Portugal and Brazil will collaborate together to expand research on digital services supported on 5G networks, with the purpose of developing innovative solutions, using Telecom networks, Quantum Computing, Artificial Intelligence, among others. The partnership will involve the Instituto de Telecomunicações (IT), based in Aveiro, the Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU) and Brain – Algar Telecom’s innovation and digital business center -, both located in the State of Minas Gerais.
The collaboration, made official at the end of December 2021, will define the joint action between the three institutes to coordinate innovation projects as of this year. The objective is mainly to know the problems and needs related to the industry that Brain will identify in different sectors, such as health or agriculture, for example. This diagnosis will then be the basis of work for its partners to find the most innovative answers in the areas of Science and Technologies.
The partnership will thus implement a joint venture between the three scientific research institutions so that they can develop R&D projects and facilitate the exchange of knowledge. If, on the one hand, IT invests in advanced training in Information, Communications and Electronics Technologies (TICE), with special emphasis on Telecommunications, UFU is considered a reference in technology, computer labs and telecommunications.
IT, for example, is currently involved in several projects and partnerships with university institutes, European entities or manufacturers to accelerate solutions in mobility, telecommunications, manufacturing or environmental sustainability. The UFU, in turn, coordinates the “ Brasil 5G and Beyond 5G ”, a program financed by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, in addition to leading one of the areas of the “Brasil 6G” project, coordinated by the National Institute of Telecommunications (Inatel) . Finally, Brain seeks to promote, through national or foreign partnerships, new technologies and their possibilities to create disruptive solutions for companies and industries.
A workshop is still in preparation, organized by the three entities, which will bring to the table the specific themes, which will guide the partnerships to be developed. The initiative will also be an opportunity for the Telecommunications Institute and the Federal University of Uberlândia to show what they have developed and what may eventually interest Brain.
About the three institutions:
Telecommunications Institute (IT)
IT, based in Aveiro, is a private, non-profit organization of public interest, which brings together nine research and development institutions in the field of Telecommunications. As an Associate Laboratory, its mission addresses societal challenges by providing Information, Communications and Electronics Technologies (TICE) through transdisciplinary cooperation with experts in relevant fields.
Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU)
The UFU, funded by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), is the main reference center for Science and Technology in a wide region of Central Brazil, which encompasses the Triângulo Mineiro, Alto Paranaíba, the northwest and parts of the north. Minas, the south and southwest of Goiás, the north of São Paulo and the east of Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso.
Brain , center for innovation and digital business
Brain is a Science and Technology institute, based in the city of Uberlândia, in the interior of Minas Gerais, which promotes or develops disruptive solutions for companies and industries through open innovation models and strategic partnerships aimed at R&D activities.