“First step of RNP approaching with the Country’s innovation ecosystem”. This is how RNP’s R&D Director Iara Machado summed up the importance of the announcement for 2019 R&D Programs, during the launch ceremony, held in Rio de Janeiro on February 26. Researchers from public and private institutions and members of startups will be able to send their proposals of projects in the area of Technologies of Innovation and Communication (TIC) until 31/3.

For the first time, the project will include the innovation ecosystem in the announcement, with the purpose of encouraging the creation of new startups and also supporting the existing ones. According to the Director of the Department of Innovative Ecosystems of MCTIC, Otávio Caixeta, the announcement talks strongly with what the Ministry has focused on for the next few years. “Our work meets the purpose of RNP. I hope that community will benefit from this initiative”, said Caixeta.

RNP's R&D Program began in 2002 and over the last 17 years has generated many important results for the teaching and research institutions served by the organization. The change in the announcement is a result of the new interministerial ordinance that extended the performance of the RNP System, including community collaboration networks.

RNP’s CEO Nelson Simões highlighted the importance of this approach in order to find new ways to generate innovation in the R&D system. “R&D programs are effective for education and research in Brazil. And we want to be closer to the national innovation system, so this call is a first step. Now we need to learn how to transform our infrastructure to benefit technological parks, startups, accelerators and other members of this ecosystem”, said Simões. For the President of ANPROTEC, José Alberto Aranha, the government plays an important role in generating innovation in Brazil and said that RNP “is one step ahead, showing people how these partnerships should follow”.

Given this scenario, RNP seeks proposals that may help in the expansion of the services offered by the network. Therefore, the announcement encourages the submission of specific themes, with projects in the areas of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) applied in Education and Health, Cybersecurity, Network Monitoring, Identity Management, Infrastructures and Applications for university campuses.

However, there are some points that need to be adjusted, as evaluated by UFRJ Professor Edmundo Souza e Silva, who emphasized the importance of creating this ecosystem of innovation in universities, reducing the bureaucracy for the creation of new companies from academic projects . “Having flexibility is very important. We are a country with many bureaucratic ties, and this is unacceptable”, analyzed the Professor.

The technological results of R&D contribute directly to the economic and social development of the Country. By linking this program to the open startups model, there is the use of dynamic and innovative ideas that demonstrate originality and relevance in the uses of technology.

Are you interested?

Learn more on the RNP R&D Schedule of Conditions in 2019.