São Paulo – The National Confederation of Industries (CNI) will invest 1.5 billion reals (US$ 862 million) in building 34 research centres throughout Brazil. The investment was announced this Monday (17) by the CNI president, Robson Braga de Andrade, and aims to help Brazilian companies to innovate.
The CNI maintains 89 research centres. By 2014, once the new centres have opened, the organization will have 123 labs.
According to Andrade, the new laboratories will be spread across all regions of the country and should cater to local demands. In the South, for instance, the CNI intends to open a laboratory focusing on research in high-precision optical materials.
Andrade also said he expects the CNI’s research centres to get federal government support through the Brazilian Research and Industrial Innovation Company (Embrapii). The new state-owned company should invest public funds in product and technology development.
Initially, Embrapii will provide support to three research centres: the Institute for Technological Research (IPT), in São Paulo, the National Institute of Technology (INT), in Rio de Janeiro, and the Integrated Manufacturing and Technology Centre (Cimatec), in Bahia. By 2014, the CNI expects its laboratories to get funding from Embrapii as well.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
