Initiative seeks innovators and R&D specialists to develop products from local value chains, offering prizes of up to R$200,000
In an international initiative aimed at transforming scientific knowledge of Amazon biodiversity into products and businesses with global impact, the Amazon Bio-Innovation Challenge connects researchers, R&D specialists and innovators working with raw materials from the rainforest. The focus is on solutions for the food, cosmetics and emerging green materials sectors. Created by the Amazon Conservation and Sustainable Development Institute (Idesam), a Fundo Vale partner, the initiative is funded by the Bezos Earth Fund and carried out in partnership with Penn State University, the Terra do Meio Network and the Central Acre Cooperative of Extractive Producers and Family Farmers (COOPEACRE).
The initiative is organized around six strategic challenges, co-created with communities in Terra do Meio and Acre. Applicants may choose up to two challenges for which to develop proposals. Registration is individual and, throughout the program, each Amazon-based innovator will be paired with a global R&D specialist to form the team that will develop the proposed solution.
Challenges:
- Bioactive Compounds from Amazonian Oils: adding value to andiroba, copaíba and buriti through bioactive compounds in order to access premium markets;
- Functional Oils: adding value to copaíba, murumuru and babassu through standardization and advanced oil processing;
- New Rubber-Derived Products: developing high-value biomaterials from Amazonian latex;
- Unlocking the Brazil Nut Value Chain: developing low-energy sanitation and quality control solutions to reduce losses and expand exports;
- Functional Starches: transforming babassu flour or other locally sourced materials into functional ingredients for cosmetics or food products;
- Adding Value to Fruit Waste: developing technologies to convert fruit waste into high-value products.
According to Idesam, the challenge “seeks to strengthen a development model that brings together science, innovation and local knowledge, expanding opportunities for traditional communities and Amazon social bioeconomy value chains.”
The program will support the development of solutions proposed by innovation teams made up of innovators with practical experience in the Amazon bioeconomy and R&D specialists with global expertise in product development. The program includes an online selection process, team formation, immersion and validation activities in the Amazon, and a final awards ceremony. At the end of the process, the top three projects will receive prizes of R$200,000, R$150,000 and R$100,000.
The 10 teams selected for the third stage of the process (the immersion phase) will receive the following benefits and financial support to participate in the program:
- Monthly fellowships for innovators ranging from R$3,500 to R$7,500 for six months, depending on academic qualifications;
- Grants for R&D specialists ranging from US$650 to US$1,300 per month for six months;
- A validation fund of R$100,000 per team for supplies, reagents and specialized testing;
- Laboratory support from the Institute for Technological Research (IPT) and the Amazon Bio-Business Center (CBA);
- Specialized mentoring in product development, intellectual property, market development and the Amazon bioeconomy;
- Airfares and accommodations in Manaus for members of the selected teams;
- A certificate of participation in the “Scientific Residency in the Amazon,” issued by Idesam.
“The future of the Amazon depends on initiatives that connect technology, research and local communities. Challenges like this are important because they value science, foster strategic partnerships and pave the way for innovative solutions aligned with conservation and inclusive development,” said Márcia Soares, Fundo Vale’s Amazon and partnerships manager.
Applications are open until 11:59 p.m. (Brasília time) on June 30, 2026. Learn more at: https://chamadas.idesam.org/chamada/bioinovacao/