On the final day of the parallel event of the Research and Innovation WG, the first panel of the Seminar addressed the application of open innovation in international cooperation focused on the preservation and sustainable management of tropical forests. The event took place at the Brazilian National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA) in Manaus, the capital of the Amazon rainforest.
On the second and final day of the International Seminar on the Amazonia and Tropical Forests, topics such as bioeconomy, academic cooperation, and open innovation were discussed at the side event of the G20 Research and Innovation Working Group (WG). Furthermore, the event occurred in Manaus, the capital of the Brazilian state of Amazonas. Open innovation is one of the priority thematic axes of the Brazilian Presidency's Coordination of the WG, which holds its ministerial meeting in the city on September 19.
Based on the principle of opening up the innovation process to everyone in a democratic environment with a free flow of knowledge, open innovation has gained momentum recently with the expansion of globalization processes and advances in information and communication technologies. The model has been applied in several areas, from software development to education, health, and energy. In May, at the first in-person meeting of the Research and Innovation WG under Brasil's presidency of the G20, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), Luciana Santos, had already emphasized the importance of the agenda.
"It's a chance for us to use knowledge, regardless of the stage of research, and to share it in a great convergence. The best way to apply science to finding solutions to common challenges is to ensure and enable sharing and cooperation. The driving force behind open innovation is to be able to guarantee that the knowledge produced is disseminated," the Minister said at the time.
The seminar discussed using this platform to reduce inequalities and asymmetries in the availability and production of science, technology, and innovation, as well as to ensure the right to development and the need to respond to global challenges in this area. It also focused on investigating the application of open innovation in international cooperation with a focus on preserving and conserving tropical forests. The panel examined collaboration models involving academic, governmental, and business institutions to develop and share knowledge and technologies for conserving and sustainable using these biomes.
Márcia Perales, President of the Amazonas Research Foundation (FAPEAM), coordinated the panel and highlighted the Amazônia+10 initiative, which promotes convergent efforts in science, technology, and innovation to reforest degraded areas, develop agricultural activities with low greenhouse gas emissions, and guarantee access to basic services for the people who live in the region, among other objectives.
"The initiative went beyond borders. Today, we are in the process of publishing the final results of a call for proposals that mobilized 1,400 researchers from 181 science and technology institutions from 19 Brazilian states and three countries for scientific expeditions in the Amazonia. United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland. And these multidisciplinary expeditions consider something significant: the scientific-technical capacity installed in the region. By valuing this capacity, we can move forward," she said. "Open innovation saves time, shares knowledge, and prevents the need for new data to be collected. It promotes a more inclusive and public science. We have to discuss and address this in our institutions," added the researcher at the end of the panel.
The discussions' conclusions indicated that international cooperation is essential for tackling issues such as deforestation, environmental degradation, and biodiversity loss and that it is a driving force for creating and promoting effective, sustainable, and innovative strategies for the protection and management of tropical forests in a dynamic of dialogue between public, private, and civil agents. The paths and principles of open innovation will continue to be debated at the ministerial meeting on Research and Innovation, which concludes the group's work until the Leaders' Summit in Rio de Janeiro in November.
