Sumary
1st Brazil-Sweden Innovation Learning Laboratory
5
Brazil and Sweden want to enhance their bilateral relations based on innovation
7
Brazil has moved from a supporting role to being a global leader
9
The two countries seek partnerships in strategic sectors
11
Relations between academia and enterprises should be enhanced
13
Successful experiences are bringing Brazil and Sweden closer together
16
Sibratec stimulates innovation in Brazilian enterprises
19
Swedish global experience can be useful to Brazilian enterprises
21
Medical diagnosis and treatment technologies are priorities for innovation
23
Volvo and Sabó Autopeças are examples of innovation and internationalization
25
The first step has been taken
27
1st Brazil-Sweden Innovation Learning Laboratory
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1st Brazil-Sweden Innovation Learning
Laboratory
The 1st Brazil-Sweden Innovation Learning Laboratory was held in São Paulo, Brazil, at the
joint initiative of the Brazilian Agency for Industrial Development (ABDI) and Vinnova, the
Swedish Agency for Innovative Systems.
The workshop brought together about 80 leaders from industry, academia, research
institutions, and government from both countries. It was held as part of the activities
contemplated in the Additional Protocol on Innovative High-Technology Industrial
Cooperation signed by both countries in October 2009.
The participants in the Innovation Learning Laboratory discussed ideas for promoting
innovations and developing bilateral economic and technical-scientific relations and came
up with suggestions for joint innovation projects between Brazil and Sweden.
1st Brazil-Sweden Innovation Learning Laboratory
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“Our bilateral relations are excellent and
there’s great potential for increasing
cooperation in many areas.”
Annika Markovic, Swedish ambassador to Brazil
6
Brazil and Sweden want to enhance their
bilateral relations based on innovation
In the distant year of 1891, Ericsson set up the first
telephone exchange in Brazil. Since then, other
Swedish enterprises have followed suit and began
doing business and investing in Brazil.
Today, Brazil is the main partner of Swedish
industry in Latin America, with over 200 industries
installed and 50,000 jobs generated.
Intent on strengthening this long tradition
of bilateral business, the Brazilian Agency for
Industrial Development (ABDI) and the Swedish
Agency for Innovative Systems (Vinnova) held the
1st Brazil-Sweden Innovation Learning Laboratory
in May 2010 in São Paulo.
For two days, leaders from industry, academia,
and the governments of the two nations
identified opportunities for technological and
business projects, organizations interested
in conducting them, and conditions for
implementing them. The unprecedented feature
of the event lies in its focus on innovation as a key
Director of ABDI, Clayton Campanhola, in the opening remarks of the 1st Brazil-Sweden Innovation Learning Laboratory
1st Brazil-Sweden Innovation Learning Laboratory
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element to ensure competitive advantages on
the global market.
The laboratory was divided into five panels.
While more general issues related to innovation
(the role of innovation in domestic economies,
joint research, and entrepreneurship and
internationalization
of
enterprises)
were
addressed in the three first panels, with a
focus on the bilateral relationship, the last two
panels included discussions on opportunities in
specific knowledge and business areas: health
care and transportation. The result of these
discussions will provide inputs for the public and
private sectors to develop projects based on
innovation, research, entrepreneurship, and the
internationalization of enterprises.
“Our bilateral relations are excellent and there’s
great potential for increasing cooperation in
many areas,” said the Swedish ambassador
to Brazil, Annika Markovic, during the event’s
opening ceremony.
The director of ABDI, Clayton Campanhola,
expressed his expectations on the results of the
exchange of experiences and information being
fostered by the two agencies. He pointed out the
current positive scenario of economic stability,
inflation under control, and increasing public
investments in Brazil.
Campanhola said that today Brazil is following
new social and economic paradigms that
translate into “more robust growth, more jobs,
social inclusion, income distribution, reinforced
investments.” This scenario has led more and more
companies to invest in innovation in Brazil, taking
advantage of its solid research base.
The 1st Brazil-Sweden Innovation Learning
Laboratory is one of the results of the Additional
Protocol
on
Innovative
High-Technology
Industrial Cooperation signed by both countries
in October 2009, when president Luiz Inácio Lula
da Silva visited Sweden.
Panelists
»» Clayton Campanhola – Director of the Brazilian Industrial Development Agency (ABDI)
»» Sylvia Schwaag-Serger – Director of the International Department of the Swedish Agency for
Innovative Systems (Vinnova)
»» Annika Markovic – Ambassador of Sweden to Brazil
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Brazil has moved from a supporting role to
being a global leader
“Brazil has assumed a leading role in the
international arena.” This is what the director of
ABDI, Clayton Campanhola, said at the opening
ceremony of the 1st Innovation Learning
Laboratory.
