It was 1894. The border was an inhospitable place; communication was precarious; and travel between Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina was extremely difficult, without even a bridge. But for a genius, difficulties are just challenges to be overcome. It was precisely at this time that the Swiss scientist Moisés Bertoni (1857–1929) appeared here. He was a wise man who at that time carried out experimental research and published 530 articles and books.
Bertoni founded a colony called Guilhermo Teel on the banks of the Paraná River in Paraguay, which later became known as Puerto Bertoni. He is recognized for having catalogued stevia and died of malaria at the age of 72 in Foz do Iguaçu.
After 130 years, Foz do Iguaçu seems to want to recover the scientific vocation left by Bertoni. With universities and institutions specialized in research, the city arrives at the beginning of the 21st century with the potential to become, in the future, a technological hub of excellence.
Although tourism, logistics and trade dominate the debate when it comes to economic vocation, science has a seed in Foz do Iguaçu, planted by a genius. There are 16 master's courses and three doctoral courses offered by two public institutions, the Federal University for Latin American Integration (UNILA) and the State University of Western Paraná (UNIOESTE). There is also research carried out at the Itaipu Technological Park (PTI), Itaipu Binacional, Parque das Aves and Iguaçu National Park.
Professor and researcher on the International Relations course at the Federal University for Latin American Integration (Unila), Lucas Kerr highlights the city's potential for science, considering the large number of laboratories, research groups and existing network of researchers.
The challenge now is to transform research into products and the city into a technology hub. And the biggest difficulty lies in setting up industries and companies resulting from research and in generating local jobs for students who are doing their undergraduate and postgraduate studies here.
To become a tech hub, the city needs to retain the talent it produces. “We produce a lot of undergraduate and graduate students, but we have trouble retaining them,” Kerr acknowledges. He believes that there is a lack of policies to generate jobs in technology areas. The city’s tendency, he says, is to focus solely on tourism.
In order to overcome this bottleneck, it is necessary to think of a policy for regional development that takes into account the other cities of the Triple Frontier, thus avoiding the departure of “brains”. To do this, government and fiscal incentives are needed, as well as development agencies.
According to the professor, Foz has the potential to become a technopole in the medium and long term. As a reference, there are currently consolidated technopoles in São Carlos and São José dos Campos, both in the state of São Paulo. Campinas and João Pessoa (PB) are also noteworthy.
Cities have a high rate per capita of doctors and a concentration of universities, including public and private, some of which have been around for more than half a century. “These cities end up creating an environment that is conducive to exchange, knowledge and innovation between the academic and business sectors, which makes it easier to hire doctors,” explains Kerr.
In Foz, Unila alone currently has 350 professors with doctorates, whose intellectual output results in books, theses, articles and patents – mostly restricted to the exact sciences. The number of doctorates is a universal parameter for assessing a university's potential to produce science. Despite having a good number of doctorates, Foz still lags behind other centers of excellence.
According to the professor, there is a trend towards the development of science in several areas, although the humanities still predominate when considering master's and doctoral programs. Today, this area is the one that produces the most academic articles in the city.
Projects
Local universities have numerous research projects involving students, professors and institutional partnerships. In partnership with the Federal University of Pernambuco, virtual reality glasses were created for blind people that generate audio descriptions and scenes. Unioeste also has several research projects in the areas of robotics, frontiers and technology.
Unila, in partnership with the Federal University of Santa Catarina, conducts research with cannabis to be used as a medicine against Alzheimer's. Another study by the university showed how the lack of trees increases gasoline consumption in Foz. The university also has several studies on combating dengue fever and in Latin America, in the area of human sciences.
Extramural research at universities
Scientific production is not restricted to academia. Outside of academia, there are many institutions committed to discovery and knowledge.
In the Iguaçu National Park, the Onças do Iguaçu Project carries out research to monitor jaguars, one of which is in conjunction with Argentina – a study of the jaguars' diet through collected feces and social research in communities to understand people's perception of felines.
To monitor these animals, radio collars are used to capture the jaguars and understand their movements and behavior.
At PTI, one of the highlights is the work with green hydrogen. The park has the Hydrogen Technology Center and laboratories focused on producing, storing and using hydrogen for applications in industry, energy and mobility.
Another achievement of the PTI came through the now defunct Astronomical Hub, through a partnership involving an international network of researchers, including Unioeste and the National Observatory. A ring system was discovered around a small asteroid called Cariclo. The discovery generated a scientific article published in the prestigious British journal Nature in 2014.
Another institution where research is taken seriously is Parque das Aves. There is a division there that publishes data based on bird populations. The park has a research and ethics committee, tools for conducting applied studies that support initiatives in the areas of biology, zoology and applied conservation biology.
At Itaipu Binacional, the administrative director of the binational, Igor Rocha, encourages scientific production in the city. With the help of Itaipu, Foz do Iguaçu held the 4st Municipal Conference on Science, Technology and Innovation this year, on May XNUMX.
The event opened the doors for the city's participation in the state conference, already held, and now in the national edition, scheduled for the end of July.
According to Rocha, efforts are being made to ensure that Itaipu is a producer of science and technology. Among the staff, there are 30 PhDs and over XNUMX masters. “We believe in Foz’s potential, and Itaipu is driving this forward,” he emphasizes.
The plant's research areas include the Concrete Laboratory and studies related to water quality, which generated a work presented at the World Water Forum.
Science Council
Another important step towards the development of science in the city was the creation of the Municipal Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (CMCTI), through Complementary Law 283/2017. Its role is to debate and propose public policies to encourage innovation and scientific and technological research.
Internal president of the body and city hall employee, Evandro Ferreira informs that one of the council's contributions was the creation of the law with incentives for entrepreneurs in the technology and innovation area.
Despite this, only three companies have benefited from subsidies from the Service Tax (ISS) so far. He believes the law needs to be publicized more.
The Municipal Innovation Plan was recently launched, prepared by the council, the Municipal Department of Information Technology, Sebrae and partner organizations. The proposal is to set up the planning of the municipal innovation ecosystem, structuring actions in the areas of the creative economy, health, logistics and transportation.
Another role played by the council was in the Vila A Inteligente project and the Digital Transformation project, run by the city hall.
