Challenges Made- To-Order

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY SYstEM y 1 Challenges made- to-order Eighteen São Paulo private institutes conduct research in response to demands in health, technology, agriculture, and the social sciences Fabrício Marques and Bruno de Pierro | PUBLISHED IN OCTOBER 2016 he most notable facet of science and technology in Brazil is usually asso- ciated with the work that has been produced by public universities and institutions, as well as with innova- Ttions that have been generated by companies. However, there is a much lesser-known type of organization, which has recently emerged and has also been making contributions: private institutes, usually nonprofits, which have been filling research orders for companies and government agencies. There are 18 of these institutes in the state of São Paulo, according to a survey that was published in the FAPESP 2015 Annual Activity Report, which is available at www.fapesp.br/en/ publications/2015_report.pdf. Some of these institutes are affiliated with private hospitals that seek to transfer the results of clinical research to the treatment of patients. Others are centers for research and development (R&D) that focus on challenges in areas such as information technology, telecommunications, and agronomy. One of the oldest private institutes, which has the broadest products and services protifolios, is the Center for Research and Development in Telecommunications (CPqD). Formerly a research center for the state-owned Telebras, it be- came a private nonprofit foundation 18 years ago, after the privatization of the telecommunications industry. Its 1,100 employees work on projects in fields such as communications, computer science, national defense, data networks and security, and have been commissioned by companies to take use the available resources from the Information Technology Act, the Fund for Technological De- velopment of Telecommunications (Funttel), the National Science and Technology Development Fund (FNDCT), and the Brazilian Development Bank’s Technological Fund (Funtec). The CPqD also conducts projects in partnership with the Brazilian Industrial Research and Innovation Corporation (Embrapii) and provides consult- ing services to companies. The CPqD engages in cutting-edge research. Recently, a group that was coordinated by electri- E E T cal engineer Jacklyn Dias Reis, of the CPqD, set a U T I new record for fiber-optic distance and data trans- st N I mission rate. Using 10 channels on the same fiber, each with a 400 gigabits-per-second (Gbps) traffic LDORADO LDORADO Challenges made- to-order E capacity, the team was able to send an enormous amount of data along 370 kilometers (km) of op- Lab at the Eldorado tical fiber to reach its destination without errors Research Institute: (see Pesquisa FAPESP Issue No. 246). A unique investment in feature of the CPqD is that some projects eventu- validation of wireless transmission systems ally become startup companies. A recent case is BrPhotonics, a firm that was established in 2014 and focuses on the development of high-speed PESQUISA FAPESP z 27 optical communications (see Pesquisa FAPESP Profile of the Institutions Issue No. 238). Even before that, other companies The 18 private research institutions in São Paulo had emerged out from the CPqD. As was the case with Padtec, which was established as a compo- nent company in 1999 and was privatized in 2001 Foundation CPqD Center for A.C.Camargo Cancer Center (see Pesquisa FAPESP Issue No. 219). “Not only are Research and Development in Headquarters: São Paulo; we transferring knowledge to the general public, Telecommunications Started: 1983 but members of our team usually end up moving Headquarters: Campinas; Areas: oncology, translational medicine, into startups,” says Alberto Paradisi, innovation Started: 1976 genetics Areas: solutions in information vice president at the CPqD, who emphasizes that technology and communications, Albert Einstein Israeli Institute of the infant companies have also become partners technology services Education and Research with the foundation—both BrPhotonics and Padtec Headquarters: São Paulo; work with the institute on optical communications Eldorado Research Institute Started: 1998 projects that have been commissioned by private Headquarters: Campinas; Areas: aging, welfare, cardiology, companies and by the government. Started: 1999 neurology, hospital management The Eldorado Research Institute, located ad- Areas: software, hardware, systems, jacent to the University of Campinas (Unicamp) trials and tests of electronic products Syrian-Lebanese Institute of campus, was founded by Motorola in 1999 as a Education and Research nonprofit entity. In its early years, it worked al- Flextronics Institute of Headquarters: São