Relying on a stable financing market and an
adequate macroeconomic regime based on
floating exchange rates, increasing reserves,
inflation under control, and primary surpluses,
Brazil tends to become the fifth largest economy
in the world in 2026, according to the forecasts of
the Economist Intelligence Unit (USA).
The presence of large Brazilian enterprises
in the international market, such as Gerdau,
Ambev, Petrobrás, Vale, Natura, Marcopolo, and
Embraer, is just one of the signs of the country’s
internationalization.
Another important aspect highlighted by
Campanhola is the Brazilian Government’s
participation in efforts to foster economic
growth. The Growth Acceleration Program (PAC),
which includes direct public investments in
infrastructure, and the Productive Development
“Brazil has moved from a supporting
role to being a global leader.”
Clayton Campanhola, Director of ABDI
1st Brazil-Sweden Innovation Learning Laboratory
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Policy (PDP), which creates favorable conditions for
greater investments and innovation in the Country
involving the public and private sectors, are strong
examples of this.
The Director of the International Department
of the Swedish Agency for Innovative Systems
(Vinnova), Sylvia Schwaag-Serger, stressed that
high investments in R&D, a very favorable legal
environment, and a successful transnational
industry are some of the reasons why Sweden is
seen as one of the most innovative countries in the
world. “Sweden is a small and open country,” she
summarized.
Sylvia believes there’s a lot of room for increasing
cooperation between her Country and Brazil,
mainly in areas such as science, technology, and
innovation. According to Sylvia, this Innovation
Laboratory should be taken seriously and lead to
concrete action, bearing in mind that successful
collaboration requires a lot of work and depends
on contacts between people. It is expected
that the connections established during this
first Innovation Laboratory will bear fruit and
materialize in the form of projects in the future.
“Sweden is a small and open
country”
Sylvia Schwaag-Serger, Director of
the International Department of
the Swedish Agency for Innovative
Systems (Vinnova)
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The two countries seek
partnerships in strategic sectors
Brazil and Sweden have already developed a
comprehensive plan contemplating actions in
areas such as trade, investment, defense, bioenergy
and biofuels, science, culture, high technology,
and sustainable development.
According to the Ambassador of Sweden to
Brazil, Annika Markovic, the plan is setting up
a “platform for a dialogue policy” designed to
stimulate cooperation between the two countries.
“By stepping up research and cooperation in
innovation, we expect to increase bilateral trade
and investment flows,” Markovic believes.
The Ambassador proposed the holding, in 2011,
of a Brazilian edition of the race for innovation,
a workshop in which multidisciplinary teams of
entrepreneurs of both countries would work jointly
for 72 hours to come up with solutions in products
and services which can be patented to meet the
needs and the problems of specific technological
and business areas.
This initiative has been organized by Sweden
in other countries already: 11 editions resulted
in 100 new patents, 30 of which are being
marketed already.
“By stepping up research and
cooperation in innovation, we
expect to increase bilateral trade and
investment flows”
Annika Markovic, Ambassador of
Sweden to Brazil
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“Brazil is experiencing a moment of
strong incentives to innovation. The
entrepreneurship problem in Brazil is
that most businesses are rudimentary
and have low investment needs”
Laércio Aniceto Silva,
Superintendent of the Certi Foundation
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Relations between academia
and enterprises should be enhanced
What is the innovation scenario in Sweden and Brazil?
This question was at the core of the discussions
between the trade superintendent of the Certi
Foundation, Laércio Aniceto Silva, and Sten
Gunnar Johansson, CEO of the Mjärdevi Science
Park, who participated in the initial panel of the 1st
Innovation Learning Laboratory.
have great capacity for innovation. He observed
that Brazilian enterprises are using the same
technology used by Swedish organizations, which
enhances cooperation possibilities.
However, Johansson said that the difference
Silva believes that Brazil is experiencing a moment
of strong incentives to innovation. The many
initiatives he mentioned included the More
Health, the Information Technology Law, and the
Productive Development Policy (PDP) initiatives.
“The entrepreneurship problem in Brazil is that
most businesses are rudimentary and have low
investment needs,” he assessed.
The panel was mediated by the Innovation Director
of the Institute for Technological Research (IPT),
Fernando Landgraf. Apart from asking questions
to the participants on the innovation scenario in
the two countries, Landgraf urged them to identify
opportunities for joint projects, establishing a
connection between these discussions and the
following panel.
