New perspective for technological co-operation among R&D centres and enterprises: CETA-RS

The CETA-RS (Centre of Excellence in Advanced Technologies of Rio Grande do Sul) is a joint effort between the State of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) and the Fraunhofer Society to set up an institution for applied research. The objective of CETA-RS is to support the technological innovation of the State of RS and Brazil by promoting and executing co-operative research activities with local R&D centres and industries. CETA-RS was launched as a bilateral project within the "General Agreement between the German and Brazilian Governments for the Cooperation in Scientific Research and Technological Development". CETA-RS is being financed by the public and private sectors as well as by incomes from projects with industries. The concept of CETA-RS has been developed and continuously improved over the last 3 years. It is based on performed industrial and R&D surveys that analysed the industrial demands and the academic capacities for technological innovation in RS. Currently, CETARS performs a pilot phase to gain first experiences with applied research projects, technology transfer, and national and international R&D co-operations. Final goal is to develop a solid basis for the establishing of CETA-RS as a not-for-profit legal entity. Presently, CETA-RS focuses on the technology areas of Product Design & Production, Information & Communication Technology, and Logistics & Supply Chain Management.