The next step in the development of the Living Lab Biobased Brazil: after student exchange and teacher exchange and cooperation now comes research cooperation through joint projects. In this newsletter you can find descriptions of a few smaller joint research projects. There are several formats for setting up funded cooperation, for instance in the context of the European Union. On top, FAPEMIG and SIA are currently performing a series of innovative calls for joint research projects supporting particularly the Living Lab Brazil. The format of the call is considered a pilot and will be evaluated by SIA and FAPEMIG.
A first tranche, focusing on water technology, has been issued in May (preregistration) and July (full registration) 2017. FAPEMIG and SIA provided up to €125.000 (R$ 468513) each, which has to be matched with investments by companies. This tranche has yielded two joint proposals, based on one year of preparational visits within the Living Lab context. The next call is expected before December. It is expected to be three times as large, and encompass the other three themes of Living Lab Brazil: Agrifood chains, Biobased Chemistry and Sustainability.
In May a delegation of Dutch professors has visited Belo Horizonte and Vicosa to prepare the upcoming call. In several meetings with researchers and companies the professors were able to gather a mere 70 leads for research projects or other types of cooperation. These ideas ranged from very concrete to a preliminary ideation phase. Based on matches that could be made between research on both sides, and company interests on both sides, a reasonable number of promising leads has been identified and is currently being prepared.
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