Brasília, 8/31/2005 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The Knowledge Medal (Medalha do Conhecimento 2005), was awarded to ten businessmen yesterday by minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, Luiz Fernando Furlan, who declared that "without courage to plant, invest and believe in Brazil, there will be no fruits to harvest... People and institutions make progress based on challenges.... To wake up in the morning without a challenge means a very dull day."

Furlan pointed out that Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva administration policy has been to stimulate Brazil's natural capacities as an exporting nation, while incorporating more knowledge, innovation and creativity in the production process. The Knowledge Medal is recognition for those who have joined this important effort, said the minister. Furlan added that a measure of the success of the government's policy is that this year over 300 nominations were made for the medal.

This year's Medal of Knowledge winners were: Boris Botler, director of Endoview Company, which created Brazil's first flexible vídeo-endoscope; Hélio Santos de Oliveira, of the Politec Company; Magrid Teske, founder and owner of Laboratório Botânico Ltda; Miguel G. Krigsner, founder and president of O Boticário, a cosmetics and perfume firm; Paulo Guilherme Cunha, president of Grupo Ultra; Raul Anselmo Randon, director-president of Randon Participações S.A., an investment firm; Lynaldo Cavalcanti de Albuquerque, president of the Brazilian Association of Technology Research Institutions (Associação Brasileira das Instituições de Pesquisa Tecnológica); Waldimir Pirró e Longo, of the Technology Innovation, Research and Analysis Center Foundation (Fundação Centro de Análise, Pesquisa e Inovação Tecnológica) and the Federal Fluminense University; Fernando de Castro Reinach, executive director of Votorantin Novos Negócios, the capital venture branch of one of Brazil's largest industrial conglomerates; and Maurício Novis Botelho, president of Embraer, Brazil's aircraft manufacturer.

Translator: Allen Bennett