an evaluation carried out case by case. In a second round, Softex will contribute another R$ 6 million.
 
Phases
 
The realization of TechD is divided into three phases. In the first, the program has already accredited technological development institutions, such as incubators and research centers. In all, 29 institutions accepted to participate in TechD.
Now, the initiative is in a second stage, which is to select the companies that will participate and, in a way, accelerate the startups' projects, through tests or investments in the projects. Interested companies can now consult the TechD public call to apply through this link.
 
In a third stage, scheduled for August, startups or research projects will be selected. According to Softex, the idea is that startups can benefit from the technical knowledge of universities and the business vision of companies already consolidated to think of solutions that, at the same time, are punctual for a need, but that can scale globally.
 
The objective is for TechD to collaborate with the development of national products with greater added value in software, hardware and information technology services, also contributing to the generation of intellectual property in the so-called emerging technologies (artificial intelligence, cognitive computing, big data and analytics, cloud and cybersecurity, among others). Innovations are expected to help Brazil advance and improve its position in the Global Innovation Index ranking, in which the country ranks 99th, according to data released in 2017.
 
“Supporting research, development and innovation activities aimed at innovative businesses in line with new technological trends will make it possible to position Brazil as one of the world's leading players in the sector, making the country less dependent on international technologies, producing innovative services with greater added value and highly competitive in the international market”, explained the president of Softex, Ruben Delgado.