UFSC is one of the three most innovative universities in the country
The Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) was a finalist in the Startup Awards 2021 and was ranked among the three most innovative universities in the Brazilian innovation ecosystem. There were over 44 thousand indications for the 15 award categories, and three finalists were chosen for each category based on the largest number of votes. In the University category, UFSC competed for the award with the Universidade de São Paulo (USP) and the Pontífica Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUC-RS), with USP taking first place. The trophy award ceremony took place on 19 November 2021.
The motivation to participate in the event began with the SINOVA UFSC Startup Mentoring Project, which connects the university to the innovation ecosystem in Santa Catarina. For Professor Alexandre Moraes Ramos, Secretary for Innovation at UFSC, the recognition of the award allowed for a historical retrieval of the innovative and entrepreneurial culture existing at the university.
According to Professor Ramos, the project, which started with a small unit on the Florianópolis campus, is now present on all UFSC campuses, with the objective of promoting ideas and creating innovative startups. He stresses that the project is exclusively aimed at the academic community, and that many researchers feel welcome to participate and promote new business ideas with high social impact.
The SINOVA UFSC Startup Mentoring Project seeks to encourage business ideas arising from research projects or ideas from the UFSC academic community to be mentored by market and academic experts so that they become high-impact innovative solutions. According to Ramos, there is a virtuous circle in this process and each idea proposed by a student, a professor or a staff member at UFSC can give rise to a startup that grows and generates knowledge, wealth and jobs.
The recognition of UFSC as one of the most innovative universities in Brazil demonstrates that actors in the country’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem perceive the university as an engine of technological development, sought to create solutions that meet the demands of various sectors of civil society. The Office of Innovation (SINOVA) is also responsible for managing the intellectual property assets from the institution’s organic body, and has been working on prospecting projects with the potential to become startups.
Closer to society
In 2022, SINOVA plans on pursuing an even closer relationship with innovative projects that have as goals reducing poverty, dealing with social vulnerability and achieving a sustainable balance with the environment. With the aim of applying the human knowledge generated within the university towards constructing business ideas with significant social impact, the first edition of SINOVA UFSC Social Mentoring launches in November. The event is a new branch of SINOVA UFSC Startup Mentoring focused on business ideation aligned with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
The idea of the SINOVA UFSC Social Mentoring project is to connect UFSC with the communities, thinking and generating ideas for the eradication of poverty and protection of the environment. Ramos emphasizes that the project follows the same line of reasoning as a business ideas competition, but focused on innovation and social entrepreneurship.
With information from the Office of Innovation (SINOVA).
Translated by SINTER/UFSC.
Read the original article here.
