Brasília, 5/5/2004 (Agência Brasil) - As of now the Brazilian business community will have an important tool in the area of technological innovation. The Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Brazil Competitive Movement (MBC) have inaugurated an internet portal (www.inovar.org.br) which will ease the exchange of information among economic segments so they can effectively use innovation as a tool for competitivity.

Besides the portal, the MBC has signed contracts for the installation of four Technological Innovation Information Centers which will operate in Bahia, the Distrito Federal, Rio Grande do Sul and São Paulo. Each center will bring together 40 businesses so they can work with universities and research centers.

The portal and information centers are part of a "Mobilize to Innovate" program.

According to minister of Science and Technology, Eduardo Campos, the two initiatives are important steps in creating a business atmosphere where it will be possible to transform research and technology into cutting edge innovation. "We need to make innovation contagious. We need to spread it around, get all the segments of society involved because that is what we need for the country to enter a cycle of renewed growth," declared the minister.

In the opinion of José Fernando Mattos, the director president of the MBC, technological innovation is a question of survival in a marketplace that is constantly becoming more dynamic and demanding. "Technology is a fundamental ingredient for the development of new products and the refurbishment of old ones to meet market demands," he said.

The internet portal is for public consultation, especially the business community. Among other things it contains an event calendar, library, forum, institutional information and a system for monitoring projects.

The 2003 World Economic Forum report showed that Brazil, out of a total of 102 countries surveyed, was in 54th place in competitivity and 66th in "innovation as a government priority."

Translator: Allen Bennett