New Applied Research Center will invest more than BRL 40 million in center for research on 5G and generative AI

Created by Claro, FAPESP and the University of São Paulo, the initiative will involve more than one hundred researchers in the development of disruptive solutions in three areas: Smart Cities, Industry 4.0 and Agrotech.

Agência FAPESP – On April 30th, during the Web Summit Rio, Claro, FAPESP and the University of São Paulo (USP) announced a partnership to create an Applied Research Center (ARC) focused on developing solutions involving emerging technologies related to 5G and generative artificial intelligence (AI). The university was chosen through a call for proposals published jointly last August by the Foundation and the telecommunications company, a pioneer in 5G connectivity networks in Brazil, which selected a group of researchers affiliated with the institution. The initiative is expected to receive, between the investments of the three parties, more than BRL 40 million, spread over five years.

According to the initial plans, the University City – as the USP campus in the city of São Paulo, capital of the state of the same name, is known – will house a large laboratory for testing and demonstrating research, and will be home to the development of projects in the Smart Cities, Industry 4.0 and Agrotech sectors, exploring technologies related to 5G and generative AI, which are considered fundamental for entering a new era. The partnership aims to promote internationally competitive research linked to the needs of society, with the participation of students and researchers from different disciplines and fields of knowledge. To this end, the project team also includes scientists from nine partner institutions, including the Technological Research Institute of the State of São Paulo (IPT) and SENAI-SP – the São Paulo unit of the National Industrial Learning Service of São Paulo, a non-profit organization linked to the National Confederation of Industry (CNI) – as well as leading universities.

“The center in partnership with Claro creates significant opportunities for research and development of innovative applications in intelligent systems, integrating generative AI techniques into advanced wireless networks. With this partnership, Claro and USP, with the support of FAPESP, are taking an important step towards integrating academia and business in Brazil, with a view to generating new solutions for society,” says Eduardo Zancul, professor at USP’s Engineering School and director of the new center.

For future ARC Deputy Director Rodrigo Assad, university professor and director of beOn Claro, Claro’s innovation hub with Empresa Brasileira de Telecomunicações (EMBRATEL), the partnership represents an important step for the operator in its innovation journey. “Claro is always looking for the new, promoting initiatives that prioritize technological evolution to transform the world we live in. This union with FAPESP and USP concretizes the joint work that we’ve been developing for years between the different actors of the innovation ecosystem. As an operator, we have access to technologies with immense potential that hasn’t yet been fully exploited, and the link with academic research is fundamental to unlocking the capacity of emerging technologies for the benefit of business and society,” says Assad.

Initially, there will be more than 40 research projects covering topics such as networks, Smart Cities, Industry 4.0 and Agrotech, involving more than a hundred researchers. The operator expects the initiative to result in the development of solutions that can be brought to market and scaled up nationally and even globally.

Professor Marcio de Castro, Scientific Director of FAPESP, points out the importance of investing in such initiatives to stimulate development. “Funding research in the areas of networks, Smart Cities, Industry 4.0 and Agrotech through FAPESP’s Applied Research Centers modality is fundamental for promoting technological innovation, training highly qualified human resources and stimulating the transfer of knowledge to society and the productive sector,” he adds.

Rodrigo Modesto Duclos, Claro’s Director of Innovation and Digital, affirms that “the collaboration with academia aims to stimulate cutting-edge scientific research, with the goal of generating, in the medium term, unprecedented products and services that will impact our customers, whether they’re companies, citizens or the government, and that will have a real and lasting impact on the country’s economy.”

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