Federal Government announces the creation of IMPA Tech Nordeste

The Federal Government announced on Tuesday (4) investments to start the IMPA Tech Northeast. The new undergraduate unit of IMPA (Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics) will be located in Tech Park Piauí, in Teresina (PI), in the former building of the Centro de Formação Antonino Freire, in the Matinha neighborhood. The Higher Education course will offer up to 50 places a year, prioritizing the entry of medal winners from knowledge Olympics, such as the OBMEP (Brazilian Public School Math Olympics).

The signing of the protocol of intent to create IMPA Tech Nordeste took place at UFPI (Federal University of Piauí), where other investments for the state were also announced. The Minister of Education, Camilo Santana, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Luciana Santos, the governor of Piauí, Rafael Fonteles, and the deputy director of IMPA, Jorge Vitório Pereira, attended the event.

The federal investment planned for the implementation of IMPA Tech Nordeste in the first year is R$17.9 million. “In this first phase, almost R$18 million a year will be invested, but we’re going to reach R$43 million a year so that everything works. It’s important to bring in investments that will last a lifetime, in training professionals, intelligence, and investments in science and technology,” said Santana.

MEC (Ministry of Education) and MCTI (Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation) are participating as partners, each investing 50% of the total budget. The Piauí State Government will be responsible for the physical structure and student accommodation within the campus, named Tech Park Piauí.

“The Northeast is a cradle of new talent. Almost ¼ of OBMEP medals come from the Northeast, and we need to guarantee this visibility. […] Mathematics is not only the foundation of science, it is also a powerful tool for generating wealth, social transformation and technological sovereignty. We are here to change lives,” said Minister Luciana.

In the last five years, the Northeast has received 23% of OBMEP’s national medals, totaling 9,988 awards – including gold, silver and bronze. “This year, the competition celebrates 20 years as a successful public policy, revealing talent throughout Brazil and creating scientific vocations. The Northeast is a protagonist in this story and Piauí is a symbol of this strength. Just think of Cocal dos Alves, a national benchmark for its medal winners and for the educational transformation that has taken place with the school community. It is this network of talent and merit, honed over two decades by OBMEP, that we intend to welcome and project at IMPA Tech Nordeste,” said Jorge Vitório Pereira.

The governor of Piauí, Rafael Fonteles, is a former IMPA master’s student and highlighted the importance of creating the Institute’s first campus in the northeast. “In the knowledge economy, in the digital world we live in, innovation plays an important role in economic growth and, therefore, in creating opportunities, improving income and people’s quality of life. […] IMPA’s arrival here, an institution of excellence of international standard, begins to invert the curve of regional distortion in Brazil due to the absurd concentration of reference centers only on the Rio-São Paulo-Minas Gerais axis,” he said.

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