UFRJ Science Park hosts international event with Chinese delegation

On Monday, May 19, the UFRJ Science Park (Parque Tecnológico do Rio) hosted the China-Brazil Business Matchmaking Event. The meeting brought together public and private sector leaders from Xiamen, China, and Brazil, fostering partnership opportunities in strategic areas such as biotechnology, industrial automation, renewable energy, and foodtech.

“UFRJ is the largest federal university in Brazil. We have infrastructure with great potential for innovation,” emphasized the University’s Vice-Rector, Cassia Turci, in her opening remarks.

The highlight of the event was the signing of the Strategic Cooperation Agreement between UFRJ and the BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution Innovation Center (BPIC), a Chinese institution dedicated to strengthening innovation among BRICS countries. The agreement will be carried out through the Brazil-BRICS Innovation Center for New Industrialization (CBBIN), an initiative by the UFRJ Science Park aimed at fostering joint innovation among BRICS nations.

“This is the first agreement under the Brazil-BRICS Innovation Center for Neoindustrialization, launched just a few months ago by the UFRJ Science Park. A true milestone for our center. We are just beginning and expect to accomplish much more,” said the director of the Science Park, Romildo Toledo.

In addition to the Vice-Rector, the Park Director, and the Chinese delegation, the event was attended by representatives from Brazilian public and private entities, as well as companies, startups, incubators, academic centers, and UFRJ’s innovation hubs.

The ceremony also included institutional presentations and the signing of agreements between companies from Brazil and Xiamen. “Through this cooperation, we aim to provide practical references and guidelines to deepen industrial cooperation among BRICS countries,” said Zhuang Rongliang, Deputy Mayor of Xiamen and Director-General of BPIC.

The Park's Director also highlighted the priority areas of the Brazil-BRICS Center, aligned with the missions of Brazil’s Neoindustrialization Plan. He also spoke about the innovation hub that is about to be inaugurated in one of the major buildings within the Park’s infrastructure.

“The Park began with a focus on oil and gas, attracting large companies due to the pre-salt reserves. Today, we operate in fields such as energy transition, cybersecurity, robotics, biotechnology, and public health. We are building a large innovation hub, with space to host more than 70 small and medium-sized companies. It will be launched in the second half of this year, and we will certainly seek partnerships with China, India, and other BRICS countries,” said Romildo.

With this initiative, the UFRJ Science Park consolidates its role as a hub for innovation and international collaboration. The agreement marks another decisive step in bringing the Brazilian innovation ecosystem closer to global research and development centers, expanding opportunities for strategic collaboration with countries like China, India, and Russia.

We congratulate UFRJ on hosting this successful event and for their international collaboration which creates novel opportunities for innovation and growth.