BRDE Labs promotes event on innovation and entrepreneurship in Guarapuava
On Wednesday 16th, BRDE Labs in partnership with Hotmilk, PucPR, Amcham, Guarapuava City Hall, the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, Cilla Tech Park, UTFPR Guarapuava, Agraria and Sebrae held the event Transformative Innovation: Culture and Entrepreneurship.
Labs is an open innovation program created by the Regional Development Bank of the Far South (BRDE) to accelerate the development of the innovation environment in the southern region, linked to the needs of local ecosystems in each state. Some of the Labs actions offer mentoring, acceleration rounds, connections between companies and startups, among other activities such as the workshop held in Guarapuava at UTFPR.
“We’re very happy with the partnership with BRDE and Cilla Tech Park. This shows that we’re working as a network, together with Sebrae, we’re connecting people, encouraging and empowering them to innovate and believe in their potential,” says Sávio Denardi, Guarapuava’s Secretary for Economic Development and Innovation.
The focus of this edition of BRDE Labs is Green Innovation and Equity. Michael Douglas, Sebrae PR’s State Innovation Coordinator, opened with a talk on Transformative Innovation, Culture Change and Entrepreneurship.
“The importance of participating in these innovation themes is that we can increasingly raise awareness of the importance of innovation, of how important it is for transforming society,” said Michael.
The second speaker was Alessandro Branco, Strategic Projects Specialist at Cooperativa Agraria Agroindustrial, who addressed the topic of innovation in agriculture, presenting cases of innovation that have been applied at Agraria based on suggestions from the employees themselves. Sandra Pinho Pinheiro, innovation advisor, board advisor to ESG LAKE and the Positive Impacts Award, then spoke about equity in the world of innovation.
At the end, speakers and participants were able to debate and ask questions about the topics presented. Raquel da Cunha Ribeiro da Silva, professor in charge of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program (Proem) at UTFPR Campus Guarapuava, which provided the space for the event, said that bringing the workshop to the University was important for bringing academics and entrepreneurs closer together. “It was a very important moment for us to enter this entrepreneurial, innovation context. […] I hope we can repeat it several times in the future.
BRDE Labs is held annually and addresses different themes in each edition. The workshops take place in different cities and aim to create connections between startups and companies.
The partnership between Cilla Tech Park and BRDE seeks to foster regional development and provide society with better futures.