Sten Johansson believes that the two countries
Laércio Aniceto Silva, Superintendent of the Certi Foundation
1st Brazil-Sweden Innovation Learning Laboratory
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between Brazil and Sweden lies in the size of
their markets, forcing Swedish companies to go
international, as opposed to Brazilian enterprises,
which have a “huge domestic market.” This is one
of the main reasons why Swedish enterprises
invest abroad, particularly in Brazil.
In Silva’s opinion, for Brazil to achieve a satisfactory
level of innovation, it still needs to improve the
capacity-building of students and researchers,
which can be done with Sweden’s help.
The engineer Cyro Laurenza, from the hub of
consultants Criterio Estudos Especiais (CEE),
commented on the scenario for productive
systems and innovation in the two countries from
the perspective of academia and enterprises. “The
issue of innovation is not well known in Brazilian
universities or corporate sector. How can we
change the vision of the corporate sector, which
as a general rule is only interested in capital gains?”
he questioned.
Semida Silveira, from KTH – Royal Institute of
Technology, mentioned two differences between
Brazil and Sweden: a “marked separation”
between universities and enterprises and the
“(In Brazil) innovation is often
seen as a cost, not as an
investment.”
Semida Silveira, KTH – Royal Institute
of Technology
14
vision that, in Brazil, “innovation is seen as a cost,
not as an investment.” Denis Maia, CEO of Choice
Inteligência em Energia, agreed that innovation
should not be seen as a cost, but rather as an
investment in the future.
In reply to a question asked by the Manager of
International Affairs of ABDI, Roberto Alvarez,
Laércio Aniceto Silva said that there’s a lot to
be done in Brazil to improve the innovation
ecosystem, the main challenge for this purpose
being that of building the capacity of Brazilian
students and researchers. With regard to
projects that could be jointly carried out with
Sweden, he mentioned, as an example, the
electricity-ethanol hybrid bus project developed
in Joinville. Sten Gunnar Johanson concluded by
saying that Sweden needs partners.
The discussions showed that Brazil has evolved
in this area by improving the environment for
innovation and establishing a new and dynamic
set of enterprises whose strategies are based on
innovation. It became clear that opportunities are
available for partnerships with Swedish enterprises.
Brazil is not yet as innovative as Sweden, but it has
skilled technological resources, a rapidly-evolving
innovation environment, and positive examples of
joint projects already carried out. This conclusion
connected the discussions to those held in the
following panel.
Moderator
»» Fernando Landgraf – Innovation Director of the Institute for Technological Research (IPT)
Debatedores
»» Laércio Aniceto Silva - Trade Superintendent of the Certi Foundation
»» Sten Gunnar Johansson – CEO of the Mjärdevi Science Park
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Successful experiences are bringing
Brazil and Sweden closer together
Business opportunities and complementariness
in technology and business between the two
countries were discussed in the panel moderated
by ABDI’s Manager for International Affairs, Roberto
Alvarez.
Alvarez reminded the participants of the strong
presence of Swedish corporations in Brazil. On the
other hand, he highlighted advances observed
in the Brazilian innovation ecosystem, both in
the public and private sectors. Brazil has been
graduating over 10,000 PhD-level professionals
every year, has companies that are going
international – as Clayton Campanhola recalled
during the event’s opening ceremony – and has
been developing its capital market. As an example,
the volume of capital invested in venture capital
funds and private equity has been growing at rates
in excess of 55% a year since 2003. This scenario
allows for a “new engagement of Brazil in global
affairs,” in which Brazilian enterprises take part in
and lead global technology and business projects,
said the ABDI Manager.
The Sales and Services director of the company
Vale Soluções de Energia (VSE), Márcio Brasileiro,
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spoke about his company’s experience with
partnerships with Brazilian research institutes –
such as the Aeronautics Technology Institute (ITA),
the National Institute for Space Research (INPE),
and the University of São Paulo (USP) of São Carlos.
“The company is focused on developing new
technologies, systems and efficient solutions in
sustainable energy generation,” he said.
The projects developed by VSE include turbine
production and combustion and gasification
engineering. Márcio stressed how the company
combines Brazilian innovation with highquality technology in its projects. “The Swedish
pragmatism and the Brazilian flexibility” added
to “clear-cut objectives, good ideas, and support
from governmental agencies are the formula for
success,” the executive believes. As an example, he
mentioned a joint project between VSE and Scania,
under which, among other things, technology is
being developed for ethanol-powered engines in
Brazil.
The director of VSE suggested that the two
countries should seek to identify appropriate
conditions to complement their actions and train
professionals in Brazil using Sweden’s advanced
knowledge.
Less than ten years were sufficient for the
company Aracruz to carry out forestry projects
in Brazil using Swedish technology. According to
the president of Stora Enso Brasil, Nils Grafströn,
the company has been using in Brazil techniques
developed in Sweden and Finland for 100 years,
combined with social responsibility, transparency,
and environmental protection principles.
