Authorities and representatives of organizations for business fostering in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay participated at Itaipu Technological Park (PTI), in a theme meeting to discuss the establishment and installation in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, of a Technology Development Center for Cross-Border Integration between Micro and Small Companies in the Mercosur.
The unit should be installed in Itaipu hydroelectric power plant and should operate in generation, adaptation, development and transfer of technology and in the support to projects that stimulate cooperation and generation of business on the border of Brazil and the other countries in the bloc.
The center is an initiative of the National Sebrae and of the Paraná state Sebrae, in partnership with Itaipu Binational, PTI Foundation and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The establishment is part of the Brazilian Frontiers Project and should receive investment of around US$ 2.5 million by 2011.
"There is need for social and economical integration between Brazil and its neighboring countries. The regional development of the frontier region is a strategy for continent integration. Exploring and making use of all potentials offered by international frontier cooperation is also a way of working the integration of Brazil and its partners with South America," stated the technical director of the Sebrae Paraná, Julio Cezar Agostini.
According to the technical director, the technology center should operate not only as a "laboratory" to seek solutions, but also "as an effective action for the support of micro and small companies on the frontier region, a tool for support of managers, projects under development and those forecasted in the border region."
The establishment of the center should make possible the transfer of methodologies and solutions for companies in the region and the training of entrepreneurs in business projects. With this, it should be possible to increment possibilities and modalities of interaction and collaboration between companies, opening new markets and allowing companies involved to share logistics costs.
Also forecasted is the elaboration of a statute of cooperation for micro and small companies, to be proposed to the deciding organizations of the Mercosur, as well as the formulation of a network of partners turned to cross-border cooperation and public/private dialogue to improve the institutional environment in companies.
To the superintendent director at PTI Foundation, Juan Carlos Sotuyo, the establishment of the center in the installations of Itaipu is of great importance, as it consolidates the park as a space for meetings and solutions for regional development and integration.
"The mission to be developed by the PTI is to promote development of the region. The Sebrae is already a partner in several projects that are being developed at the PTI. Now we are going to consolidate relations between organizations for cross-border development," said Sotuyo.
