With Fundo Vale’s support, the Amazon Journey Platform will inject up to R$4.2 million into the Amazon region’s innovation ecosystem
The Amazon Journey Platform is now accepting entries for a new round of the Bioeconomy Synapse Program. This initiative aims to stimulate the creation of innovative ventures that help preserve forests in all the states of the Brazilian Amazon. In this edition, up to R$4.2 million will be invested in the Amazon innovation ecosystem, split into R$60,000 of non-refundable resources for up to 70 projects each. In addition to financial support, the companies will take part in training and workshops to support the formatting of their businesses and connect with strategic partners and potential clients. Entrepreneurs have until May 31 to apply.
The program covers the whole of Brazil, although 80% of the slots are reserved for entrepreneurs living in municipalities in the Amazon region. Projects will be accepted in various sectors, including Food and Beverages, Cosmetics and Input Chains, Pharmaceuticals and Phytopharmaceuticals, Green Chemistry, Cross-Cutting Technologies, Forests and Agroforestry Systems, and Sustainable Energy.
“Fundo Vale believes that businesses can go beyond profit and help solve the Amazon’s complex social and environmental problems, bringing innovation and new perspectives. Entrepreneurship is not an easy journey, but programs like this one help businesses mature and dreams come true. That’s why I invite you to sign up for the program and take part in this journey with us,” said Márcia Soares, Fundo Vale’s Amazon and partnerships manager, during the launch event for the program’s new stage.
The Bioeconomy Synapse Program’s first edition took place in 2023, when 71 projects in 14 states across Brazil were selected, mainly in the Food and Beverages, Agribusiness, Forestry, Cosmetics, and Fishing and Aquaculture sectors.
“In 2023, we supported more than 70 businesses in various sectors, aimed at solving various problems in the Amazon region. Now, once again, we are inviting entrepreneurs and researchers from the region to bring their innovative ideas to life. We have great potential for solutions for the future of the region being put into practice and there is room for more innovation in businesses that contribute to keeping the forest standing,” said Marcos Da-Ré, director of the Green Economy Center at the CERTI Foundation, which organizes and coordinates the Amazon Journey Platform alongside the Amazon CERTI Institute.
The program is open to individuals over the age of 18, as well as microenterprises and small businesses established and registered within 24 months prior to the launch of the call for proposals, whose solutions have the potential to contribute positively to the Amazon region’s bioeconomy and to the competitiveness of preserved forests, and that sustainably use products from the Amazon Rainforest’s biodiversity.
Solutions that are recovering soils and/or developing services and technologies to provide favorable conditions for the new regenerative economy may also participate, as well as people with innovative and scalable ideas or businesses that demonstrably have the potential to have a positive impact on the forest-based bioeconomy. All solutions must boost the competitiveness of intact forests.