Coppe contributes to strengthening biotechnology in health in Rio de Janeiro
Planeta COPPE / Business Incubator / Innovation Ecosystem / News
Date: 25/09/2025

Consolidating a solid biotechnology sector in healthcare in Rio de Janeiro is essential to transforming the vast knowledge produced at universities and research centers into innovative solutions for society, capable of generating social, economic, and technological impact. Coppe/UFRJ’s Business Incubator has been acting as a key driver of this transformation, providing infrastructure, technical support and a favorable environment for science-based startups to mature and connect with investors and the market.
An example of this movement is the Biotech Hub, which is being implemented within the Incubator. The 350 m² space, dedicated exclusively to the development of science-based startups and made possible with support from Faperj, was designed to accelerate entrepreneurship and innovation in biotechnology, especially in the healthcare sector. The goal is to enable entrepreneurial researchers to transform academic knowledge into technological solutions with high social and economic impact, paving the way for the consolidation of biotechnology as one of the state’s strategic vocations.

This articulation role was evident during the 13th edition of the “Firjan IEL Meet-Up,” held on September 10th at Casa Firjan, with the theme “Biotechs and the future of the industry.” The meeting brought together academia, researchers and startups to discuss opportunities and challenges in the Rio de Janeiro sector. At the event, Marcos Chaves, head of the Coppe Incubator, explained that building a technological foundation requires choosing areas with strong vocations—such as biotechnology—to enable technical and scientific development.
In addition to Marcos, the meeting was attended by Julia Zardo, manager of Innovation Environments at Firjan; Noélly Mercer, manager of the Firjan Sesi Health Reference Center; and Sandro Albuquerque, director of Servier Brasil. Startups from Coppe’s Incubator also presented innovative technologies in a pitch format, reinforcing the importance of the health and biotechnology ecosystem in Rio.
