Best Practices Report: Unicamp's Innovation Ecosystem as a Catalyst for Attracting Public and Private Funding in Brazilian Deeptechs (2020-2024)

Abstract

In a global scenario that demands collaborative innovation, this report analyzes the role of Unicamp's Science and Technology Park and its Incubator as facilitators in accessing financial resources for its affiliated companies. It presents funding and investment data captured between 2020 and 2024, highlighting the evolution of both public sources (BNDES, FINEP, EMBRAPII, FAPESP, Lei do Bem, Lei da Informática) and private sources (angel investors, venture capital, bootstrapping). The results show a 43.3% increase in total funds raised, from R$ 45 million to R$ 65 million, and a significant reconfiguration of funding sources. There was a notable growth in the participation of private investors and public programs like Pipe Fapesp and Finep, while dependence on specific government incentives decreased. Success stories such as Bioprocess Improvement and Ehrena exemplify how Unicamp's ecosystem, with its collaborative governance and institutional credibility, acts as a catalyst, transforming research into market innovation and helping overcome the "valley of death" in deeptech development. The analysis underscores the importance of university ecosystems for sustainable socioeconomic development and the diversification of funding sources for innovation in Brazil.