The President of Stora Enso Brasil believes that
Brazil needs to improve the environment for
investments, simplify red tape, reduce taxes, and
eliminate bottlenecks in its infrastructure. Despite
these obstacles, there are many examples of
successful bilateral projects between Sweden and
Brazil and significant business opportunities to be
explored jointly.
He believes that the two countries could bet
together in the global market. A partnership
between Stora Enso and a Uruguayan company
in the area of forest development in Uruguay is
an example of this possibility. In the case of the
Brazilian forest sector, Nils said that a favorable
environment for foreign investments needs to be
created. He criticized the complex red tape, high
taxes, and infrastructure gaps that make business
difficult in Brazil.
The telecommunications industry provides
another example of the combination of skills
“Brazil and Sweden could go
international jointly.”
Nils Grafströn, President of the company
Stora Enso Brasil
between the two countries. “Laboratories set
up by Ericsson in Brazil created a favorable
environment for development and innovation.
With their high quality, they are coming up with
global solutions based on Brazil,” says Barry Bystedt,
a Swedish government official. “This is an example
of a successful partnership between Brazil and
Sweden, which did not come to be overnight.”
According to him, Ericsson keeps in touch with
universities and technological centers that support
the company’s research laboratories.
1st Brazil-Sweden Innovation Learning Laboratory
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Fernando Landgraf, Innovation Director of
the Institute for Technological Research (IPT),
observed that there’s great potential for bilateral
cooperation in gasification projects. “Sweden
has been taking competitive actions to develop
biomass gasification projects,” he highlighted.
He mentioned various initiatives in this sector in
Brazil and defended the participation of Brazilian
institutions in consortia like the ones established
in the international market.
Besides direct industrial projects, mutual
opportunities are available for research projects
and training, Wilker Filho, from ABDI, and Luiz
Henrique Campos, from the Ministry of Science
and Tehnology of Brazil, stressed. Brazil can receive
and send students to Sweden, which would be
within the interest of both countries, as well as
develop closer relations and establish networks
leading to new projects in industry.
The mega sports events to be held in Brazil
shortly, such as the 2014 World Cup and the 2016
Olympic Games, are also seen as affording major
opportunities for partnerships. Denis Maia from
Choice said that one of the strategic sectors to be
considered is that of energy, in which Sweden has
developed quite advanced technologies. Smartgrid solutions should be included in the bilateral
agenda, as they will require developing technology
and not simply transferring Swedish technology to
Brazil, and both Brazilian and Swedish enterprises
and research institutions will be able to engage in
projects under consortia.
Brazil and Sweden are already engaged in
different and successful bilateral projects that
involve developing technology and innovation.
Roberto Alvarez from ABDI underlined in his
concluding remarks that technology and
innovation flows include a new component today,
i.e. Brazil’s greater protagonism, as in the VSEScania project. In addition to the opportunities
that have been explored already, as reported
in the panel, other opportunities in energy
technologies were identified.
Moderator:
»» Roberto Alvarez - ABDI’s Manager for International Affairs
Panelists
»» Márcio Brasileiro – Sales and Services Director of the company Vale Soluções em Energia S.A.
(VSE)
»» Nils Grafström – President of Stora Enso Brazil
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Sibratec stimulates innovation
in Brazilian enterprises
The Brazilian Technology System (Sibratec),
currently under implementation, is one of the
main tools devised by the Brazilian Government
to foster links between private corporations and
the scientific and technological community
in the country. Sibratec was established by
the federal government in 2007 as part of the
Science, Technology and Innovation for National
Development Action Plan. The System was
presented to and discussed with the participants
in the Innovation Laboratory.
According to Cláudia Wirz Leite Sá, analyst of
the Innovation and Technological Development
Secretariat of the Ministry of Science and
Technology (MCT), the main objective of the
Sibratec system is to foster favorable conditions
for Brazilian enterprises to increase their
innovation rates.
By doing this, Cláudia explained, the MCT
contributes to the search for “greater value-added
billing, greater productivity, more competitiveness
and a more intense inclusion of Brazil in
the global market”.
“(Through the Sibratec system) greater
value-added billing, greater productivity,
more competitiveness, and a more
intense inclusion of Brazil in the global
market are being sought.”
Cláudia Wirz Leite Sá, analyst of the Innovation
and Technological Development Secretariat of
the Ministry of Science and Technology (MCT)
Sibratec provides necessary technological
information to micro, small and also large
enterprises for them to address management
bottlenecks. The system also contributes financially
by covering up to 70% of their project costs, while
the state government or network contributes 20%
and the companies contribute 10%.
