Embrapa will launch a public call for partner companies of AgNest, the first innovation farm lab in Brazil

Next Monday, December 20th, at 14pm, Embrapa launches a public call for selection of partner companies for AgNest, an initiative to promote open innovation and entrepreneurship with a focus on generating digital and sustainable solutions for agriculture.

The living laboratory, located in Jaguariúna (SP), will offer infrastructure for startups operating in agribusiness (agtechs and foodtechs) to carry out experimentation, validation and demonstration of new technologies, in an environment that will also enable connection with research, development and innovation (RD&I), corporations and investors.

In this call, companies interested in being AgNest partners, when selected, will assume the role of founding partners and form the Management Council, following a public-private governance model that has Embrapa as the anchor institution in RD&I. The notice will be open for 60 days and is aimed at information technology and telecommunications companies and representatives of the agricultural industry operating in areas such as biotechnology, machines and implements, precision agriculture and food.

The launch of the public call will be at Embrapa's headquarters, in Brasília (DF), with live broadcast on You Tube. The ceremony will be attended by the president of Embrapa, Celso Moretti, the deputy secretary of Innovation, Sustainable Development and Irrigation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa), Cléber Soares, and the secretary of Entrepreneurship and Innovation of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations (MCTI), Paulo Alvim.

After launch, the public call will be available for consultation on Embrapa Portal and on the website of AgNest. The initiative is led by Embrapa Meio Ambiente and Embrapa Digital Agriculture, with the support of Embrapa's Secretariat for Innovation and Business.

For its conception, the project received funding from MCTI, which provided resources to improve local infrastructure for the installation of modern connectivity tools, sensors, machines and equipment. The idea is to create an environment capable of supporting startups from the ideation phases to commercial operations, encouraging the development of services and products that enhance digital and sustainable agriculture.

For Marcelo Morandi, general manager of Embrapa Meio Ambiente, strengthening this open innovation ecosystem is essential to face the global challenges of meeting the growing demand for food, fiber and energy.

“Brazil has technical-scientific capacity, rural producers who understand and know how to do agriculture, available technology and a wealth of natural resources. These are elements that put the country in a position to position itself as a great driver of this future, self-sufficient in technology and a leader in sustainable agriculture”, he states.

The expectation is to boost the generation of solutions based, for example, on the internet of things, big data, artificial intelligence and automation, which seek to increase the efficiency and productivity of agricultural production systems.

“Digital technologies have the potential to add value to all links in the production chain, supporting decision-making, reducing costs, optimizing the use of natural resources and other inputs. Digital agriculture is already a reality and AgNest will be an opportunity to bring these actors from the innovation ecosystem closer so that the sector continues to advance”, highlights Silvia Massruhá, general manager of Embrapa Digital Agriculture.

How will it work

AgNest was designed based on the plug and play concept, in which startups and partner companies, individually or jointly, will be able to access this living laboratory environment for testing and experimentation. The proposal is to provide all the necessary structure for startups and corporations to connect, and thereby accelerate the development of new technologies, with lower costs and that reach the market and users more quickly.

Paula Packer, deputy head of Technology Transfer at Embrapa Meio Ambiente, explains that different partners will be able to test their solutions on a smaller scale. AgNest is an operational farm, but smaller, therefore a living laboratory. The startup will connect to the environment and execute a work plan to develop or improve its product until it is placed on the market. “It will be an environment that will add, in an innovative model, Embrapa's expertise in agricultural research and corporations, with a market vision, to the agile and flexible profile of startups”, she adds.

The project will occupy an experimental field located at Embrapa Meio Ambiente, with approximately 60 hectares, half of which will be used for agricultural activities. Traditionally used for research, the area has a history of implementing perennial and semi-perennial crops, is suitable for annual summer crops, such as grains and fibers, and also supports the implementation of irrigation systems, which allows the cultivation of crops winter crops, such as wheat, barley and oats.

Another notable feature of AgNest is its location, 10 minutes from Campinas (SP), considered an important hub for science, technology and innovation, with the presence of universities and research institutes, and a considerable concentration of private companies, accelerators , incubators and investors.

Furthermore, it will be just 1h30 away from São Paulo, the city with the largest number of agtechs in Brazil. For researcher Vitor Mondo, from the business area of ​​Embrapa Digital Agriculture, this set of factors allows for a wide range of possibilities for startups to operate. “AgNest’s objective is to facilitate interaction within this ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship, providing new solutions and benefits for the entire sector and sustaining Brazil’s position as a reference in tropical agriculture in the world”, he concludes.