High-Tech Geology

With the intension of spread the culture of innovation through the mining and geology sector in Brazil, historically conservative, the secretary of Technological Development and Innovation of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MCT), Ronaldo Mota, presents this Thursday (2nd December 2010) governmental programs and actions available that support this initiative. This is a very import part of the country's structure and advances in technology are required to make it more competitive and help productivity.

Thorium instead of Uranium?

Brazilian nuclear scientists are considering investing in research for substituting enriched Uranium in its power plants in Angra. The Center for Mineral Technology (CETEM / MCT) held on December 9 the Mini Forum Iberoeka Torio for scientists and business men from Brazil and Latin America. The use of thorium for energy isn't new even for the young Brazilian nuclear energy program (see reference IAEA) but it is still very hard to evaluate the amount if the mineral available for extraction.

National development index to improve innovation in Brazil

Big news: "national development" is now requirement to all governmental purchases and bids.

Currently the bids are made not just on cheapest prices but it is also based on something called "The Preference Margin" which takes into account if the purchase (or acquisition) will generate jobs and collect taxes. Now the development of technological innovation is part of the math and must count 25% of the preference margin index.

According to the Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MCT), Luiz Antonio Rodrigues Elias, "The measure looks at the power of the purchase of the government as an inductive tool of innovation in Brazil."

Well done Lula!

Improving competitiveness through energy efficiency

Energy efficiency is a topic of debate in the Brazilian government right now. Its incredible natural resources allowed this country to have cheap hydroelectric power-plants but also stopped technological development of renewable energy research. This week though, the Center for Management and Strategic Studies (CGEE / MCT), in Brasilia, is the place where the Technological Development and Innovation (Setec) and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MCT) meet up to discuss the energy's future.

The challenge for government is to achieve the 2030 target of 10% of electrical energy conservation. Some say that this is only doable with the complete substitution of incandescent light-bulbs and the development of long-term policy aiming energy efficiency improvements.

51st International Mathematical Olympiad

51st International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), which takes place until tomorrow (14) in the city of Astana, Kazakhstan, has already granted Brazil with 2 Silver medals and 1 Bronze.

The 6 students participating of the Brazilian delegation had to resolve 3 math problems in under 4 hours and 30 minutes. Since 1979 Brazil has won 8 gold, 23 silver and 59 bronze. The entities involved in this competition are:

• Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad (OBM)
  
• Brazilian Mathematical Society (SBM)
  
• National Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics (Impa / MCT)
  
• National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq / MCT) -- supported by
  
• National Institute of Science Technology Mathematics (INCT - Mat) -- supported by
  

I certainly hope trend carries on and education becomes a major investment concern to the government there.

Japan and France to partner for protecting the Amazon forest

When someone says the word "tropical", the Amazon is first thing that comes to mind. To protect it, means to preserve the all tropical areas of the Globe. In partnership with other countries the National Institute for Space Research (INPE / MCT) has just launched a program to capacitate technical teams of the countries of South America where the forest stretches, making it possible to fully monitor the region, like the work done by the Institute in the Brazilian Amazon for the last 20 years.

Partnering with France (Institute of Development Research - IRD) and Japan (International Cooperation Agency of Japan - JICA), the Regional Center of the Amazon (CRA) - where the trainings will take place - will permit the distribution of satellite images of the protected ares.

Innovation in Local Productive Arrangements, thank you EU!

The European Union is promoting a seminar in Brazilian's capital, Brasilia, where the goal of improving the regional development of Brazil by introducing the concept of Local Productive Arrangements (or APL in Portuguese). Many public institutions have to be involved to standardise the communication between political groups/parties and the companies involved. The EU will help teaching the Brazilian politician the best ways to increment productivity through innovation. This is the second stage of the project "Incentives for Innovation in Local Productive Arrangements" and is the first great step for enriching poor regions that never had the necessary support and where the local councils never knew what to do to improve this situation. (Sounds like it is going to take a long time to cover all wholes...)

Governamental organs involved:

• Standing Working Group (GTP)
• Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade (MDIC)
• Ministry of Integration (MI)
• Ministry of Planning, Budget and Management (PBM)
• Ministry of Science and Technology (MCT)
• Directorate General for Regional Policy of the European Commission (DGRegio)

Spain is partnering with Brazil for innovation development

According to one of my previous posts, $41 billions spent in tech development and research, Brazil is jumping in front of the vanguard of the nanotechnology in South America, and Spain - clever - jumped to share good results. Biotechnology, Renewable Energy, Process Engineering, Nanotechnology and Health are the targeted subjects for this joint effort pro innovation.