In the health care area, 22 technological inclusion
networks have been implemented in Brazil. Total
investments amount to R$ 70 million, including R$
18 million in counterpart funding.
Cláudia stressed the important role played by the
Networks of Innovation Centers, which were set up
to “generate and turn scientific and technological
knowledge into products, processes, and
1st Brazil-Sweden Innovation Learning Laboratory
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prototypes with marketing potential.” According to
her, these networks are made up of development
units or groups linked to research institutes and
centers or universities experienced in interacting
with enterprises. There are 13 networks in
operation in Brazil, particularly in the northeast,
south, and southeast regions.
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In the opinion of Roberto Alvarez, ABDI’s Manager
for International Affairs, the organizations making
up the Sibratec system are “potentially good
partners for bilateral cooperation” with Sweden.
He highlighted the importance of the System
for building networks involving companies and
research centers in Brazil, providing “stimulus to
interactions between researchers and institutions.”
Swedish global experience can
be useful to Brazilian enterprises
With a small territory and a limited domestic
market, Sweden has always been aware that
internationalizing its enterprises is the best way for
the country to grow. According to the director of the
Mjärdevi Science Park, Sten Gunnar Johanson, one
of the debaters in the panel on internationalization
and entrepreneurship, Sweden can transfer
the experience of its companies in global
business to Brazil.
The debate was mediated by Luiz Otávio Siqueira
Cesar, director of CSEM-Brazil, who proposed a
reflection to participants on how the tools available
in Brazil today to support innovation can be
used to ensure the feasibility of bilateral projects,
including R&D internationalization. He reminded
the participants that the supply of capital for
undertakings in innovation grew substantially in
Brazil in the past decade.
Executive Denis Maia provided the recipe used
by the corporation to open up new markets. “We
have been building partnerships. The first step
is identifying companies with complementary
technology and solutions that can add value and
promote a win-win partnership,” he said.
“The first step is identifying companies with
complementary technology and solutions
that can add value and promote a win-win
partnership.”
Denis Maia, CEO of Choice Inteligência em Energia
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Maia mentioned the partnership between his
company and IBM. With the technology of the US
company, the two enterprises developed solutions
for signal transmission that can prevent blackouts.
The first goal is meeting the needs of the Brazilian
market, and the second one is entering the Chinese
market. However, he pointed out a difficulty for
Brazilian enterprises to develop bilateral projects
successfully: specific financial mechanisms are
lacking for projects of this kind.
The Vinnova program coordinator, Ciro Vasquez,
believes that the path to expand bilateral actions
between Swedish and Brazilian citizens is learning
more about each other. “We must learn more
about each another, become more acquainted
with the two markets, with our products, so that
we can properly assess bilateral entrepreneurship
possibilities,” he said.
Fernando Landgraf, from IPT, believes that Sweden
is keen on a soft landing agreement, provided
that there is a “favorable environment for Swedish
enterprises” in Brazil. “In exchange, Sweden would
offer positions in its network, opportunities
for enterprises and organizations to meet, and
everything that is needed.”
Roberto Alvarez, from ABDI, reported that Brazil
has about 25 technological parks and over 400
business incubators in operation. These innovation
environments could be used as a solid platform
by Swedish companies in Brazil, particularly for
research and development activities, which
could be carried out in partnership with Brazilian
organizations.
Laércio Aniceto Silva said that Certi can support
the operations of foreign companies in Brazil and
bring them to the country. The Foundation is
managing the implementation of the Sapiens Park
in Florianópolis.
Moderator
»» Luiz Otávio Siqueira Cesar, director of CSEM - Brazil
Panelists
»» Denis Maia – CEO of Choice Inteligência em Energia
»» Sten Gunnar Johansson – CEO of the Mjärdevi Science Park
22
Medical diagnosis and treatment
technologies are priorities for innovation
Demand for competencies and technologies in the
health care area in Brazil and Sweden was a topic
discussed in the panel mediated by the Director
of the Health Industrial and Innovation Complex
Department of the Ministry of Health, Zich Moysés
Júnior.
Lars Gustafsson, professor at the Karolinska
Institute, believes that Brazil can absorb the
advances achieved by Sweden in medical research,
particularly in developing medicines, diagnosis
tools, and follow-up on patients.
The professor spoke about concerns expressed
by the president of the Brazilian Biomedical
Engineering Society (SBEB), Renato Zângaro.
He mentioned some goals set for innovation
in the health care area in Brazil, including the
development of new technologies to improve
diagnosis and medical treatment and the supply
of new technological resources to the Unified
Health System (SUS) at a low cost.
