A Unicamp hosted the Forum for Technological Innovation, Social Inclusion and Cooperation Networks in the Campinas Region on the 6th. The objective, according to the general coordinator, César Callegari, is to bring together those who produce science and technology with those who need science, technology and innovation. It is essential, according to the coordinator, to expand opportunities and conditions for participation in society. For him, this is an innovative initiative by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MCT), as it boosts relationships and dialogue between various actors and social segments related to this topic.

The event was the sixth in a series that started in June

The Forum held in Campinas is the sixth in a series that began in June of this year in important regions in the interior of São Paulo. For Callegari, the preliminary results were “extremely positive” due to the ability to expand the communication and cooperation network. According to him, this is the most democratic way to encourage contacts between the MCT and the base, be it social, scientific, technological, business or institutional. “It is one of the first opportunities to see effective participation from city halls and local and regional development agencies. The Forum has been a success”, assured the coordinator.

Thirst - Campinas was chosen because it is the headquarters and hub of a metropolitan region made up of 19 cities that, together, have 2,3 million inhabitants. The existence of excellent teaching and research institutions in the region was an attractive factor for high-technology companies, which operate in the IT, electronics, microelectronics, telecommunications, fine chemicals and metal mechanics segments. In the wake of the high-technology hub, a complex network of commerce and services emerged. The region is considered the third largest industrial concentration in Brazil.

According to the MCT, the region is abundant in associations and productive arrangements between companies. As examples, the furniture sector in Itatiba, the textile sector in Americana, the floriculture sector in Holambra and the information technology sector in Campinas. However, during the process of identifying and forming production arrangements, it is essential to locate technological bottlenecks. For the Forum's executive coordinator, Sinoel Batista, the meetings held in São Paulo in 2005 already point to a special indication of difficulties and limits of financing for technological innovation. In this way, according to Sinoel, it is possible to adopt strategies to address these issues with the MCT, aiming to increase the percentage of investment in technological innovations of the Brazilian Domestic Product (GDP). Currently, Brazil invests approximately 1% of GDP.

Sinoel adds that, in 2006, in addition to continuing work with Arranjos Produtivos Locais (APL), the MCT will adopt strategies aimed mainly at the issue of social inclusion. “We will act on public policies, specifically in the areas of education, health and promotion and social assistance”, assured the executive coordinator.

Partnership - MCT's main partner in this work, Instituto Uniemp – Permanent Forum for University-Company Relations – was present at the event represented by its executive director, Maurício Prates de Campos Filho. Prates made a point of noting that, since its foundation in 1992, the Uniemp Institute's fundamental mission is to promote innovation by bringing together strategic sectors of society. Therefore, as a direct consequence of its basic mission, it could not fail to offer its best cooperation to the MCT, through a strong partnership aimed at holding the forums.

According to him, this partnership covers an aspect that has been little explored in terms of innovation, revealing the extent to which Uniemp performs its role in society. The numbers presented by Uniemp's executive director are very significant. In 2005, six forums were held in strategically located regions such as Taboão da Serra, Araraquara, Ferraz de Vasconcelos, Porto Ferreira, Ribeirão Preto and Campinas. There were 2.500 opinion multiplier participants, involving around 20% of São Paulo's municipalities, that is, almost 30% of the population of the state of São Paulo. “It is certainly a successful initiative”, he celebrated.

Prates praised the MCT's initiative and assured that it has everything to work out. According to him, it is necessary to act in decentralized sectors to promote social inclusion and reduce inequality in the country. “It is necessary to take financing to sectors that do not have access to development agencies”, he highlighted.

CNPq – For the president of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), Erney Plessman de Camargo, one of the MCT's central concerns is exactly strengthening the interface between universities, research institutes and the productive sector. Representing the Minister of Science and Technology at the opportunity, Sérgio Machado Rezende, Erney highlighted that the minister is very concerned about the transformation of academic knowledge into practical and technological knowledge. Therefore, according to the president of CNPq, the minister and his ministry reiterate their commitment to this type of activity.