RIDC centers seeks to broaden interaction with companies

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Agência FAPESP* –By Karina Toledo
Agência FAPESP – The 17 new Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers (RIDC) funded by FAPESP were officially presented at a ceremony held on June 6 at the Palácio dos Bandeirantes. Governor Geraldo Alckmin attended the event and called the occasion a “historic day for São Paulo.”
Alckmin underscored the importance of having a state policy of interaction among the research institutes of several secretariats, universities, FAPESP and the state’s 17 technological parks. “If there is such a thing as justified pride, two of the sources of this justified pride are our universities and FAPESP, which is an example for its peers nationwide,” he stressed.
Over the next 11 years, some R$ 1.4 billion will be invested in financing the new RIDCs—R$ 760 million from FAPESP and R$ 640 million in estimated salaries paid by the host institutions of the respective researchers and technicians. The initiative involves 499 scientists from São Paulo State and 68 from other countries, as lead or associate researchers.
“The first 11 RIDCs have a significant impact in advancing knowledge in São Paulo State. They now total 17, with a significant number in 10 interior cities, representing a harmonious process of decentralization of the generation of knowledge,” stressed FAPESP President Celso Lafer.
“The RIDCs, given the financial values they involve and timespan guaranteed for their work, are an expression of the depth of knowledge produced in São Paulo State and are connected to the research infrastructure that exists in our universities and our research institutes,” commented Lafer.
FAPESP’s president also stressed the foundation’s goal of developing projects similar to the RIDCs but adapted to needs of the productive sector, for the purpose of bringing private companies, universities and research institutes together and creating new centers jointly funded by industries and FAPESP.
“One of these projects has resulted in a cooperation agreement with the automobile company Peugeot-Citröen, which will create an Engineering Research Center that will operate for at least 10 years to develop projects on internal combustion engines, adapted or developed specifically for biofuels, and focused on the sustainability of the biofuels. Others projects are in negotiations, including one with pharmaceutical GSK, in a demonstration of the involvement between the productive sector and FAPESP to benefit our state,” explained Lafer.
Partnership with the productive sector
According to the data presented by FAPESP’s Scientific Director, Carlos Henrique Brito Cruz, more than half of expenditures on research and development in São Paulo State are made by companies, unlike the remainder of the country, where companies account for a smaller share.
“This only occurs in places where there is vitality and force in the academic sector. It is impossible to happen without good universities and without good personnel training. For this reason, more than half of the patents registered in Brazil [filed by universities and companies] come from São Paulo,” he explained.
Afterward, Brito Cruz introduced the 17 coordinators of the new RIDCs and spoke about the topics that will be addressed at each of the centers (read more at revistapesquisa.fapesp.br/2013/06/05/a-expansao-do-conhecimento).
As the scientific director explained, the RIDCs were selected from among 90 organizations that submitted proposals, with the help of 150 Brazilian and foreign evaluators, in addition to an international committee and FAPESP’s internal committees. The proposals were evaluated on the basis of their scientific merit, boldness, originality, international competitiveness, and the qualifications and leadership of the teams.
Among the centers chosen, eight are in the health area, two are in the humanities and social sciences areas,  and seven are in the engineering, natural sciences and mathematics areas.
The themes include food and nutrition; glass and ceramics; functional materials; neuroscience; inflammatory diseases; biodiversity and the discovery of new drugs; toxins, immune response and cell signaling; neuromathematics; mathematical sciences applied to industry; obesity and associated diseases; cell therapy; metropolitan studies; human genome and stem cells; computer engineering; oxidative processes and antioxidants in biomedicine; violence; and optics, biophotonics and atomic and molecular physics.
At the end of his presentation, Brito Cruz stressed FAPESP’s interest in promoting the availability of the corporate research centers to work in collaboration with universities and São Paulo’s research institutes. “Through coordinated action between FAPESP and other state government agencies, we can take this to another level of intensity. with many benefits for São Paulo’s population,” he stated.
State Science and Technology Council
During his participation in the ceremony, the new State Economic Development, Science and Technology Secretariat, Rodrigo Garcia, revealed plans to release a decree to constitute the new State Science and Technology Council in the next few days. The organization will be headed by Governor Alckmin and will include participation by members of the state universities, research institutes and FAPESP.
According to Garcia, the council will have the mission of taking advantage of the accumulated experience in academia to elaborate a state science and technology plan that can potentiate the investments in research to seek even better results than those that would otherwise be obtained. 

“We hope that with the agenda to be pondered by this council, we can create more actions with RIDCs that are successful and offer an enormous contribution to our state,” affirmed the secretary.
Also present at the event were FAPESP’s Vice-president, Eduardo Moacyr Krieger; President of FAPESP’s Board of Trustees. José Arana Varela; Chancellor of the Universidade de São Paulo (USP), João Grandino Rodas; Chancellor of the Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Julio Cezar Durigan; Chancellor of Unicamp, Gláucia Pastore; President of the Brazilian Society for the Progress of Science (SBPC), Helena Bonciani Nader; President of CNPq, Glaucius Oliva, who is also responsible for coordination of the Center for Innovation in Biodiversity and Drugs; and several other authorities.
In Varela’s assessment, the new centers have two challenges to overcome in the next decade: increasing the impact of Brazilian science and strengthening the culture of innovation in the country, or “making knowledge reach the sector that will produce the wealth or developing public policies,” he affirmed.

