Alagoas is the second state in the Northeast that invests the most in science and technology

Science and Technology (S&T) are two pillars that directly contribute to the good development of the state and the improvement of the quality of life of the population, which shows how important and necessary governments are to make continuous investments in targeted public policies. two sectors. With this in mind, the Government of Alagoas, through the bodies that promote these areas – the Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation (Secti) and the Research Support Foundation (Fapeal) – has invested significantly in science and technology, increasing competitiveness and stimulating development and placing Alagoas among States that invest public money in science and technology in the country.

According to data from the Confederation of Industries of the State of Ceará (Fiec) index, as of 2021, Alagoas is the second state in the northeast that invests more in these two sectors, after only Piauí. In Brazil, it ranks sixth.

One of the largest public sector investments in this area is concentrated in the Polo Center for Technological Innovation (CIPT), located in the Jaragua region. With an investment of over R$18 million, CIPT is committed to promoting entrepreneurship and innovation; It is an environment to promote local businesses and attract new technology-based projects aimed at developing technological solutions for the public and private sectors, universities and research centers.

It currently has 17 technology-based companies – including a Spanish multinational – as well as partners such as the National Service for Industrial Learning (Senai/AL) and the University Foundation for Extension Research and Development (Fundepes).

It has a built-up area of ​​6,130 square meters. There are 42 rooms for small, medium and large companies. three meeting rooms, one on each floor; A hall for 330 people, 92 parking spaces, two multi-purpose warehouses, six partner rooms, four computer rooms, two training rooms.

In addition to CIPT, Science Initiation Grants were made available to hundreds of young students from public and private schools, through the Science Fair for Basic Education in Alagoas (Experiment-AL), which was held in three sessions and had the objective of encouraging young scientists to produce science and technology through their research.

For the Secretary of Secti, Silvio Bulhões, the growth of Alagoas in this indicator shows the increasing commitment of the state government, in promoting and ensuring continuity in these areas.

“Our scenario has been turning out positively. Alagoas has invested heavily in programs to encourage technological and innovative production, research grants for Masters, PhD and scientific start-up, ensuring not only initial support, but support for the continuity of these actions,” said the secretary.

The Alagoas Research Support Foundation (Fapeal), an agency associated with Secti, is also part of this investment. Each month, Fapeal pays scholarships to train researchers, from junior sciences, in high school, to doctorates, and fund research projects in courses at universities and university centers.

In the second half of 2021, work is underway on the SUS Research Program and Graduate Development Program (PDPG) – State Strategic Partnerships, both of which are federal partnerships, with counterpart funding from the state. In addition, through exclusive resources from the Alagoas government, Fapeal supports 11 scholarly journals associated with local masters and doctorates.

The above public notices alone represent an investment of R$ 3.35 million by the Foundation. Also scheduled for October 30 is the public announcement of the new version of the Centelha program, in which more than R$660,000 will be invested in state treasury resources to transform innovative ideas into 60 new start-ups in the state. The total value of the call will also include resources from Finep and Sudene.

According to Fapeal’s chief director, Fábio Guedes, this finding only certifies the efforts that Governor Renan Filho has made, during these years, to offset the decline in investments in science, technology and innovation by the federal government.

“Here at Alagoas, we have democratized access to Fapeal’s public resources, through over 75 public notices, and we serve the entire academic scientific community for institutions with researchers and with graduate programmes, in both masters and doctoral degrees. The result of this shows The indicator is that this effort was worth it. He pointed out that this also led to other positive points for the country, such as Oval, which ranked sixteenth in the patent ranking by the National Institute of Industrial Research and fifth in computer software patents at the same institute. Fabio Geddes.