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Rio City Hall invests in initiatives aimed at innovation and technology
Published on 18/04/2024 - 15:48 | Updated on 18/04/2024 - 15:49
Porto Maravalley is the city's new innovation and technology hub - Marcelo Piu/City Hall of Rio The city of Rio de Janeiro has been taking increasingly large steps towards becoming the innovation capital of Latin America. The city government has been working on the digital inclusion of Rio residents, with initiatives such as the creation of Porto Maravalley and the Programadores Cariocas project, as well as the construction of the Technological Educational Gymnasiums (GETs). In addition, the city has won the right to host the Web Summit, one of the largest innovation and technology events in the world, until 2028. And, in partnership with the federal government, it recently opened the Faculty of Mathematics – IMPA Tech, the first undergraduate program of the Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA).
Check out the details of each of these initiatives:
Porto Maravalley
Porto Maravalley, or POMAR, is the new innovation and technology hub created by the City of Rio, through the Secretariat of Urban and Economic Development (SMDUE), Invest.Rio and the Companhia Carioca de Parcerias e Investimentos (CCPar). The idea is to bring together the knowledge generated by educational institutions and research centers with technology companies to create density in the sector and generate more business for the city, transforming Rio into the Innovation Capital of Latin America. In addition, it should boost the revitalized Porto Maravilha region, with more residents and initiatives so that the city can grow in this central region.
With a medium and long-term impact, with Porto Maravalley, the City Hall intends to train the best professionals in the country in mathematical sciences, attract investment and retain talent. For example, students who train at IMPA Tech, with solid theoretical and practical training in mathematics of technology and innovation, will be in the same environment as companies in the sector, with more opportunities to develop their skills.
The space will be managed by Rio Energy Bay (REB) – the result of a program by MIT REAP (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) that aims to promote local development and acceleration, with a focus on innovation and technology. This was the first time that a Brazilian city participated in the initiative.
Impa Tech
The Faculty of Mathematics – IMPA Tech, the first undergraduate program of the Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA) was built in a warehouse in Porto Maravalley, in the Port Zone. There are more than 10 thousand m² dedicated to cutting-edge education and innovation in a hub of technology companies. There are 13 classrooms and eight laboratories, in addition to a library, auditorium, study rooms and common area.
The undergraduate course will be 100% free for selected students from all over Brazil, who will receive financial aid and accommodation in apartments purchased by the Rio de Janeiro City Hall, located near the college. They will study for four years – the bachelor's degree in Mathematics of Technology and Innovation begins with a basic cycle of one and a half years. After this period, students choose which of the four emphases they wish to pursue: Mathematics, Computer Science, Data Science and Physics.
To select students, performance in five knowledge Olympiads was considered, such as the OBMEP (Brazilian Public School Mathematics Olympiad), which is the largest in the country and has the participation of 18 million students, in addition to the Enem math score and interviews.
The Rio City Hall invested R$45 million in construction and equipment purchases, in addition to ensuring housing for students with a further R$45 million in the purchase of 67 three-bedroom apartments in the Port and temporary accommodation in a nearby hotel. The Federal Government will invest up to R$18,7 million in 2024 in courses in Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science and Data Science.
WebSummit
For the second year in a row, the city hosted Web Summit Rio, one of the largest innovation and technology events in the world. Over four days, the event at Riocentro brought together around 30 people of over 100 different nationalities. Among them were thousands of business leaders and representatives of technology giants from around the world, boosting the local economy and the innovation ecosystem.
The city will host four more editions of Web Summit Rio and the City Hall expects the event to generate R$1,5 billion in the Rio economy by 2028.
At the second edition of the Web Summit, the City Hall will have a booth for Invest.Rio, the city's investment attraction agency. One of the booth's attractions is the Sandbox.Rio Corner, a space dedicated to exhibiting projects already approved in this program carried out through the Municipal Secretariat for Urban and Economic Development (SMDUE). The program is recognized by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Federal Court of Auditors as a reference in Brazil. Sandbox.Rio eliminates barriers to the entry of innovation in the city, which will soon have a drone point for beer delivery and an electric station in a public area exclusively for charging electric cars, both in Barra da Tijuca, in the West Zone.
Technological Experimental Gymnasium (GET)
Since the beginning of 2022, Rio's City Hall has decided to invest in a new teaching model and created the Ginásio Experimental Tecnológico (GET), which offers a more solid education in mathematical sciences and aims to prepare students for current and future professions. The most innovative public school model in the country follows the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) approach, full-time, with activities from 7:30 am to 14:30 pm.
The GET aims to enhance the development of new skills and abilities, offering students the opportunity to carry out interdisciplinary projects beyond the textbook. The schools have maker labs. All this so that students can develop their own projects and learn by getting hands-on, while having an impact on the school environment.
More than 100 Technological Educational Gymnasiums have already been opened, serving more than 50 students. The municipal education network is expected to have 2024 units of this new school model by the end of 200. Students of all ages and from all regions of the city are served, promoting quality public education that is integrated into the contemporary world.
Rio programmers
The Programadores Cariocas project is a public policy to train and qualify young people in situations of social vulnerability in the area of programming together with previously selected educational institutions. It is aimed at refugees and public school graduates who have completed high school, with priority given to black people, women and trans people.
750 students have already graduated. In addition to a scholarship (full or partial), Programadores Cariocas also offers two types of grants to all enrolled young people: a financial grant of R$500 per month and a computer. The course is exclusively in-person and lasts six months (400 hours).
Programadores Cariocas aims to provide opportunities for the most vulnerable young people to enter the job market. In addition, it also contributes to reducing the deficit of qualified professionals in the area of programming languages and minimizing social inequalities.
To enroll, you must be a resident of the city of Rio de Janeiro, be between 17 and 29 years old, have completed high school, and be a member of a public school system. Places are filled by people who prove to be vulnerable, based on the Social Development Index (IDS) calculated by the Pereira Passos Institute (IPP). Refugees do not need to be from a public school or even be included in the IDS.
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