Coppe launches Biotech Hub in partnership with Merck and positions Brazil at the new global frontier of biotechnology

Coppe/UFRJ launches, on June 18th, Biotech Hub — A multi-user biotechnology laboratory created to speed the transformation of Brazilian scientific research into innovative solutions for health, industry and the knowledge economy. The initiative marks a new strategic step to consolidate Brazil’s leading role in one of the most competitive and promising sectors in the world.

Installed in Coppe’s Business Incubator, the new center was created with the mission of reducing one of the main barriers faced by startups and researchers in the field: access to the advanced scientific infrastructure needed to validate, test and scale high value-added technologies. The 350 m² space was designed to boost deep tech in areas such as biopharmaceuticals, biosimilars, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

In a global scenario where biotechnology is redefining healthcare systems, moving billions in investments and becoming a central piece of nations’ technological sovereignty, the Biotech Hub positions Coppe as one of the leading scientific innovation environments in Latin America.

As part of the initiative, the 3D Bioprinting Hub will be inaugurated, developed in partnership with Merck’s Life Science division, a world leader in science and technology. The collaboration reinforces the international recognition of Coppe’s scientific capacity and its pioneering role in health engineering.

According to Coppe’s director, Suzana Kahn, the partnership represents a strategic movement towards bringing science, innovation and social impact closer together.

“Coppe’s selection for this partnership reflects the excellence of our research staff, the maturity of the research developed in health engineering and our ability to transform scientific knowledge into concrete solutions for society. We are creating an environment capable of accelerating strategic technologies for the country and expanding Brazil’s presence in the new biotechnology economy.”

The director also highlights that the new laboratory will allow for important advances in the development of safer and more efficient medications and therapies.

“Tests of new medications will be able to use technologies capable of reproducing miniaturized versions of human organs in the laboratory. This represents a paradigm shift in drug development, reducing time, costs and increasing the precision of research.”

Merck supports the project with the idea of ​​enabling collaboration between industry and academia in areas such as bioinks and drug testing on organoids, through technology and bioprinting that creates miniature versions of human organs from stem cells. Merck’s goal is to establish at least eight partnerships, foster the creation of five startups, and facilitate two technology transfers. The Biotech Hub was made possible with support from Faperj, Finep, Inova UFRJ and institutional partners, consolidating a cooperation model between universities, public agencies and the productive sector focused on generating high-impact innovation.

In addition to strengthening the national biotechnology ecosystem, the initiative should increase Brazilian competitiveness in a knowledge-intensive sector, stimulate the creation of science-based startups, and attract new technological partnerships and investments to the country.

The inauguration ceremony will be held at 9 a.m. at Inovateca, in UFRJ’s Science Park, bringing together academic leaders, industry representatives, researchers and actors from the innovation ecosystem.

With the Biotech Hub, Coppe reinforces its role as one of the main platforms connecting cutting-edge science, industry, and technological development in Brazil — transforming knowledge into solutions capable of impacting the health, economy and quality of life of the population.