The State University of Campinas entered into a partnership with ten Scientific, Technological and Innovation Institutions (ICTs) and 13 companies in the industrial sector for the development and application of technological solutions in the automotive area. The initiative is part of the federal government's Rota 2030 Program, which connects industry and academia in innovative and strategic research projects, with the aim of boosting technologies and generating new business. The investment forecast is R$1 billion during the first five years.
The agreements, signed in 2021 with the support of the Inova Unicamp Innovation Agency, will allocate, until the end of the contracts, more than 16 million reais to the University. The amounts will be used to maintain and improve laboratory infrastructure, purchase inputs for research and pay for scholarships and encourage innovation.
Unicamp works on projects for the development of the automotive chain in strategic areas, in the improvement of products and processes, in the thematic axes coordinated by the Minas Gerais Research Development Foundation (FUNDEP) – of which technical coordination it is also part – and in the program from the Financier of Studies and Projects Finep 2030. The entities manage the resources, some of them offered in a continuous flow, which will allow Unicamp to expand its participation in Rota 2030.
“We are developing improvements in the areas of bioenergy, alternative propulsion to combustion, tooling, efficiency and safety of vehicles that meet the demands of society”, highlights Unicamp professor Tárcio Barros, member of the technical coordination of FUNDEP's thematic line V.
Innovation projects
Among the research carried out by Unicamp is increasing the performance of flex engines and metamaterials for armor in vehicles. Innovations include adaptation and generation of on-board energy for electric and hybrid vehicles from ethanol and balance control for safety on tricycles.
Another study seeks to develop the national tooling chain for hot stamping. In the area of precision agriculture, researchers work with electric propulsion systems for agricultural tractors, seeders and autonomous fertilizer distributors.
Approved projects are executed with the participation of the industrial sector. Among the companies involved are: AVL South America, Caoa, FCA Fiat Chrysler, General Motors, Hibrema, Supplier, Marelli Sistemas Automotivos, Marchesan, Motiva Mobilidade, Piccin Máquinas Agrícolas, Robert Bosch, Toyota do Brasil and Volkswagen.
Rota 2030 receives contributions from companies benefiting from the exemption from import taxes on parts that are unmatched in the country and that add technological value to vehicles produced and sold here. The resource is made available for priority innovation programs and projects and managed by a management council that selects institutions and research networks for implementation.
Currently, four Unicamp faculties are involved with the Rota 2030 program: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FEM), Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering (FEEC), Faculty of Agricultural Engineering (Feagri) and Faculty of Chemical Engineering (FEQ). The researchers develop work in partnership with six other universities and four research institutes, focusing on scientific and technological exchange between research groups and the automotive chain.
Original article published on the Inova Unicamp Innovation Agency website.
