One of the pairs of EU-LAC organisations collaborating under the SPIDER Twinning Programme took their connection offline on 8 November 2024, with PCT Guamá (Brazil) paying a visit to the facilities of eDIH Paris-Saclay (France). This was the first in-person meeting between participants of the SPIDER Twinning Programme, and an incredible step towards SPIDER’s goal of establishing longstanding EU-LAC collaboration in digital technologies.
Exploring possibilities, exchanging expertise – eDIH Paris-Saclay’s experience
The tour of eDIH Paris-Saclay was led by Christophe Leroux, Manager of European Affairs in AI and Robotics at CEA, which is the Coordinator of this recognized European Digital Innovation Hub (eDIH).
“Thanks to the opportunity provided by the SPIDER project, we had the immense pleasure to welcome Mr.Bonifacio Sena from PCT Guamá on 8 November 2024. This was an opportunity to exchange on the objectives on the respective initiatives of PCT Guamá in Brazil and of the eDIH Paris-Saclay in France.
This first meeting gave us the chance to share views on collaborations that could be established. We explored the possibilities to exchange expertise on digital technologies like AI, robotics, Digital Twins. We also investigated the possibilities to organized training, webinars, workshops together on specific issues. We agreed that we should investigate sources of funding offered in Brasil an in France to strengthen a collaboration”, revealed Christophe Leroux.
The eDIH Paris-Saclay is a consortium co-financed by the «Digital Europe» programme of the European Commission and the Île-de-France Region. The project partners offer various services to exploit new digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, high-performance computing, robotics, digital twins and additive manufacturing.
Leveraging Digital Technologies to help overcome local challenges – PCT Guamá’s insights
On PCT Guamá’s side, the participation in the SPIDER Twinning Programme has been led by Bonifacio Cena, the Business supervisor of Corporate and International Partnerships at Guamá Foundation, the entity managing PCT Guamá.
“PCT Guamá was the first Brazilian technology park to be selected for the SPIDER programme. After the selection phase, we were linked to the eDIH Paris-Saclay research park, which was voted one of the top largest science and technology parks in the world.
Over the past few years, we have invested heavily in digital connectivity services for the park’s resident companies, which has helped us overcome some of the region’s difficulties. The practical result of this partnership is that we want to make these tools available to our residents and partners, so that companies can effectively overcome challenges, improve connectivity and become better acquainted with the use of Artificial Intelligence, 5G, Cloud Computing, and other technologies in their businesses”, explained Sena.
PCT Guamá is the first technology park to operate in the north of Brazil. Located on the banks of the Guamá River, it aims to stimulate applied research and innovative and sustainable entrepreneurship to improve the population’s quality of life. Their complex extends for over 72 hectars, with over 30 resident companies and more than 40 associates.
About the SPIDER Twinning Programme
The SPIDER Twinning Programme is connecting key actors from the EU and LAC ecosystems to network, share best practices, work on joint action plans and explore opportunities around the BELLA infrastructure.
The programme is pairing 5 LAC R&I Hubs and 5 EU R&I Hubs to work on these activities, with joint webinars, staff exchanges and many other collaborations already on the pipeline.
Check out our recap of the SPIDER Twinning Programme’s first networking event.
