MCTI, SENAI and Team Finland welcomed researchers and companies with an interest in Brazil’s vast possibilities in biomass and renewable energies to a seminar and networking event in Rio de Janeiro on 20-21 October, 2014.
The event was exclusively designed to allow Finnish and Brazilian researchers and firms to come together and find ways of transferring top research on biomass and renewable energies into novel opportunities. Brazil is the world’s leading converter of biomass to energy and invests heavily in other renewables as well. The Finnish-Brazilian Network of Excellence on Biomass and Renewable Energies – NOBRE was present at the event in the form of 20 top scientists and brought to the table the network’s latest research findings on biomass and renewables. The event allowed ample interaction between Finnish and Brazilian scientists and firms to explore partnership opportunities.

The Federation of Industries of the State of Rio de Janeiro – FIRJAN hosted the event at its headquarters and used its wide network to mobilize the participation of Brazilian firms at the event. This event was one of several projects that FIRJAN and Finland have pursued jointly. The main organizer of the event is the Brazilian Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation MCTI through the Secretary of Technological Development and
Innovation. The MCTI is a long-term key partner of Finland and has under its domain the principal public financers of research and development work in Brazil.

During the workshop, participants were invited to contribute to three bilateral experimental innovation teams from the SibratecShops that worked on an Innovation Challenge to develop a solution for a technological problems in the field of renewable energies and new
materials. The National Department of SENAI conducted the SENAI Grand Prix of Innovation.

International Workshop – Brazil and Finland Dialogues on Technological Innovation. The agenda included scientific and technical oral presentations to exchange high level scientific knowledge on technological innovations in round table format and business matching and collaboration between Finnish and Brazilian enterprises.