On April 2nd, the Brazilian Association of Software Companies (ABES) held a live event. “"Finep More Innovation Brazil: new lines of credit and support"”. The online meeting brought together leaders from the public and private sectors to present funding opportunities focused on digital transformation and national technological sovereignty. Participants in the discussion included... Joana Meirelles (FINEP), Fernanda Freitas (ABGI Brazil) and Jamile Sabatini Marques (ABES).
The Strategic Role of Finep in the New Industry Brazil (NIB) Program
Joana Meirelles, Superintendent of the Health and Digital Transformation Area at Finep, highlighted that the "More Innovation" program is the operational arm of the program's missions. New Industry Brazil (NIB), launched by the Ministry of Development, Industry and Trade (MDIC). According to Joana, the focus is not only on financing companies, but on ensuring that Brazil develops autonomy in critical technologies, such as semiconductors, AI, and digital health.
She emphasized that Finep has a variety of instruments at its disposal: from economic subsidy (non-refundable resources for high-risk projects) up to lines of direct credit with rates equalized by the TR (Reference Rate), making the cost of capital significantly lower than that practiced by the commercial market.
The ABES Development Guide: a compass for entrepreneurs
Another important moment of the live stream was led by Fernanda Freitas, Innovation Manager at ABGI Brazil, who detailed the importance of ABES Promotion Guide. Fernanda explained that the guide functions as a technical curation tool to help companies avoid getting lost in the complexities of the bidding processes.
“The Funding Guide is essential because it translates the technical language of funding agencies into the reality of software entrepreneurs,” said Fernanda. She highlighted that the document maps everything from tax incentives, such as... Law of Good, ...including continuous funding opportunities from Finep and Embrapii, allowing the company to identify the ideal "match" for its R&D project.
Fernanda also emphasized that successful fundraising requires a robust Strategic Innovation Plan. "It's not just about asking for funding, but about proving technological merit and market impact," she concluded.
Coordination and results
Jamile Sabatini, The Director of ABES emphasized that the association acts as a vital link. By democratizing access to the information in the Funding Guide, ABES ensures that companies of all sizes can benefit from the billions of reais allocated to innovation in the 2024-2026 cycle.
Summary of funding opportunities
|
Instrument |
Project Profile |
Main Benefit |
|
Grant |
High technological risk / Disruption |
Non-refundable resource (lost fund). |
|
Direct Credit |
Scaling and infrastructure |
Low rates (TR) and extended grace period. |
|
Law of Good |
Continuous R&D |
Direct tax benefit on Corporate Income Tax (IRPJ) and Social Contribution on Net Profit (CSLL) for companies under the actual profit regime. |
The complete live stream, with step-by-step instructions for submitting proposals, remains available on ABES's official YouTube channel for interested companies to view.
To deepen your understanding of how to access these resources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElwtexQqh1I&t=10s