Zângaro also mentioned some competencies to be
explored in bilateral projects, such as biomaterials,
biomedical tools, sound and image processing,
rehabilitation and clinical tests.
Zich Moysés Júnior said that the Brazilian Ministry
of Health began to play a differentiated role in
relation to industrial health care activities in 2007.
The ministry began to work in partnership with the
Ministry of Science and Technology, Finep, and the
National Economic and Social Development Bank
(BNDES) to induce the development of products
and overcome the country’s technological
dependence.
Lars Gustafsson, professor at the Karolinska Institute
As a result, according to Zich, it was possible to
induce the generation of new technologies and
1st Brazil-Sweden Innovation Learning Laboratory
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“expand the strategic operational capacity of public
producers.” This topic was also stressed by Eduardo
Jorge Oliveira, from ABDI, who commented on
possibilities for public-private partnerships focused
on developing health care technologies in Brazil.
Esbjorn Larsson, from the Getinge Group,
expressed an interest in how Brazil monitors
infections and fights persistent bacteria. Likewise,
he mentioned the possibility of setting up
Swedish training centers in Brazil and expanding
the cooperation between universities of the two
countries. It is a possibility to be considered by
Brazilian organizations such as Certi, observed its
superintendent for new business activities, Laércio
Silva.
The regulatory environment in the health care
sector was another relevant issue addressed in
the panel. According to Fábio Arcuri de Carvalho,
although rules are being improved, the need to
review the Brazilian regulatory framework remains.
“Brazil has been working to link
technological development to the
evolution of the health care system.”
Zich Moysés Júnior - Director of the Health
Industrial Complex and Innovation Department
of the Ministry of Health
“The two countries should work together to
develop a better understanding of their regulatory
systems,” he suggested.
In sum, opportunities were identified ranging
from research to setting up branches of Swedish
companies in Brazil to develop products in tune
with the needs of the Brazilian market. For this
purpose, tools to support innovation available in
Brazil could be used, linking those developed by the
Ministry of Health and those funded by innovation
projects. Once again, using technological parks
and incubators was mentioned as a possibility
for reducing the cost for accessing the Brazilian
market and establishing better links with Brazilian
research competencies.
Moderator
»» Zich Moysés Júnior - Director of the Health Industrial Complex and Innovation Department of
the Ministry of Health
Debaters
»» Renato Zângaro - President of the Brazilian Biomedical Engineering Society (SBEB)
»» Lars L. Gustafsson – Professor at the Karolinska Institute (KI)
24
Volvo and Sabó Autopeças are examples
of innovation and internationalization
The example of Volvo, which has been developing
products in the Brazilian industrial complex for
30 years, was mentioned by the president of the
company for Latin America, Per Gabell, during the
panel on innovation and opportunities for bilateral
business in the transportation sector. Gabell
stressed the talent and vocation of Brazilians for
innovation.
to him, companies become more acquainted with
the problems and needs of the country operating
locally. Developing products locally is a positive
differential for assembly plants, which can then
offer products in tune with the needs of the
market and therefore increase their sales, and for
local industry at large, whose chances of taking
part in the production chain increase.
The experience of the Swedish company in
Brazil was highlighted by a professor from the
Engineering Production Department of the
Polytechnic School of USP (University of São Paulo),
Mauro Zilbovicius, the panel’s mediator. According
Walter Mena, Engineering Coordinator of the
company Sabó Autopeças, told the story of the
company, which has been operating in Brazil for
67 years and investing in R&D for 30 years, and
has expanded its product manufacturing and
development operations to markets such as China,
the US, Hungary, Germany, Austria, and Argentina.
According to him, investing in innovation is key for
competing with large enterprises operating in this
market. “To survive in the market, we need valueadded technology.”
Per Gabell, President of Volvo for Latin America
Laércio Aniceto Silva, from the Certi Foundation,
provided another example of innovation. The
Federal University of Santa Catarina and the Certi
Foundation, among other organizations, are
working on a project to produce electricity- and
1st Brazil-Sweden Innovation Learning Laboratory
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ethanol-powered hybrid buses in the region of
Joinvile in Santa Catarina state. “This is a major
opportunity for cooperation between Brazil and
Sweden,” Silva observed.
The main opportunities identified for joint projects
are concentrated in the heavy commercial vehicle
industry. Brazil is a major player in the global
production of trucks and a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
model was developed in the country which is
under implementation in several metropolises to
the south and north of the Equator.
Joint
projects
involving
technological
development for hybrid and other vehicles could
be carried out by organizations of both countries
“To survive in the market, we need
value-added technology.”
