Brazilian-Swiss entrepreneurship programme
© 2016 CODEV
A thriving economy, a huge market, top-level universities and a host of innovation start-ups: this reality is highly interesting for Swiss researchers attracted by the entrepreneurship challenge. The third Academia-Industry Training Camp was held in early October in Rio de Janeiro, as well as in Bangalore, India.
Brazil is not the first country that springs to mind for science, top-level universities and innovation. However, Brazil boasts a flourishing start-up ecosystem and a promising innovation landscape: highly ground-breaking solutions are developed in cutting-edge research labs with state-of-the-art equipment, and Brazilian investors are willing to invest in tech start-ups and social initiatives; to which must be added start-up incubators (*), and other programmes promoting innovation.
The size of the Brazilian market renders it highly attractive to future Swiss entrepreneurs. The country’s potential in terms of production, scientific research and technological development is also appealing.
In Switzerland this coming November, these Swiss and Brazilian researchers will be joined by their Indian counterparts, for the second AIT week of this third edition. In total, over 100 researchers have benefited from the programme’s first 3 editions.
Promoting innovation across continents creates awareness, builds synergies and fosters the motivation of promising scientrepreneurs to take up the entrepreneurial challenge.
(*) An incubator is a space for start-ups and small businesses that provides a stimulating environment for their development and success.
ABOUT THE ACADEMIA-INSTUSTRY TRINING CAMP (AIT)
The Academia-Industry Training Camps aim to help young scientists translate the results of their research from the laboratory to the market and to give these enterprising researchers the boost they need to successfully transform their ideas into marketable products.
In order to support innovation and scientrepreneurs from Switzerland, Brazil and India, the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) mandated EPFL’s Cooperation and Development Center (CODEV) in 2014 to implement the Academia-Industry Training programme in India and Brazil.
Co-organized with venturelab, swissnex India and swissnex Brazil, the AIT programme comprises a full day of preparatory kick-off events in Switzerland, a week in India and Brazil followed by a week in Switzerland, including workshops, industry visits, networking opportunities and business meetings.
MORE INFORMATION
Detailed information on the AIT programme can be found on http://cooperation.epfl.ch/ProgrammeAIT
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