INCOBRA - Increasing INternational Science, Technology and Innovation COoperation between BRAzil and the European Union

Summary

INCOBRA – Increasing Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) International Cooperation between Brazil (BR) and the European Union (EU) – is a 36-month Coordination and Support Action aiming to increase, enhance and focus Research and Innovation (R&I) cooperation between BR and EU.

INCOBRA is expected to contribute to
(i) Increased cooperation patterns – by supporting cooperation networks among BR and EU R&I actors (Work Package –WP2),
(ii) Enhanced framework conditions – by fostering coordination and alignment of R&I funding in BR and EU (WP3),
(iii) More focused BR-EU R&I cooperation – by identifying emerging topics and opportunities in priority R&I areas for cooperation (WP1).
Capacity building, sustainability will also be fully addressed by INCOBRA (WP4 and WP5, respectively).

INCOBRA’s approach is completely aligned with the EU Strategy for International R&I Cooperation, the EU Roadmap for R&I Cooperation with BR, the BR-EU Policy Dialogue priorities and with the work of the Strategic Forum for International STI Cooperation (SFIC). It thus draws upon a multilateral perspective (interests and needs of BR-state level, BR-federal level, EU and EU-Member States), whilst capitalizing and going beyond the outcomes of the previous R&I cooperation project with Brazil (B.BICE+). INCOBRA’s approach also assumes innovation (holistic concept) as a key driver for BR-EU STI cooperation and Strategic Foresight as a relevant tool to anticipate R&I trends of mutual interest for BR and EU R&I actors, while promoting mutual openness of BR and EU R&I funding programmes to encourage cooperation.

The INCOBRA consortium comprises 13 partners (7 from EU and 6 from BR), including Universities, Research Organizations, International Organizations, Technology Parks, Private Companies and Funding Agencies. Building upon a stakeholder-driven basis, INCOBRA already incorporates 36 organizations as members of the Stakeholder Group to be deployed during the project.
 

Activities

FFG’s role

• Deployment of Customized Capacity Building Activities for funding agencies
• Promoting the Alignment of R&I Funding Programs for international cooperation, support joint calls
• Proposing enhanced Framework Conditions for Funding Support for Target-EU R&I Cooperation (Support for Policy Dialogue)
• Promotion of  mutual opening of national and regional research programs towards EU/Brazil
   

Other Project Activities

• Supporting the policy dialogue on research and innovation between the Union and Brazil
• Encouraging cooperation between research and innovation actors from the EU and Brazil by promoting the opportunities offered by Horizon 2020 towards Brazil
• increasing the coordination and strengthening of the synergies between the activities and programmes of the Member States, the Associated Countries and Brazil
• identifying remaining obstacles for cooperation and by supporting the development of solutions to eliminate these obstacles