Parana promotes research and innovation with an investment of over R$47 million

The science, technology and innovation (ST&I) sector continues to suffer the consequences of the economic crisis resulting from the pandemic, and is going through a difficult moment at the national level with cut off resources. In Paraná, the sector remains among the priorities of the state government which, together with partners, has invested an amount of R$ 47.120 million in 2021 through the Araucaria Foundation (FA).

Of this total, resources from Araucária totaled 34.124 million reais and those from partners, such as the Supervisory Authority for Science, Technology and Higher Education, totaled 12.996 million reais, which can still be expanded. 17 public calls were launched, 29 actions related to non-viability and 4,539 research grants were awarded.

“We have worked tirelessly so that Paraná is among the most innovative states in the country, as championed by our governor. In addition to state resources, we are looking for regional and international partnerships that also understand the importance of science for the social and economic development of Paraná and Brazil,” said the President of the Araucaria Foundation, Ramiro Wharfteig.

fight the epidemic – With the pandemic, the state government, through the Araucária Foundation, led by the Superintendency of Science, Technology and Higher Education, with the support of the State Ministry of Health and Itaipu Binacional, continued the actions started in 2020 that had an investment of more than 14.5 million R$ in the recruitment of holders of Scholarships in the fields of health, to help work in the regions, state borders and hospitals spread across the 399 municipalities of Paraná.

In 2021, several public calls are recommended to prioritize projects considering research related to the coronavirus pandemic. Among the actions, institutional programs to support social inclusion, University Research and Extension – Pibis / Pibex, Scholarships for Scientific Initiation, Technological Development and Innovation (Pibic & Pibit) and Research for a Unified Health System (PPSUS) 2020. Araucária also launched a public call called Saúde Tech PR in partnership With Senai Paraná.

Institutional support programs for indicative actions with the Sars-Cov-2 Molecular Diagnostic Network in Paraná, the UEL Project for Life, against MERS-CoV (Telemedicine) and Social and Environmental Vulnerability Indicators for Dovid-19 expansion in Paraná.

ST&I Strategic Methods – A major mobilization with the participation of representatives from the business, academic and government sectors, as well as organized civil society, began this year in Paraná for the collective building of the regional strategic roads for science, technology and innovation (CT&I).

In the first phase of the project, actions targeting the West, North, Coast and Metropolitan regions of Curitiba are being implemented. This initiative is the result of a partnership between the state government and the Federation of Paraná State Industries (Fiep), and is conducted systematically by the Sistema Fiep Observatory.

It will be an important contribution that will help us in decision-making regarding development, the contribution of resources to research projects. We will better understand the specifics of each region, given that we have nine large innovation ecosystems, said Luis Marcio Spinoza, Director of CT&I at Fundação Araucária.

writing In 2021, several actions were also taken to strengthen innovation ecosystems through the implementation of the New Arrangements for Research and Innovation (Napis). They promote and prioritize the research developed by Extension, which drives community growth. With six projects launched this year, 22 have already been implemented or are underway.

Globalisation – In recent months, the Araucária Foundation has strengthened international partnerships, particularly with the United Kingdom and China, through Araucária, the UK Virtual Mission: Healthtech Cooperation and the Brazil & China Forum that focused on debate in the fields of science, technology and innovation in both countries. Learn more about the work that Fundação Araucária does on the website www.fappr.pr.gov.br