With investments of around R$250 in one of the floors of the Unicamp Scientific and Technological Park Center, the State University of Campinas signed an agreement yesterday with the Paulínia City Hall and the Galileo business park – the first project of its kind in the city neighboring Campinas –, which foresees the structuring of a joint incubation program for technology-based companies, for training and transfer of good practices in incubator management, which will be installed in the future in the Paulínia park.
At this first stage, the startups in the incubation process, linked to the Galileo business park, will be based in the Unicamp Scientific and Technological Park, on the floor that will be equipped based on the investment made by the Paulínia venture. There will be a specific notice for these companies interested in the incubation process and it is estimated that 20 startups will join this joint program.
“Something that has no return is economic development based on technology and innovation. And there is nothing better than contributing to this market linked to a great institution like Unicamp. Support in evaluating projects and monitoring incubated companies will be very important for us, as we will have mentoring from the university”, said the director of Galileo – Parque Empresarial, Gilberto Zancaner Brito.
In the opinion of the director of the Scientific and Technological Park at Unicamp, Eduardo Gurgel do Amaral, several aspects that contribute to the success of this partnership must be highlighted, in particular, the quality of the municipality of Paulínia, the dynamism and commitment of the Mayor and secretariat, the interest and effective involvement of the business partner. According to Gurgel, these “are fundamental factors for the implementation of this project, which will certainly contribute very significantly to strengthening the region’s ecosystem”. “Unicamp has been one of the pioneers in the study and development of technology parks in the State of São Paulo. This allowed us to master not only complex technical aspects, which involve physical, technological and legal structuring, but also important aspects related to strategic vision, management, attracting companies and partners, in addition to other aspects linked to its development. In this way, the university contributes to a larger process, which aims at regional and national development, including the development of cities and aiming to promote the knowledge economy”, stated Gurgel.
Bigger goal
For the Secretary of Economic Development of Paulínia, Rui Rabelo, the structuring of the new venture in Paulínia, accompanied by work in synergy with the State University of Campinas, is part of a larger process, foreseen by the Municipal Executive, “to make Paulínia a city more sustainable, innovative and in which its inhabitants are proud to live”.
With 102 thousand inhabitants and a GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of R$ 12 billion, Paulínia currently has the petrochemical and logistics sectors as its economic matrix. The objective of the current administration is for the municipality to attract more technology-based companies. One of the actions to achieve this is the formulation of an Innovation Incentive Law.
“Unicamp is a strategic partner within this macroproject for the city of Paulínia. Therefore, I am sure that this is just the first agreement of many that we intend to sign. Our focus is on creating an ecosystem with local actors and projecting the city on the state and national stage”, he said.
According to Gurgel, Unicamp is responsible for more than 75% of all R&D produced in the administrative region of Campinas – which includes 90 municipalities – and the support for the Paulínia initiative, which begins with this agreement, should boost this number even further. “The more technology-based companies there are in the region, the more R&D agreements will be made with the university”, he added.
According to Paulínia City Hall, around 40 inquiries have already been made from companies to invest in the city, which in numbers means an amount of R$1,6 billion.
Relationship with Unicamp
Negotiations for the agreement began just over two months ago, during a lunch between those involved. “I remember to this day that we commented at the end: things cannot just be a meeting topic. We need to act”, recalled the mayor of Paulínia, Dixon Ronan Carvalho, during his speech. “And today, we are here celebrating this very important agreement, which will certainly advance and allow greater competitiveness for companies in our region. Paulínia will always be with open arms to welcome the university”, he added.
“It is a great pleasure for Unicamp to be here today celebrating this agreement with the City of Paulínia and Galileo. I am sure that from there we will be able to expand this partnership to more areas of competence at our university. Unicamp's know-how is extensive and it is part of the university's mission to contribute to the regional, state and development of our country, always focusing on benefiting society”, highlighted the Rector of Unicamp, Professor Marcelo Knobel.
Tribute for performance
The signing of the agreement between Unicamp, Galileo and Paulínia City Hall was the last official commitment of Professor Milton Mori as head of the executive board of the Inova Unicamp Innovation Agency. In recognition of the four years and three months he spent in the position, Paulínia City Hall paid tribute to the teacher with a plaque thanking him for his work.
During his speech, Professor Milton Mori took the opportunity to introduce those present to the new executive director of the Inova Unicamp Innovation Agency, Professor Newton Frateschi. “We are here celebrating an agreement that is very important, as it will contribute and give even more strength to our ecosystem and our region”, concluded the professor.