Yes the Ministry of Science and Innovation (Micinn), from Spain, and CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development), from Brazil, are now in partnership where Spanish researchers that can now be funded with up to R$3 million (around US$1.8 mi) of the FNDCT, National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development of Brazil.

All projects must be presented with a responsible PhD with experience with international cooperation, which is good for improving Brazilian know-how on cooperative technological research and development with international financial advantage as the one of the main goals.

Brazil opens the first Research Centre of the Sea

Opened the first Research Centre of the Sea of Brazil in Sao Vicente (in the state of SP). The goal of this centre are:

• Develop research to improve petroleum and gas exploration over deep sea
• Oceanography studies
• Development of the salt industry
• Seaport logistics

The Ministry of Science and Technology is responsible for the initiative and the acting minister thanks that to the budget directed to his ministry, which is the biggest of all ministries. 30 researchers from Unesp will be working full time on this centre and many students will be involved through out the projects' developments.

I don't really know what oceanography means and what they do and if you can, dear reader, post your opinion herein. Ok?

$360 million in educational infrastructure

Infrastructure of public institutions, Universities and research labs will get R$360 million from Proinfra, the project approved by Brazilian congress was put together by Financier of Studies and Projects with funds from the National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development (FNDCT / CT-infra).

See the official call for institutions to apply for collecting this investment (in Portuguese).

Investment Directed to IT development using governmental fund, good news to me

Information Technology is now part of the Brazilian government's investments, R$12 millions (about US$8 million) will go into technology specialization programs (to expand applied knowledge of IT supply chain) and into information management systems research (for managing large volumes of data, distributed computing, modelling complex systems, impacts of the transition from silicon to new technologies, universal access and more). This is a public program and the projects presented will have to match one of the selected categories and depending on the are of knowledge the amount of investment varies.

The involved departments are the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq / MCT), National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development (FNDCT / CT-Info) and the Brazilian Computer Society (SBC)

Young Scientist Award: Improving Environmental Impact of Energy Usage

R$150 thousand (around US$90.000) are destined to the 24º Young Scientist Award promoted by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development of Brazil (CNPq / MCT), the company Gerdau and the Roberto Marinho Foundation (FRM). This is a pretty pathetic prize for both, the company and the foundation in question, because Gerdau is one of the top mineral extract (iron and other metals) companies in the World and FRM owns the 5th biggest television company in the World, Globo. I think they just need to do something with the billions they make so they can justify not paying taxes (or at least all of it).

Nonetheless it is something worthy to tell to my avid readers. The focus of this initiative this year (2010) is to challenge the junior scientists to reduce the environmental impacts caused by energy consumption. There are several categories that students can fit on and that makes this project interesting: young entrepreneurs with ideas to change the World (for a better one). This is the best outcome of this project, not the money, and that is why it is in its 24th edition.

I hope someone gives an idea that really help and that one of these companies assume the responsibility to execute it, going a bit further than just opening a public challenge with their spare change.

Environment Education Results, measuring the Amazon impact

Many actions are now taking place the educational system of the towns and cities with the Amazon forest. On the 15th July 2010 the First Show Of Experiences In Environmental Education will open for the public to see what researchers, teachers and students are doing and the objective is to propiciate what is been done that the results achieved. The National Institute of Amazonian Research(Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia -Inpa/MCT) is the responsible for this show and has been eveluating environmental efforts for more than 15 year on the Amazon region.

Spacial program takes Brazil to another level

Brazilian Spacial Agency (Agência Espacial Brasileira, or AEB) is investing something around US$9 million in research. The investment is innovative because the researchers interested in getting funded can submit their application form to the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, or CNPq/MCT) until July the 28th. The focus: projects directly related to launching vehicles, satellites and equipments, ground systems for operations and launching control (including conformity evaluation, extensions and transferences of products from the high-tech industry). Pretty cool right?

Cooperation Between Brazil and Spain Program is open for subscriptions

Development of innovative technologies applicable to companies of any field in Brazil and Spain is now one of the partnerships between the 2 countries that seek to help knowledge exchange about researching and strategic governmental investments. Brazil is placing into this project US$40 million and Spain US$230 thousand (not exact figures).

Private companies will present their proposals to be evaluated by technicians and scientists from both countries and the actual development of the selected ones will be coordinated by the Iberoamerican cooperation committee, according to the Term of Technical Partnership between the organ "Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos (Finep/MCT - Brazil)" and "Centro para o Desenvolvimento Tecnológico e Industrial (CDTI - Spain)".