Last Friday (5/8), the Financier of Studies and Projects (Finep) announced non-refundable financial support from R$14.777.999,65 to the “Startup Village” from Unicamp. The project foresees the construction of more than 3 thousand m² to house startups and technology-based companies (EBTs) within Unicamp's Scientific and Technological Park, under the management of its Innovation Agency (Inova Unicamp).
The general objective of the proposal is to expand Unicamp's contribution capacity in supporting innovative companies, offering physical support and training for them to increase their regional, national and international competitiveness. The expansion will also foster the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem with economic development based on science and technology, as analyzed by professor Ana Frattini, executive director of Inova Unicamp:
“The physical expansion of the Park strengthens Unicamp’s strategic positioning within the regional ecosystem, as the main institution capable of directly supporting nascent science and technology-based companies, in addition to generating qualified jobs and income. The Park is one of the University's most important instruments for transferring developed technology and for effective support to these nascent companies, both in physical space and in training, with our Technology-Based Business Incubator, Incamp”, explains Frattini.
Integration and eco-efficiency in the “Startup Village”
The proposal is based on an innovative construction concept that guarantees excellence in quality and cost of works, in addition to being more agile and sustainable in environmental issues than standard constructions on the market.
“Due to the high demand for physical spaces built within the Park and the difficulty in making new works viable in the traditional model, due to construction time, bureaucracy and waste of materials, we have been studying new forms of planning and construction for years. The Finep notice was the opportunity for us to present this concept and also to raise the necessary financial resources”, recalls Eduardo Gurgel do Amaral, director of the Scientific and Technological Park at Unicamp.
The construction model will be based on the modular and clean concept. This way, it is possible to increase the space, according to demand, without building a new building. Another concern of the project is to combine landscaping and nature with modernity and integration between companies.
Rangel Arthur, former executive director of Inova and current advisor at the Agency, participates in the Park's expansion planning and bets on the presence of this type of innovation environment within the campus to increasingly expand Unicamp's impact in promoting new business technological base and with socio-environmental impact. “This approval is another step in consolidating the Unicamp Scientific and Technological Park as a national reference for a Park linked to a public university”, he comments.
In addition to greater sustainability, the proposal approved by Finep also provides, for hosted companies, training in internationalization and environmental, social and governance practices, known by the acronym in English ESG. One of the goals is to select companies that already foster this culture.
“Unicamp is investing heavily in sustainability, such as structuring the International Hub for Sustainable Development (HIDS). This is a Unicamp guideline. So, in parallel with an environmentally friendly building, the project also aims to strengthen our team to support the internationalization of companies and reinforce the issue of sustainability, which is an increasingly pressing demand in the market”, details Gurgel do Amaral.
Finep's public financing call was opened with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations (MCTI) to allocate up to R$180 million from the Yellow Green Fund to park projects in operation (line A) or under implementation (line B) of throughout Brazil, lasting 48 months.
The purpose of the promotion is to encourage local and regional technological development, in addition to increasing interaction between the business sector and Science and Technology Institutions (ICTs), such as universities. Therefore, among the evaluation criteria, there was the Research and Development (R&D) capacity of the parks, their product portfolio, as well as business ecosystem and relationship networks with investors and other partners (meet Unicamp Park’s partners here).
Among the line A parks in operation, 50 proposals were submitted from across the country, with XX were approved, including the construction of the “Startup Village” at Unicamp. The implementation of the project will take place within the grounds of the Unicamp Scientific and Technological Park, which currently has six buildings with almost 100% of their capacity occupied by rooms, laboratories and co-working positions of innovative partner companies.
To find out which buildings are in operation at the Unicamp Scientific and Technological Park, the currently available spaces and how it isCompanies can practice closed or open innovation (those that enter into R&D partnerships with universities or startups, for example, practice open innovation) can form partnerships and host or incubate, visit the Park website.
Article originally published on the Unicamp Inova Innovation Agency website.
