Eureka meets the Atlantic 03
The
EUREKA Portuguese Coordination
Portuguese Chairmanship Team info@eurekaportugal2021-22.pt
Alexandra Frazão | Executive Secretary
alexandra.frazao@aircentre.org
+351 217 231 062
Co-organized by the Portuguese Chairmanship of the Eureka Network, the Technological Park of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), and the Brazilian National Association of Entities Promoting Innovative Enterprises (ANPROTEC), the goal was to promote entities bringing sustainable innovation as well as seizing the chance to discuss funding sources and opportunities for collaboration between European and Brazilian SMEs.
The first day started with welcome remarks by Vicente Ferreira, Director of the Techonological Park of UFRJ, Miguel Belló, Chairperson for the Portuguese Eureka Chairmanship, Rodrigo Mendes, Director for International Relations at ANPROTEC and Tiago Rodrigues, First Secretary to the Portuguese Embassy in Brazil. The opening was followed by an introduction to the Eureka Funding Mechanisms and a talk by ANPROTEC on “Supporting Innovation and Brazilian SMEs” followed by a statement by the DSI of South Africa, regarding their experience with Eureka. The Copernicus Marine Services and Sustainable Aquaculture were topics addressed throughout the day, as well as the SME Pitches, during which various European and Brazilian SMEs presented their work on innovative technologies, which included solutions in Earth Observation, alternatives to plastics, apps for digital transformation of cities, platforms for maritime safety and security, among others.
On the second day there were sessions on the All-Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance, Offshore Renewable Energies, EC Global Action on Space, among other topics. By the end of the morning a roundtable took place, which included various representatives of Brazilian and European companies, to discuss the possible cooperation between Eureka and Brazilian entities. To conclude the day, a Declaration of Intent was signed for cooperation between the Eureka network and the main Financing Agencies for Brazilian research, development, and innovation, CONFAP (Conselho Nacional das Fundações Estaduais de Amparo à Pesquisa), EMBRAPII (Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa e Inovação Industrial) and FINEP (Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos – Empresa Pública do MCTI). This agreement will be valid for 3 years and will allow the launch of several calls for Eureka projects, aiming for the development of innovative and sustainable products and services between Brazilian entities and entities from countries belonging to the Eureka Network.
The next destination for Eureka Meets the Atlantic will be Boston, USA, focusing on the topic of local to global innovation for the sustainable development of cities.
