President Lula visits IMPA Tech in Rio de Janeiro

11/08/2023

On Thursday (10), President Lula visited the construction site of IMPA Tech, the first undergraduate program of IMPA (Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics), which will be located in Porto Maravalley – a technology hub developed by the Rio de Janeiro city government. At the ceremony, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Luciana Santos, the Minister of Education, Camilo Santana, the Mayor of Rio, Eduardo Paes, and the Director General of IMPA, Marcelo Viana, signed the protocol of intentions between the federal government, the city and the institute.

“When Eduardo Paes made the proposal to do a mathematics degree, I didn’t hesitate. I don’t think this country can continue to allow its geniuses to leave Brazil to work abroad while we can train them here,” said President Lula.

The degree course will cater for up to 100 students in the first year, with investments of R$16.7 million, and at the end of four years, 400 students, at a cost of R$55.9 million. The federal government funds will be transferred by the Ministries of Education and Science, Technology and Innovation. The city will provide housing for the students.

“Our challenge is to accelerate the transfer of technology to generate products and services that meet the demands of society and the country, developing innovative solutions in strategic areas such as combating hunger, biodiversity, energy transition and digital transformation,” said Luciana Santos.

The degree in Mathematics of Technology and Innovation will have four emphases: Mathematics, Computer Science, Data Science and Physics. The selection process will take into account the performance of students from all over Brazil in knowledge olympiads, such as the OBMEP (Brazilian Public School Math Olympics).

“Through IMPA Tech, we want to offer these young people excellent training in mathematics for technology and innovation, which will enable them to become agents of development for the country. The visit of the President of the Republic to the future IMPA Tech facilities gives a new dynamic to this strategically important project that we have been working on with the Rio de Janeiro City Council and the federal government,” said Viana.

The signing of the memorandum of understanding took place in the warehouse where IMPA Tech will operate – a 10,000 square meter space whose construction work was financed by the municipal government.

“The 400 brightest minds in this country will come here, study and live in Rio, and from here they will help build a better Brazil. IMPA Tech will start next year training the best minds in Brazil,” said Paes.

Camilo Santana, the Minister of Education, reiterated his commitment to continue working on behalf of society. “IMPA is being recognized as a higher education institution so that it can set up the mathematics faculty, which has already been well evaluated by INEP (National Institute for Educational Studies and Research) and will soon be taking on the next undergraduate students.”

OBMEP medalists thrill President Lula

Fifteen OBMEP medal winners accompanied the president’s visit to the space. Among them was Ricardo Oliveira da Silva, who has won five gold medals and two silver medals at the Olympics. He received his first gold medal from President Lula in 2009. Born in Várzea Alegre, in the interior of Ceará, the medal winner suffers from spinal amyotrophy and is wheelchair-bound. Due to his lack of means, the boy went to school in a wheelbarrow transported by his father. He started regular school at the age of 17, enrolled in the old 5th grade.

“In my first year at school I took part in OBMEP and got a medal. I didn’t know if my knowledge of mathematics was basic or advanced, but I always had that desire to study and my efforts materialized through OBMEP, it was there that I was able to expose my talent.”

Ricardo graduated in Industrial Mechatronics Technology from the Federal Institute of Education and Technology (IFCE) in the city of Cedro.

The meeting was also attended by Camilo Santana, Minister of Education; Rui Costa, Minister of the Civil House; Anielle Franco, Minister of Racial Equality; Márcio França, Minister of Ports and Airports; Rita Serrano, President of Caixa; Tabata Amaral, Federal Deputy; Renan Ferreirinha, Rio’s Municipal Secretary of Education; among other authorities.