Park Information:

• Country: Brazil
• City: Porto Alegre/ RS
• Address: Praça Argentina- Building102 – Château – Centro Histórico, Zip Code:90040-020
• Web: https://www.ufrgs.br/zenit/
• Phone Number: +55 51 3308.4263
• Email: parque@ufrgs.br

Contact Person:

• Name: Roberta Bussamara
• Position: Director of Zenit
• Phone Number: +55 51 981115376
• Email: roberta.bussamara@ufrgs.br

Soft landing Facilities and Services:

• Offices (m²): 10 to 40m² individual or co-working spaces
• Meeting Rooms: Three meeting rooms.
• Specific R&D infrastructures at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS):
  • More than 350 research laboratories in different areas
  • 29 Academic Units covering different areas of knowledge
  • 6 Startup incubators
• Services:

Interaction with funding agencies;

Support on establishment, growth and consolidation of companies;

Mentoring programs;

Advisory services in specific areas as finance, marketing, sales and other;

Networking with R&D private and public Institutions.

General information:

The Scientific and Technological Park of UFRGS – ZENIT – aims to promote the University’s innovation and entrepreneurship through new ideas that transform the productive sector and bring innovative products and services to society.

At ZENIT Park, you can connect with different programs and develop your company or startup through networking, innovative projects, training and being part of one of the main innovation centers in the southern region of Brazil.

ZENIT Park promotes the creation and development of new scientific, technological and social based companies, as well as hosting R&D activities of companies that wish to develop innovative projects in cooperation with UFRGS laboratories and research groups. Thus, our purpose is to bring scientific and technological knowledge closer to market demands. We seek to consolidate the local innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem and assist in the dissemination of entrepreneurial culture and innovation in the most diverse areas of knowledge.

Zenit works with programs and actions based on three pillars: business incubation, entrepreneurial training and open innovation:

1) Business Incubation: Business Incubation is promoted and supported by REINTEC – UFRGS Technological Incubators Network, which is part of Zenit structure. The UFRGS incubators offer suitable conditions for the development and commercialization of products and services with high added value, thus contributing to the development of innovation. The incubators follow a sectorial format, which is close to academic units and allows greater synergy between staff training, research and companies.

2) Entrepreneurial Training: Integrates the portfolio of Projects and Services, comprising different programs and actions, that aims to develop entrepreneurial and innovative skills, and qualify startups that are looking forward business incubation and the network with companies associated with the Scientific and Technological Park.

3) Open Innovation: Integrates the associated Companies Program – ZENIT Network, as well as actions that aim to stimulate and promote open innovation between companies and external organizations with the UFRGS innovation ecosystem. The program “Conexão Z” is one of these actions to stimulate and promote interaction between the University and society and the market.

1.Environment:

The Scientific and Technological Park of UFRGS – ZENIT acts as a link between business incubators, startups, junior enterprises, technological laboratories, research centers and researchers at UFRGS, in order to facilitate the interaction between them with external stakeholders such as companies, public and private institutions, governments and society.

ZENIT makes the management of the innovation ecosystem of UFRGS, to promote the connection of R&D, startups and companies to enrich the open innovation process. The UFRGS Technological Incubators Network (REINTEC) enable greater synergy between the formation of human capital, research and companies.

This network includes the Center for Enterprises of the Institute of Informatics (TICs), the Hestia Technological Incubator (Engineering), the Business Incubator of the Biotechnology Center, the Food and Agribusiness Technology Incubator, the Zenit Multisectorial Incubator and the Germina Multisectorial Incubator.

In addition, Zenit provides full support to small, medium and big companies that want to associate to the Park.

Business labs:

Business Laboratories and Z Spaces: These are environments distributed amongst UFRGS Campuses focus on fostering creativity and stimulating innovative entrepreneurship. They are collaborative and multifunctional environments that seek to facilitate and encourage innovation projects at the University.

Multi-User Rapid Prototyping Center (CMPR): laboratory equipped with a state-of-the-art 3 D printer and other equipment for modelling and rapid prototyping of projects.

LAFER: Fermentation laboratory, located in the Biotechnology Center Incubator, which provides high-efficiency fermenters to support researchers, startup companies and industries in the multiplication of microorganisms and the production of new molecules relevant to biotechnology applied to the environmental, pharmaceutical, agricultural and livestock areas.

Elements of Innovation Ecosystem at UFRGS:

• Technological Services
• R&D projects, labs and research groups
• Junior Enterprises
• Training people technical and soft skills
• Technology licensing (TTO)
• Consulting, technical assistance
• Business incubators and Science and Technology Park

2. Infrastructures:

ZENIT Park has a total area of 1421m² that is composed by:

• 6 incubators that operate mainly in the areas of engineering, health, social impact, informatics, agribusiness, food and biotechnology;
• 33 incubated companies;
• 5 coworking spaces;
• 2 business laboratory and
• 1 rapid prototyping multi-user centre

3. Services:

ZENIT – UFRGS operates in three main areas: business training, incubation and open innovation, providing different services. Among the main services offered can be cited:

• Physical space for installation
• Living area
• Reception service
• Internet access
• Public transportation service at UFRGS
• Restaurants distributed in all UFRGS Campi
• Meeting rooms
• Technology incubation services
• Programs and support for companies’ development
• Mentoring programs
• Advisory services in specific areas as finance, marketing, sales and others
• Networking with private and public Institutions
• Parking in all UFRGS Campi