Marcelo Viana debates innovation and technology at Rio Innovation Week

15/08/2024

IMPA was present at the largest technology and innovation event in Latin America, Rio Innovation Week. On Wednesday (14), the institute’s director-general, Marcelo Viana, took part in the round table “How to transform academic production into business in the city of Rio”, at the “G20 – Rio Xperience” stand. Viana spoke about the creation of IMPA Tech, IMPA’s first undergraduate course, which has an unprecedented curriculum in the country.

With entrepreneurs and leaders from public and private institutions, the informal chat discussed entrepreneurship within academia and contemporary transformations in the job market. The challenges of avoiding the brain drain were also debated, raising key points to encourage young professionals and maintain innovation in Brazil.

“The root of the issues we are discussing here begins with the training of professionals and IMPA Tech can contribute to this. One of the bottlenecks we need to overcome is the creation of entrepreneurs and, within the undergraduate project, we also want to give students the opportunity to acquire this training. Then, individually, they can choose which path they want to follow,” said Viana.

In addition, the undergraduate coordination is creating the Careers Center, an initiative aimed at supporting the professional development and employability of students and recent graduates. The project will provide resources, guidance and networking opportunities.

“The idea is to help students get to know and become interested in the job market in a diversified way. Often they arrive without knowing the possibilities and opportunities that exist, so we want to include this type of knowledge in the student’s training,” added Viana.

The location of the IMPA Tech campus is also strategic. Based in Porto Maravalley, an innovation hub in Rio de Janeiro’s port region, the space will also house high-tech startups, companies and investors’ offices. “We want to be a place to connect with academia, entrepreneurship and innovation. At the hub, companies will provide activities and opportunities throughout academic life to complement the student’s training, whether it’s an internship, summer program, hackathon, etc.”, said Daniel Barros, CEO of Maravalley, who also took part in the round table.

Barros added that the warehouse will host 25 companies. “The first to open in Maravalley is Eletrobrás, but we already have others confirmed, such as Claro and Shell. In all, around 150 people will be based at the hub. We’re going to bring students closer to the market and provide them with the tools they need to become entrepreneurs and also create their own startups,” he said.

The round table was mediated by Alexandre Vermeulen, president of Invest.Rio, an agency for attracting and promoting investment in the city of Rio de Janeiro.

In addition to debates and conferences, Rio Innovation Week promotes an environment of opportunities, business and experiences. With the theme “Humanization in times of Artificial Intelligence”, the 2024 edition will take place between 13 and 16 August at Píer Mauá, in the center of Rio de Janeiro. The event is expected to generate 2.6 billion in business and attract an audience of 150,000 people over the four days.

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See also: IMPA Tech student approved at 8 universities in 4 Brazilian states