Embrapii executives visit Coppe and highlight the excellence of the Embrapii-Coppe Unity, recognized as “Diamond”

On this Wednesday, July 23rd, Coppe/UFRJ welcomed executives from Embrapii – Brazilian Company for Industrial Research and Innovation – in a visit marked by recognition of the excellence of the Embrapii-Coppe Unit, which has been supporting technological innovation projects with companies since 2015.

During the meeting, Embrapii’s president director, Alvaro Prata, highlighted Coppe’s importance as a national reference in innovation: “Coppe is a mature institution, capable of sharing its experience and guiding other recently accredited units. It is an honor to be here”.

The visit celebrated the expressive results of Embrapii-Coppe, which has mediated 65 projects in partnership with companies, 30 of which are ongoing – mostly in the oil and gas and renewable energy sectors. Due to its high performance, the unit was promoted to Embrapii’s highest status, becoming a Diamond Unit, a classification that recognizes excellence in the management and execution of innovation projects.

One of the distinguishing features of this operation is its administrative efficiency, with support from the Coppetec Foundation in the financial management of contracts. “Financial management should not interfere with the research process,” emphasized the foundation’s superintendent director, Antonio Figueiredo.

Coppe’s director, professor Suzana Kahn, highlighted the importance of interdisciplinarity and joint work between laboratories, noting that the Embrapii-Coppe Unit has also been expanding its scope to new areas of knowledge. Vice-director, Professor Marcello Campos, reinforced Coppe’s scope, comparing it to international universities: “Coppe is broader, and this diversity fosters innovative solutions, but innovation must also generate entrepreneurship”.

Deputy director for Technology and Innovation, Thiago Aragão, noted that Coppe has maintained a strong interaction with the industry since its origin and that Embrapii Coppe is a strategic part of the industry’s innovation ecosystem, contributing to projects in different areas beyond energy.

Embrapii’s Operations director, Marcelo Prim, complimented Coppe’s leadership: “Among our Diamond units, Coppe is one of the most brilliant ones. Its capacity to expand its areas of operation and inspire other units is admirable. We have learned a lot from professor Angela”.

The general coordinator of the Embrapii-Coppe Unit, Professor Angela Uller, highlighted the effectiveness of the Embrapii model in fostering industrial innovation in Brazil. “I’ve worked at several funding agencies, but I’ve never seen a model as effective as this one,” she said. Álvaro confirms this with figures: “Embrapii contracted more than 600 projects in 2024 and currently manages more than a thousand, with 17,000 employees in 18 Brazilian states. We are growing 35% annually in the number of projects,” he stated.

By sharing project risks with companies, Embrapii encourages the industrial sector to innovate more and with greater technological intensity, thus enhancing the competitive strength of companies both domestically and internationally.

The Embrapii delegation also included Guilherme Calheiros, Director of Planning and Management; José Menezes, Market Relations Manager (representing Igor Nazareth, Director of Innovation and Institutional Relations); and Felipe Fonseca Lima, Monitoring Analyst for the Embrapii-Coppe Unit.

In addition to the board members, 12 professors and researchers from the Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, Metallurgical and Materials, Oceanic, and Chemical Engineering Programs were present on behalf of Coppe, representing most of the laboratories within the unit.