New FINEP contracts represent a technological milestone for Brazil
The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation and FINEP (Financier of Studies and Projects) announced on Wednesday (13) new economic subsidy contracts for the Brazilian aerospace industry.
Funds in the order of R$ 375 million will be allocated to two Nanosatellite and Microsatellite Launch Vehicle projects and R$ 119 million to the development of new urban mobility solutions with eVTOLs.
The investments were announced at a ceremony attended by Minister Luciana Santos, the president of FINEP, Celso Pansera, and the director of the AEB (Brazilian Space Agency), Rodrigo Leonardi.
AIAB (Aerospace Industries Association of Brazil) was represented by vice-president José Serrador Neto, who is also vice-president of Institutional Relations at Embraer. He stressed that the moment “represents a milestone in the technological development of the Brazilian aerospace sector”.
“Maintaining a cadence of innovation grants contributes to the engagement of the aerospace sector’s highly qualified workforce and to brain retention in Brazil,” he said.
The investments, added to those announced by MCTI and FINEP during the ceremony celebrating AIAB’s 30th anniversary in May this year, total around R$855 million in government funding for the aerospace industries.
“We thank the MCTI for its vote of confidence in the Brazilian aerospace industry, which has shown significant results in response to public investments made in the sector throughout its history. We congratulate Minister Luciana and her team who, advised by FINEP, supplemented FNDCT resources that made it possible to contract more than one proposal from these calls for proposals,” said AIAB president Julio Shidara.
The search for continuous policies to foster innovation in the aerospace sector is a permanent agenda of the organization – these are actions with repercussions not only for the industry, but also for the economic, educational and technological development of the country as a whole.
Among the most important impacts are cooperation between companies and Scientific and Technological Innovation Institutions, job creation and strengthening the competitiveness of the Brazilian aerospace industry, guaranteeing Brazil’s autonomy in strategic technologies.
The projects
The new contracts were defined through public selection by FINEP, and two AIAB members, CENIC and Xmobots, are leading the winning projects (which will have the participation of co-executing companies).
Akaer and member CENIC will have the mission of developing nano and microsatellite launch vehicles, a new technological frontier for Brazil, which currently depends on vehicles from other countries to take this equipment into space. Only 13 nations have mastered this technology, which is essential for the sovereignty of a country with enormous weight in sectors such as defense, telecommunications and environmental monitoring.
Associate Xmobots is leading the third contract, aimed at developing new urban mobility solutions with autonomous drones (eVTOLs).
*** Translated by DEFCONPress FYI ***