The approved proposals for the creation of Applied Research Centers in Artificial Intelligence in the country were announced this Tuesday (4). The selection was carried out by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), Fapesp and the Internet Steering Committee in Brazil (CGI.br). Six projects were considered, including the creation of the Brazilian Institute of Data Science (BIOS), a Unicamp proposal led by professor João Marcos Romano, professor at the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering (FEEC) and current Dean of Research.
Each center will receive an investment of R$10 million over a period of five years, with R$5 million coming from public funds and another R$5 million through partnerships with the private sector. There is also the possibility of renewing the contracts for another five years, totaling an investment of R$20 million per approved proposal.
According to the call, the research carried out by the centers must be focused on the areas of health, agribusiness, industry and/or smart cities. Unicamp's BIOS proposes the integration of areas already consolidated in artificial intelligence studies, seeking an interdisciplinary approach. "We chose to focus on two research tracks: both the health track, and therefore there is a strong partnership with the Faculty of Medical Sciences, and the agribusiness track, involving colleagues from Feagri and Cepagri. This in addition to a third track, which serves as a basis for the others, dedicated to methodology, the study of algorithms, techniques and theoretical bases of machine learning and artificial intelligence", explains João Marcos Romano.
In addition to Unicamp, projects presented by the Institute of Mathematical and Computer Sciences (ICMC) at USP in São Carlos, the Institute of Exact Sciences at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Senai/Cimatec (Bahia), the Technological Research Institute (IPT) in São Paulo and the Federal University of Ceará (UFC).
"Unique opportunity to unite people and catalyze efforts"
At the event announcing the approved proposals, the importance of investments in science and technology in the country were highlighted and that the opportunities to develop the area of artificial intelligence in the country cannot be wasted. "What makes the world move is science, research and innovation, it is not the economy, as some people unknowingly believe. The area in which we are approving these investments will play a growing role in the economy and in the life of our cities", highlighted Marco Antonio Zago, president of Fapesp, who recalled the contribution of the Foundation and the research carried out by São Paulo institutions to the establishment of the internet in Brazil.
Minister Marcos Pontes stated that he believes in the potential of Brazilian researchers and institutions that produce science in the country. "Brazil cannot miss this moment in history, we have all the skills to be protagonists on the planet in artificial intelligence", commented the minister.
For João Marcos Romano, the presence of new research centers in different regions of the country favors the use of different experiences and specialties that can be useful for the Brazilian reality. At Unicamp, he believes that the BIOS will contribute to the integration of several researchers who already work in the area and can improve their performance.
"This puts Unicamp at the forefront of artificial intelligence initiatives in the country. We already have important researchers in the areas of Electrical Engineering, at the Institute of Computing, Mathematics, Physics, we already have people working with quality and brilliance. Now we have the opportunity unique way of uniting these people and catalyzing efforts", analyzes the dean.
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