Walter Mena, Engineering Coordinator of Sabó
Autopeças
and result in products in tune with the needs of
the Brazilian market and of other growing markets
in Latin America and Africa. The involvement of
Brazilian enterprises in projects of this kind, with
assembly plants, like the one developed by Sabó,
could pave the way for the internationalization
and growth of enterprises.
Moderator:
»» Mauro Zilbovicius - Professor at the Production Engineering Department of the Polytechnic
School of USP (University of São Paulo)
Panelists
»» Per Gabell – President of Volvo in Latin America
»» Walter Mena – Engineering Coordinator, Sabó Autopeças
26
The first step has been taken
The 1st Brazil-Sweden Innovation Learning
Laboratory, held in 2010, was the first step to
deepen the dialogue between entrepreneurs,
researchers, and public agents of the two countries
with the aim of stimulating joint projects.
Entrepreneurship,
internationalization,
and
innovation were recurrent topics during the event,
as observed by Roberto Alvarez as he resumed
subjects addressed by Sylvia Schwaag-Serger
previously and recalled the examples of the Sabó
and VSE companies. These are the kinds of relations
that give meaning to our activities: capacitybuilding in the area of innovation should go hand
in hand with actions to build competencies for the
internationalization of businesses.
Among other ideas mentioned by the participants,
ABDI’s Manager for International Affairs pointed
out that Brazil needs to continue to improve
its innovation ecosystem and environment for
investments, as well its infrastructure and tax
system; to support the internationalization of
Brazilian enterprises of all sizes; to promote mutual
learning between entrepreneurs and researchers
of the two countries; and to pay due attention
to the bilateral relations and the well-established
economic presence of Sweden in Brazil. New
opportunities are available as Brazil becomes a
major international player, including in science
and technology and business. Brazil is provided
with the conditions and ambition for a new global
engagement and Sweden is a very important
partner in this new scenario.
Summarizing the discussions held during the
event, Alvarez recalled topics mentioned in
various panels, such as governmental measures to
promote development and stimulate productive
sectors, incentives to entrepreneurship and
internationalization, and increasing cooperation
with the African continent through Brazil’s
Productive Development Policy (PDP). There
are opportunities to be jointly taken advantage
of by Brazilian and Swedish organizations not
only in their domestic markets, but also in other
geographical areas.
A consensus was reached during the discussions
that learning by doing is key for building a bilateral
relationship increasingly based on innovation.
Comments like the ones made by Prof. Gustafsson
1st Brazil-Sweden Innovation Learning Laboratory
| 27
and executive Denis Maira corroborate this
reasoning: Brazil and Sweden can and should learn
from projects carried out jointly.
Finally, Alvarez summarized some cooperation
opportunities for the two countries that were
identified during the Innovation Learning
Laboratory. These include using Brazilian and
Swedish technological parks and incubators as
platforms for the soft landing of companies, joint
activities in the area of smart grids and other
clean energy technologies, joint research and
staff training projects in the health care area,
research projects in gasification technology, and
development of automotive and health products.
The new opportunities indentified and discussed
during the workshop will be validated by a
mapping exercize that will be carried out by
ABDI and Vinnova, as reported by Eduardo Jorge
Oliveira and Ciro Vasquez, the executives in charge
of the project in each of the organizations, ABDI
and Vinnova. The participants were also informed
another bilateral event is scheduled to be held in
November 2010 in Sweden.
According to Clayton Campanhola, the director
of ABDI, the meeting made it possible to identify
different areas and opportunities in which Brazil
and Sweden can cooperate with each other. “We
have the mechanisms, tools, and financial and
“We have the mechanisms,
tools, and financial and human
resources. What we need now
is to make an effort to start to
implement the projects we
dscussed in practice.”
Roberto Alvarez, ABDI’s Manager for
International Affairs
28
human resources. What we need now is to make
an effort to start to implement the projects we
discussed in practice,” he assessed.
According to Sylvia Schwaag-Serger, the objectives
of the Laboratory - exchanging experiences,
identifying opportunities for possible projects,
and networking - were achieved. She stressed
the importance of cooperation in technological
science and innovation and of joint actions in
the international market, with a special focus on
small and medium enterprises. Sylvia highlighted
the relevant role of industrial research institutes in
stimulating the internationalization of small and
medium enterprises: “Sweden sees these institutes
as major platforms for strengthening small and
medium enterprises and, particularly, for enabing
them to go international.”
“Sweden sees these institutes as major platforms for
strengthening small and medium enterprises and, particularly,
for enabing them to go international”.
