Unicamp signed 73 research and development (R&D) agreements in partnership with companies during 2022, granting the University a total of R$249.485.161,05 dedicated to research. The value represents an increase of 244% compared to 2021, with the majority of projects relating to the energy, oil and gas sector. The second area with the most projects in partnerships with companies signed by the University, in 2022, is information technology (IT).
These are some of the results published by Inova Unicamp Innovation Agency, the University's Technological Innovation Center (NIT) that fosters the relationship between Unicamp and companies, in its Annual report 2022, available to download in the e-book version.
According to professor Ana Frattini, executive director of Inova, the increase in the value of R&D agreements is due to several associated factors, from expertise from the University to mandatory tax and investment incentives for companies in the area of research, development and innovation (RD&I), as was the case in the energy, oil and gas sector, which met the requirements of the National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) from Brazil, the main source of resources for the execution of these partnerships in 2022.
“Inova facilitates the relationship between the University and society, connecting Unicamp’s knowledge and excellent talents with the research and development demands of companies, public administration and industries to foster innovation. These achievements are the result of intense work to encourage partnerships that can generate solutions for society with Unicamp technologies. As a consequence, Inova still places the University at the top of the main rankings, such as the recent highlights we received in the THE Impact 2023 Ranking, published by Times Higher Education, in which Unicamp was among the best Brazilian universities in terms of innovation, relationships with industry and economic growth”, explains Frattini.
In addition to the partnerships between Unicamp and the business sector, Inova's indicators highlight the multidisciplinary nature of R&D projects, which involve more than one Unicamp unit, center or research nucleus. Partnerships also extend to other Scientific, Technological and Innovation Institutions (ICTs), as is the case with Engineering Research Center for Intelligent Networks and Services (smart), partnership agreement signed in 2022. This is a center of excellence, unprecedented in Latin America, focused on research that helps in the design and construction of cloud computing infrastructures and cognitive networks guided by machine learning and artificial intelligence, for the development of the next generation of 5G and 6G connectivity services.
This center originated in a partnership between Unicamp, Ericsson and the São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Fapesp), with an investment of R$56 million, distributed over ten years, and providing for participation from several researchers from 17 partner universities. “Few programs offer sustainable financing as long-term as that raised for Smartness. This is a great opportunity to secure professionals and talents in Brazil, given such a heated market in the area”, said Professor Christian Rothenberg, professor at the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering (Feec) at Unicamp and researcher responsible for Smartness.
Promoting the protection of intellectual property at Unicamp
Among the results presented No. 2022 Annual Report from the Inova Unicamp Innovation Agency, The actions to encourage the communication of inventions by students, researchers and professors at Unicamp stood out. “With the effective resumption of the University's in-person laboratory activities, the agency once again intensified its efforts to raise awareness about the importance of protecting intellectual property at Unicamp. The first action taken was the signing of the cooperation agreement with the National Institute of Industrial Property (Inpi) focusing on the qualified use of intellectual property”, explained professor Renato Lopes, associate executive director of Inova.
A partnership between Unicamp and Inpi It is expected to last five years and aims to stimulate activities that strengthen the innovation ecosystem and the local economy. From a greater diffusion of the culture of intellectual property, it is expected to increase the generation of new businesses, especially in the context of the Unicamp Scientific and Technological Park and with regard to the licensing of intellectual property assets protected at the University, which includes patents, software, know-how and cultivars. In 2022, events were held on the topic and a survey was carried out within the Unicamp community (with 226 voluntary responses) in which 74% of people showed interest in the issue of intellectual property and in the use of services offered by Inova.
In the second half of 2022, the first edition of the campaign also began Protect your Research, Secure your Innovation, in order to disseminate the importance of communication, for Inova, of inventions developed at Unicamp. The campaign took over social media and the parabolic arches at the main entrances to the Campinas campus, not to mention the 13 banners spread across different parts of the campus. According to Inova's Executive Board, as a result of the resumption of in-person research activities, with the dedication of researchers and partners, and Inova's initiatives, 55 invention communications were received in the second half of 2022, an increase of 145% compared to to the first semester.
Today, Inova manages a Unicamp Technology Portfolio with 1.298 patents, and in 2022, 32 patents were filed and 100 patents were granted by Inpi. This year, the campaign to promote the protection of intellectual property at Unicamp is active again, now with banners spread across the campus, presenting technologies that have become solutions for society (learn more here).
Full report available for download.
To learn more about these indicators and other results of the activities developed by Inova in 2022, access the report at Inova Unicamp Library.
- Answer your questions about invention communication
- Communicate your invention to Inova Unicamp (restricted to the internal community)