<p><b>By Karina Toledo</b></p>
<p><b>Agência FAPE</b><b>SP </b>– The 17 new Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers (RIDC) funded by FAPESP were officially presented at a ceremony held on June 6 at the Palácio dos Bandeirantes. Governor Geraldo Alckmin attended the event and called the occasion a “historic day for São Paulo.”</p>
<p>Alckmin underscored the importance of having a state policy of interaction among the research institutes of several secretariats, universities, FAPESP and the state’s 17 technological parks. “If there is such a thing as justified pride, two of the sources of this justified pride are our universities and FAPESP, which is an example for its peers nationwide,” he stressed.</p>
<p>Over the next 11 years, some R$ 1.4 billion will be invested in financing the new RIDCs—R$ 760 million from FAPESP and R$ 640 million in estimated salaries paid by the host institutions of the respective researchers and technicians. The initiative involves 499 scientists from São Paulo State and 68 from other countries, as lead or associate researchers.</p>
<p>“The first 11 RIDCs have a significant impact in advancing knowledge in São Paulo State. They now total 17, with a significant number in 10 interior cities, representing a harmonious process of decentralization of the generation of knowledge,” stressed FAPESP President Celso Lafer.</p>
<p>“The RIDCs, given the financial values they involve and timespan guaranteed for their work, are an expression of the depth of knowledge produced in São Paulo State and are connected to the research infrastructure that exists in our universities and our research institutes,” commented Lafer.</p>
<p>FAPESP’s president also stressed the foundation’s goal of developing projects similar to the RIDCs but adapted to needs of the productive sector, for the purpose of bringing private companies, universities and research institutes together and creating new centers jointly funded by industries and FAPESP.</p>
<p>“One of these projects has resulted in a cooperation agreement with the automobile company Peugeot-Citröen, which will create an Engineering Research Center that will operate for at least 10 years to develop projects on internal combustion engines, adapted or developed specifically for biofuels, and focused on the sustainability of the biofuels. Others projects are in negotiations, including one with pharmaceutical GSK, in a demonstration of the involvement between the productive sector and FAPESP to benefit our state,” explained Lafer.</p>
<p><b>Partnership with the productive sector</b></p>
<p>According to the data presented by FAPESP’s Scientific Director, Carlos Henrique Brito Cruz, more than half of expenditures on research and development in São Paulo State are made by companies, unlike the remainder of the country, where companies account for a smaller share.</p>
<p>“This only occurs in places where there is vitality and force in the academic sector. It is impossible to happen without good universities and without good personnel training. For this reason, more than half of the patents registered in Brazil [filed by universities and companies] come from São Paulo,” he explained.</p>
<p>Afterward, Brito Cruz introduced the 17 coordinators of the new RIDCs and spoke about the topics that will be addressed at each of the centers (read more at revistapesquisa.fapesp.br/2013/06/05/a-expansao-do-conhecimento).</p>
<p>As the scientific director explained, the RIDCs were selected from among 90 organizations that submitted proposals, with the help of 150 Brazilian and foreign evaluators, in addition to an international committee and FAPESP’s internal committees. The proposals were evaluated on the basis of their scientific merit, boldness, originality, international competitiveness, and the qualifications and leadership of the teams.</p>
<p>Among the centers chosen, eight are in the health area, two are in the humanities and social sciences areas,  and seven are in the engineering, natural sciences and mathematics areas.</p>
<p>The themes include food and nutrition; glass and ceramics; functional materials; neuroscience; inflammatory diseases; biodiversity and the discovery of new drugs; toxins, immune response and cell signaling; neuromathematics; mathematical sciences applied to industry; obesity and associated diseases; cell therapy; metropolitan studies; human genome and stem cells; computer engineering; oxidative processes and antioxidants in biomedicine; violence; and optics, biophotonics and atomic and molecular physics.</p>
<p>At the end of his presentation, Brito Cruz stressed FAPESP’s interest in promoting the availability of the corporate research centers to work in collaboration with universities and São Paulo’s research institutes. “Through coordinated action between FAPESP and other state government agencies, we can take this to another level of intensity. with many benefits for São Paulo’s population,” he stated.</p>
<p><b>State Science and Technology Council</b></p>
<p>During his participation in the ceremony, the new State Economic Development, Science and Technology Secretariat, Rodrigo Garcia, revealed plans to release a decree to constitute the new State Science and Technology Council in the next few days. The organization will be headed by Governor Alckmin and will include participation by members of the state universities, research institutes and FAPESP.</p>
<p>According to Garcia, the council will have the mission of taking advantage of the accumulated experience in academia to elaborate a state science and technology plan that can potentiate the investments in research to seek even better results than those that would otherwise be obtained. <br />
<br />
“We hope that with the agenda to be pondered by this council, we can create more actions with RIDCs that are successful and offer an enormous contribution to our state,” affirmed the secretary.</p>
<p>Also present at the event were FAPESP’s Vice-president, Eduardo Moacyr Krieger; President of FAPESP’s Board of Trustees. José Arana Varela; Chancellor of the Universidade de São Paulo (USP), João Grandino Rodas; Chancellor of the Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Julio Cezar Durigan; Chancellor of Unicamp, Gláucia Pastore; President of the Brazilian Society for the Progress of Science (SBPC), Helena Bonciani Nader; President of CNPq, Glaucius Oliva, who is also responsible for coordination of the Center for Innovation in Biodiversity and Drugs; and several other authorities.</p>
<p>In Varela’s assessment, the new centers have two challenges to overcome in the next decade: increasing the impact of Brazilian science and strengthening the culture of innovation in the country, or “making knowledge reach the sector that will produce the wealth or developing public policies,” he affirmed.</p>
<p> </p>