Coppe launches Biotech Hub and expands infrastructure for innovation in biotechnology in Rio
Planeta COPPE / Business Incubator / Innovation Ecosystem / News
Date: 19/06/2026

Coppe/UFRJ inaugurated the Biotech Hub this Thursday, a biotechnology center located within the institution’s Business Incubator and created to accelerate the transformation of research into innovative products and solutions for society. The initiative strengthens Rio de Janeiro’s position as a hub for innovation in health and biotechnology and expands startups’ access to cutting-edge scientific infrastructure.
The new space addresses one of the main challenges faced by biotechnology-based companies: access to specialized laboratories and high-cost equipment necessary to validate technologies and advance the development of new products. By bringing together advanced infrastructure in a collaborative environment, the Biotech Hub will allow entrepreneurs to reduce costs, accelerate research and advance more rapidly on their innovation journey.

During the inauguration, Coppe’s director, Professor Suzana Kahn, highlighted the importance of the new space in strengthening the connection between science, technology and applied innovation.
“Technological innovation is a complex process that requires resources, persistence and collaboration. The Coppe Incubator plays a fundamental role in this journey, supporting the development of high-impact technologies. Biotechnology is a strategic area for health, food production and the development of new materials, so this new space represents an important step forward in expanding opportunities for innovation and value creation for society.”
For Coppe’s Deputy Director for Technology and Innovation, Professor Thiago Aragão, the Biotech Hub is aligned with the institutional strategy of strengthening technological entrepreneurship and expanding the transfer of knowledge to society. “Coppe has been working to ensure that research advances beyond the academic environment and transforms into solutions capable of generating impact for industry and society. The Biotech Hub creates conditions to accelerate this process.”

Installed in Coppe’s Business Incubator, the center was made possible through partnerships with Finep, Faperj and Merck Life Science. Its structure brings together five shared laboratories aimed at startups operating in areas such as health, biopharmaceuticals, tissue engineering, diagnostics and biomaterials. The space also has a 3D Bioprinting Hub, inaugurated at the same ceremony, which also included the participation of Finep analyst Rodrigo Acioli. The inauguration of the Biotech Hub is also the result of a great deal of work carried out by the entire innovation ecosystem of UFRJ, as highlighted by the director of InovaUFRJ, Daniela Uziel.
For the director of Discovery Solutions Brazil and Mexico at Merck Life Science, Fabio Demetrio, the Biotech Hub has the potential to become a regional reference. “We want this initiative to be a milestone for Rio de Janeiro, for Brazil and for Latin America. We are building a future-oriented environment based on science, technology and health.”
Faperj President Caroline Alves highlighted the new center’s contribution to strengthening the innovation ecosystem in Rio de Janeiro. “The State of Rio de Janeiro has excellent scientific institutions, and initiatives like this help transform knowledge into development.”
With laboratories for Bioprocesses, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry and Microbiology, in addition to the 3D Bioprinting Hub, the Biotech Hub expands the infrastructure available to startups and researchers, reinforcing Coppe’s commitment to transforming scientific knowledge into innovation, economic development and benefits for society.