Sylvia Schwaag-Serger, Director of the International
Department of the Swedish Agency for Innovative
Systems (Vinnova)
1st Brazil-Sweden Innovation Learning Laboratory
| 29
Technical Information
ABDI
Reginaldo Braga Arcuri
Clayton Campanhola
Maria Luisa Leal
Roberto dos Reis Alvarez – Manager for
International Affairs
Eduardo Jorge Valadares Oliveira – Project
Manager
Simone Zerbinato
Sylvia Schwaag Serger
Ciro Vasquez
Brazilian Ministry of External Relations
André Mattoso Maia Amado
Swedish Embassy in Brazil
Annika Markovic
Institute for Technological Research
Fernando Landgraf
Vinnova
Charlotte Brogren – Director General
Sylvia Schwaag-Serger – Director of the
International Department
Ciro Vasquez – Project Manager
CERTI Foundation
Laércio Aniceto Silva
Carlos Alberto Schneider
List of Participants
Brazilian Agency for Industrial Development
Reginaldo Arcuri
Clayton Campanhola
Roberto Alvarez
Eduardo Oliveira
Alexandre Gaino
Cleila Guimarães Pimenta Bósio
Joana Wightman
Valdênio Araújo
Vale Energy Solutions
James Pessoa
Márcio Brasileiro
Márcio Brasileiro
VINNOVA
Charlotte Brogren
Mjärdevi Science Park
Sten Gunnar Johansson
Stora Enso Brazil
Nils Grafström
Ministry of Science and Technology
Ronaldo Mota
Cláudia Wirz Leite Sá
Luiz Henrique Mourao Pereira
Antonio Pacheco Rotondaro
CSEM Brazil
Luiz Otavio Siqueira Cesar
Tiago Maranhão Alves
Choice - Energy Intelligence
Denis Maia
Gunnebo Industries Brazil
Stefan Lundkvist
University of São Paulo
Glauco Arbix
Mauro Zilbovicius
Mário Sérgio Salerno
Roberto Marx
VOLVO Bus Latin America Ltda
Per Gabell
Scania Brazil
Mattias Carlbaum
Recepta Biofarma
Adriana Neves
Center for Competitiveness and Innovation
Alain Farès
Biocancer
Alberto Waintein
Philips
Aline Botrel
Fabiano Lima
José Alvarenga
Swedish Consulate in São Paulo
Barry Bystedt
Lars Bergea
Intrials
Carlos Zacarelli
Ministry of Health
Zich Moysés Júnior
FIOCRUZ
Carmen Nila Phang Romero Casas
Daniel Savignon Marinho
Brazilian Society of Biomedical Engineering
Renato Zângaro
Biolab
Cleiton de Castro Marques
Karolinska Institute
Lars L. Gustafsson
Critério Special Research
Cyro Antonio Laurenza Filho
Kapsch TrafficCom
Adolfo Maier
Gustavo Moreno
Biosensor
Daniel Medina
Nanox Intelligent Material
Daniel Minozzi
Butatan Foundation
Hernan Chaimovitch
Cryopraxis
Eduardo Cruz
São Bernardo do Campo Municipality City Hall
Jefferson Jose da Conceição
Biominas Foundation
Eduardo Emrich
Conexão Prosthesis Systems
José Adão Starosta
Intel
Fabio Tangnin
Sabó Group
José Eduardo Sabó
São Paulo Industrial Federation - FIESP
Fátima Freguglia
Nanocore
José Maciel Rodrigues Júnior
FK Biotecnology
Fernando Kreutz
Aché Laboratórios Farmacêuticos
José Ricardo Mendes da Silva
Brazilian Association of Medical Devices
Manufacturers - ABIMO
Franco Pallamolla
Marcio Bósio
Baumer
Lucio Costa de Brito
PharmaLatina
Gabriel Tannus
Farmacore
Helena Faccidi Lopes
Diadema Municipality City Hall
Luis Paulo Bresciani
EMS
Luiz Borgonovi
Brazilian Innovation Agency - FINEP
Manuel Lousada
Brazilian Development Bank - BNDES
Márcio Cameron
Tiago Toledo Ferreira
Eurofarma
Maurizio Billi
Criatália
Ogari de Castro Pacheco
Biosensor
Paulo Silva
Biomm
Paulo Vidigal
Folha de São Paulo Journal
Rafael Garcia
Brazilian Association of Non Destructive
Testing and Inspection - ABENDI
Renato Fogagnoli Júnior
Butantan Foundation
Ricardo Oliva
Cristália Laboratory
Roberto Carlos Debom Moreira
Union of the Industry of Dental, Medical and
Hospital Articles and Equipment of the
State of São Paulo - SINAEMO
Rui Baumer
Royal Institute of Technology – KTH
Semida Silveira
Brazilian Association of Technical Standards ABNT
Vicente de Paula Barbosa