About Us
The Alberto Luiz Coimbra Institute for Graduate Studies and Research in Engineering of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro – Coppe – is one of the leading centers for education and research in Engineering in Latin America. Founded in 1963 by engineer Alberto Luiz Coimbra, it was a milestone for the establishment of graduate courses in Brazil.
Based on the ideals of Professor Coimbra, whose dream was to expand the Brazilian academic experience and to encourage research in the country, Coppe is a place that produces and disseminates knowledge. Our students are prepared to handle topics at the frontiers of knowledge without losing touch with social circumstances and with society’s demands.
Our mission rests on three pillars: academic excellence, innovation and contribution to society, empowering the area of Engineering as a strategic agent for development in Brazil.
Our quality standards in education, research and in our engagement with society have been adopted as models by many universities and research institutes across the country.
Over six decades, we have had more than 12,000 masters’ graduates and 5,000 doctoral graduates through its 13 stricto sensu graduate programs (masters’ and doctorate), ten of which were evaluated by Capes and were awarded grades 6 and 7 – the highest grades of this system. This performance is comparable to that of the leading centers for education and research worldwide.
Pioneering integration between the academia and society
In tune with future tendencies, Coppe was a pioneer in bringing academia and society close together, thus converting knowledge into wealth for our country.
Coppe has the largest engineering laboratory complex of Latin America, with more than one hundred high-level facilities where we convert research results into wealth for Brazil. With the support from the Coppetec Foundation, the accumulated knowledge at Coppe is directly used for economic, technological and social development in Brazil, by means of contracts and agreements with companies, governments and non-governmental entities managed by the Foundation.
Our intensive participation in the development of technologies for the oil industry contributed to establish Brazil as a leader in deep-water offshore oil exploration and production. Its momentous partnership with Petrobras sets a worldwide standard as a successful collaboration between companies and universities.
We were also pioneers in using engineering and its technologies towards fighting against poverty and social inequality. The Technology Business Incubator for Community Cooperatives, created in 1995, has already had more than 100 graduated cooperatives. Its business model has become a benchmark and has been reproduced in several Brazilian states and in other countries.
Discover some of the initiatives that promote our mission at Coppe:
- Coppetec;
- Technology Business Incubator for Community Cooperatives;
From the 2000s onwards, Coppe expanded its internationalization process, delving into the main matters and dilemmas of a globalized world – mainly challenges defined by growth in the global demand for energy, a worsening environmental crisis and ever intensifying climate changes.
Innovation
We at Coppe believe innovation to be a fundamental pillar in creating value for society. Since 1994, our Business Incubator has already helped more than a hundred innovative services and products join the market.
With the purpose of creating synergy between different players in its innovation ecosystem, Coppe promoted the creation of the Science Park at UFRJ, located at the Cidade Universitária campus, thus bringing together research centers from large companies and several of Coppe’s laboratories, including LabOceano, also known as Coppe’s Ocean Technology Laboratory, which is capable of simulating marine environment characteristics and their effects on floating structures. LabOceano was inaugurated in 2003, being the first laboratory installed at the Science Park.
Discover some of the initiatives that promote our mission at Coppe:
Protagonism in tackling the climate crisis
Climate change is considered to be one of humanity’s main challenges as of today, requiring effective countermeasures and the participation of governments, companies and society itself.
The Brazilian Forum on Climate Change, the Brazilian Panel on Climate Change and the RIO+ World Center for Sustainable Development are all located at Coppe, therefore establishing our pioneering studies on adaptation to climate change.
Many of our professors are part of committees and research entities from various countries and multilateral bodies, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of the UN. Our partnership with China’s Tsinghua University resulted in the creation of the China-Brazil Center for Climate Change and Energy Technology Innovation.
Follow the links below to learn more about these initiatives:
- UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC);
- China-Brazil Center for Climate Change and Energy Technology Innovation;
- Brazilian Forum on Climate Change;
- Brazilian Panel on Climate Change;
- RIO+ World Center for Sustainable Development (RIO+ Center);
National and International Partnerships
Coppe has become a national and international benchmark in education and research in engineering. On an international scale, we have projects in cooperation with many of the leading and most widely recognized institutions for science and technology.
Several of our professors are part of committees and research entities in several countries and multilateral bodies, even contributing to the creation of public policies.
Our intensive participation in the development of technologies for the oil industry contributed to establish Brazil as a leader in deep-water offshore oil exploration and production. In this field, we have partnerships with market leaders and companies in correlated sectors. Our momentous partnership with Petrobras sets a standard worldwide as a successful company-university collaboration.
Our Hallmarks:
- The Brazilian engineering institution that has been awarded the highest amount of maximum grades by CAPES;
- Largest Latin American laboratory complex in engineering, with more than one hundred high-level facilities;
- Partnerships with the best universities worldwide;
- A unique campus comprising all the Engineering fields.