MCTI / EMBRAPII Innovation Network in Artificial Intelligence will have 17 EMBRAPII Units and resources from the Computer Law and the Rota 2030 Program. The expectation is to promote R$ 140 million in investments in RD&I
To enhance the productive capacity and competitiveness of Brazilian companies, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations (MCTI) and the Brazilian Company for Industrial Research and Innovation (EMBRAPII), an organization linked to MCTI, came together and created the MCTI / EMBRAPII Network of Innovation in Artificial Intelligence, the largest in the country in the area.
The proposal is to encourage the use of frontier technologies in the production process of the national industry, offering an innovation ecosystem with complementary technological skills, which will have non-refundable resources and research centers with infrastructure and qualified professionals to support the industry to innovate, called EMBRAPII Units.
Initially, 17 EMBRAPII Units will compose the Network, sharing infrastructure, skills and human resources in developing solutions in several areas: Machine Learning, Internet of Things, Big Data, Analytics, among others. In five years, R$ will also be allocated 70 million resources to the Network, of which R ﹩ 20 million will focus on AI applied to the automotive and agribusiness sector. The funds come from the Informatics Law and the Rota 2030 Program. As Embrapii's model of action foresees the co-investment of the business sector, it is estimated that the creation of the Network generates about R ﹩ 140 million in innovations (summing up to EMBRAPII resources, the companies' counterpart values and the non-financial resource of EMBRAPII Units - such as use of equipment and payment of man-hours).
Part of the resources will be used to develop the competence in Artificial Intelligence of the research centers and to strengthen the national research, development and innovation capacity on the subject. It is also planned to bring the EMBRAPII Units closer to the international frontier, promoting the exchange of knowledge and reciprocal collaboration with the main Artificial Intelligence networks in the world, whether in Europe, Israel, North America, among others.
Cooperative Projects and Small Companies
Small Business and Startup Projects deeptech, those with high technological density are also at the focus of the Network. Non-refundable resources and technical and scientific support will be offered throughout the development cycle of the technological solution, until the product arrives on the market. Another challenge proposed by the Network is to intensify the cooperative development of projects between different companies. Cooperation can be carried out between companies that belong to the same production chain, seeking to generate new products and processes that benefit the entire sector; between startups and companies consolidated in the market and who want to innovate the business model, and still unusual in the country, among competitors, a model in which they share costs and risks of the development of technology, but which they apply as best suits each one in the market.
Artificial Intelligence at Embrapii
In six years of operation, EMBRAPII has supported 136 companies with the development of 145 projects that use Artificial Intelligence. They are solutions for agribusiness, health, manufacturing 4.0, among other sectors, which add R$196 million in investment. More than half (51.4%) came from the business sector. Equipment for the service sector accounts for 22.1% of total projects. Next comes the Health area (10.3%) and, thirdly, equipment to improve industrial production (9.7%).
Network Structure
The rotating presidency will be under the leadership of the Telecommunications Research and Development Center (CPqD) and the vice-presidency will be in charge of the Federal Institute of Ceará (IFCE) for the next two years. Researchers from the Units will also serve on three technical committees: Training (which will be led by CEEI / UFCG), which will bring together actions to train technical personnel; the Infrastructure axis (led by Senai CIMATEC), which deals with the sharing of equipment and skills; and the Certification axis (led by the Eldorado Institute), which will allow companies to obtain stamps of maturity for new products and services with embedded Artificial Intelligence.
Representatives from twelve private partner institutions will participate in the Network's Advisory Council, which will define the strategy and guidelines for action. They are: National Confederation of Industry (CNI), National Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock (CNA), International Association of Artificial Intelligence (I2AI), Brazilian Association of Industrial Internet (ABII), Brazilian Association of Information and Communication Technology Companies (BRASSCOM), Association of Brazilian Information Technology Companies (ASSESPRO), Brazilian Computer Society (SBC), Brazilian Association of Electrical and Electronic Industry (ABINEE), Association of National Technological Development and Innovation Companies (R&D Brazil), Association for the Promotion of Excellence in Brazilian Software (SOFTEX), Brazilian Association of the Medical and Dental Equipment and Equipment Industry (ABIMO) and Forum Brazilian IoT.
Promotion Modalities
There will be five types of funding:
Type 1 - “traditional” projects
The first type of project is based on the concept that, on average, companies receive 33% of financial contribution to the portfolio in the projects by EMBRAPII - as is traditionally done in the projects contracted by the Units.
Type 2 - Technological chaining projects, which involves two or more companies of different sizes for solutions
The second modality aims to encourage collaboration between large companies and smaller companies, including startups. In this case, the financial value contributed by EMBRAPII can reach 50% of the portfolio of the value of the projects, provided that it is contracted by at least two companies and that at least one of them has gross operating revenue (ROB) equal to or less than R$ 90 million ( ninety million reais).
Type 3 - Project for small and medium companies and startups
The third type is aimed at the smaller business that is taking risks and developing new technologies. Small and medium-sized companies and startups are important players in technological advancement, often investing in technologies with disruptive potential. Therefore, the idea is to give greater support to projects in this segment of the economy. EMBRAPII, then, will contribute up to 50% of the portfolio of the PD&I project value of companies that have an ROB equal to or less than RR$ 90 million (ninety million reais).
Type 4 - Complementary actions with startups - complete cycle
The fourth modality will consist of complementary actions to start-up RD&I projects supporting a complete cycle of innovation and technological investment that is being made between the company and the EMBRAPII Unit. The full cycle work will be carried out with the objective of complementing the technological advances obtained in the RD&I projects carried out by companies and UEs and which have received the support of the PPI.
These projects will receive support from advisory, consultancy services, qualified in innovation, as authorized by Decree 5.906 / 2006 in articles 24 (Items II and III and § 2) and 25 (Items IX and X) for startups. The intention is that these new companies develop technologies with strong innovative content, often disruptive, can take the technologies developed with the support of PPI to the market and transform innovation into a business. This is because these companies are still in formation, they need help to bring their product / process to the market or to place themselves as a reliable supplier to another company. In this post-covid period, when the economy is fragile and with less margin for errors, startups can develop solutions related to IoT and Manufacturing 4.0 that are linked to facing the pandemic or, still, they can take advantage of an opportunity of competitive insertion due to the changing the current scenario.
The objective, then, is to support other steps that are linked to the transformation of a R&D project into products that reach the market, with reduction of costs and uncertainties of startups in issues such as approvals or certifications, proofs of concept, pilot lot, registration of industrial property, in addition to points related to the incubation of a company such as building the business model, managing innovation, accessing the market, among others.
Thus, it is worth mentioning the actions that will be developed based on the regulation of Decree 5.906 / 2006, which defines the scope of R&D activities in which the resources can be used. Regarding expenditures, the projects will also comply with the items provided for in the Decree, which are also allowed in the EMBRAPII model, such as human resources, consumables and implantation, expansion or modernization of research and development laboratories. Only startups will receive support with annual revenues of up to R$ 16 million (sixteen million reais).
Type 5 - Development of strategic skills
The last modality is the development of strategic skills. In addition to promoting RD&I projects, this plan is also aimed at developing skills considered strategic by EMBRAPII and the Ministry, represented by SEMPI. The action is focused on allowing new knowledge and new capabilities to be formed. The focus is to keep the Units aligned with the knowledge frontier. In turn, the development of strategic competencies will always focus on being used with innovation projects in the productive sector, along the lines described above. With this, it is expected to keep the national technical competence up to date and supporting the competitiveness of companies in the country.
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