Paulo; most exclusively for that American company, using Technology – FIT Started: 2003 funds that were available under the Information Headquarters: Sorocaba; Areas: obesity, diabetes, oncology, Started: 2003 physical therapy Technology Act. In 2009, it experienced an abrupt Areas: software, hardware, testing change when Motorola eliminated two-thirds of Pius XII Foundation/Cancer Hospital the projects that it had been sponsoring at Eldo- Venturus Innovation and of Barretos rado. The company was sold the following year. “It Technology Headquarters: Barretos; was a tough time; we had practically no income and Headquarters: Campinas; Started: 2003 were going into debt to build our headquarters,” Started: 1995 Area: oncology recalls Jaylton Ferreira, Eldorado Institute super- Areas: software, telecommunications, intendent. “The solution was taking an aggressive digital TV Dr. Domingos A. Boldrini Pediatric stance and offering services to other companies.” Center for Hematological FITec Technological Innovations Investigation oday, the Eldorado model is quite different. Headquarters: Campinas; Headquarters: Campinas; Started: 1997 Started: 1986 In 2015, the Institute conducted approxi- Areas: software, electronic equipment, Areas: oncology, pediatric oncology, T mately 140 research projects, involving telecommunications diagnostics more than 60 different companies, including Dell, Samsung, and IBM, as well as Motorola. Current Wernher von Braun Center for Institute of Health Education and projects use funds from sources such as the Tech- Advanced Research Sciences of the Oswaldo Cruz nology Fund of the Brazilian Development Bank Headquarters: Campinas; German Hospital (BNDES), as well as partnerships with Embrapii. Started: 1997 Headquarters: São Paulo; The team of approximately 800 employees and Areas: semiconductors, software, Started: 2007 researchers works at its facilities in Campinas, electronic products Areas: bariatric and metabolic surgery, Brasília, and Porto Alegre, where it is developing obesity, diabetes, endocrinology, Sugarcane Technology Center oncology, pain new technologies and adapting existing ones for cellphones, tablets, and other devices, as well as Headquarters: Piracicaba; Started: 1969 Beneficiência Portuguesa Hospital conducting tests with the equipment to deter- Areas: genetic improvement of Headquarters: São Paulo; mine whether the items comply with Brazilian sugarcane, energy production Started: 2008 standards. Some of the funds are dedicated to Areas: oncology, cardiology, nephrology research in fields that have potential for inno- Citriculture Defense Fund vation, such as the Internet of Things (which (Fundecitrus) Santa Casa Research Institute connects home appliances and cars to the web), Headquarters: Araraquara; of São Paulo virtual reality, and assistive technology. Started: 1977 Headquarters: São Paulo; Institutes such as the CPqD and Eldorado are Areas: diseases affecting citrus Started: 1963 devoted to both research and development; how- Areas: orthopedy, ophthalmology, Brazilian Center for Analysis and pediatrics ever, most centers, especially those that are con- Planning (CEBRAP) nected to the cellphone industry, concentrate Headquarters: São Paulo; Research Institute of the Hospital solely on the developmental aspects, particularly Started: 1969 do Coração application software. Laws and public policies Areas: social sciences, philosophy, Headquarters: São Paulo; that encourage companies to invest in R&D sup- literary and artistic criticism, Started: 2007 port the work of a major part of these institutes. public policy Areas: cardiology 28 z JULY 2017 1 2 Research on the The primary example is the Information Tech- The main focus of Venturus is the development disease that is nology Act, which dates from the early 1990s. It of applications for mobile phones. “We were re- known as greening sponsible for developing cell phone applications is performed at granted tax incentives in the form of a reduction the Fundecitrus lab in the Federal Value-Added Tax (IPI) to compa- for the last two Soccer World Cups that Sony in Araraquara, nies that applied some of their sales revenues to Mobile offered to customers all over the world,” and a variety of research. When the law first took effect, most Abreu says. In a study that was published in 2010, sugarcane is being Eva Stal, a professor at United Metropolitan Col- developed by the companies used the funds to support partner- CTC in Piracicaba ships with universities. Later, large corporations leges in São Paulo, demonstrated that the insti- established centers—usually nonprofit founda- tutes that have been created by the incentive tions—to have more flexibility in allocating their provided by the Information Technology Act financial resources. developed innovative

Load more