Exhibit at ExpoT&C introduced scientific infrastructure, research on health and sustainability, interactive activities and educational opportunities; Center also participated in discussions on innovation, science education and microplastics
Technologies focused on health and sustainability, models of large scientific infrastructures and temporary tattoos inspired by biosafety protection gear were just some of the experiences that the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) offered to visitors attending the 78th Annual Meeting of the Brazilian Society for the Progress of Science (SBPC).
Estande do CNPEM no evento
The event was held from July 26 to August 1 at the Gragoatá campus of Fluminense Federal University (UFF) in Niteroi (RJ) on the topic “Science for All: Sovereignty, Development and Inclusion.” CNPEM participated in ExpoT&C, a science, technology and innovation show that was part of the SBPC event and brought together research units from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), universities, support foundations and other institutions.
Representante do CNPEM explica o funcionamento do Sirius para participante da feira
At the CNPEM exhibit, visitors of all ages found models of the institution’s two main scientific infrastructures: Sirius, the largest scientific installation ever built in the country, and Orion, a laboratory complex currently under construction that will be the world’s only maximum biological containment (BSL-4) laboratory connected to synchrotron light beamlines. A new model of Orion highlights the operating characteristics and dimensions of the new infrastructure.
The Orion presentation also offered temporary tattoos inspired by the protective clothing used in BSL-2, BSL-3, and BSL-4 laboratories offering different degrees of protection. This fun activity sparked visitors’ curiosity and created an opportunity to explain the differences between these spaces and the protective measures used in each.
The exhibit also introduced the Ilum School of Science, the free undergraduate degree program in Science and Technology offered by CNPEM. Visitors learned more about Ilum’s teaching mission, which is based on hands-on learning and integration between different knowledge areas from the very beginning of the program.
Solutions for health and sustainability
Participants were able to learn more about initiatives associated with the National Program for Radical Innovation in Health (PNIRS), a Ministry of Health initiative with CNPEM serving as its first anchor center. Presentations included a biosensor to help detect metastases of mouth and throat cancer, a model of the proton accelerator being developed by CNPEM with Brazilian technology to produce radioisotopes, and projects for drug discovery involving molecules from Brazilian biodiversity.
Visitors also learned more about OpEn, a Brazilian enzyme cocktail developed by CNPEM to boost efficiency at national biorefineries. Made from by-products of the sugarcane energy industry, this new technology increases production of ethanol from biomass waste with low production cost and fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to imported commercial solutions. OpEn can be customized, with potential applications in different production chains.
The demonstrations showed how knowledge produced in areas like physics, biology, chemistry, engineering and nanotechnology can be connected to develop solutions targeting health, energy transition and sustainable use of Brazilian biodiversity and biomass.
In addition to learning more about current projects, the visitors were invited to contribute their reflections about the future; they recorded their expectations for the next 20 years in health science and deposited these ideas in a box in the exhibition space. Their messages combined the expectations, concerns and desires of people of various ages, reinforcing the importance of dialog between scientific institutions and society in defining the challenges that should guide research in the coming decades.
Participation in discussions on health innovation
In addition to the activities in the exhibit, CNPEM also participated in a roundtable discussion entitled “Health Research and Innovation in Brazil” as part of SBPC’s scientific programming. The discussion was led by the Brazilian Ministry of Health’s Secretary for Science, Technology and Innovation in Health, Fernanda de Negri, and was attended by Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio) Director Maria Augusta Arruda.
In introducing the discussion, Minister de Negri presented initiatives led by the Ministry of Health to strengthen research and innovation in the country. These included the National Program for Radical Innovation in Health, which features CNPEM as its first anchor center.
Participantes de mesa discussão sobre Inovação na Saúde
“The idea of the Program is to accelerate the translation between scientific knowledge and innovation for patients. We have a lot of health science that can help us produce more innovations, but a gap still exists on the way towards making this science become innovation,” she explained.
The secretary explained that the program will act on two fronts: providing technological services to the productive sector, and carrying out research and development projects in partnership with scientific and technological institutions. As the first anchor center, CNPEM will offer infrastructure, equipment and specialized teams to support projects at different stages of technological maturity.
LNBio’s director Maria Augusta Arruda spoke on CNPEM’s competences and scientific infrastructures, and provided more details about the work planned for the first PNIRS anchor center. This initiative will bring together research and innovation projects, technological services and training, as well promote links between scientific and technological institutions, companies, startups and other members of the health innovation ecosystem.
“To accelerate the technological maturity of the projects that already exist in Brazil as well as innovation, we need a dedicated structure that is also flexible and qualified to meet high complexity demands,” said Arruda.
She added that the structure of the anchor center will help promising technologies progress through the most critical stages of development. “What we are trying to do with this program is to turn the ‘death valleys’ into valleys of opportunity. We believe that this kind of infrastructure will help bridge these stages and make the innovation process more agile and impactful, working together with the community,” she said.
Scientific education and environmental challenges
The scientific program also included representatives from the Ilum School of Science and the Brazilian Synchrotron Light National Laboratory (LNLS), both units of CNPEM.
Nelson Studart, an academic coordinator and professor at Ilum, participated in a roundtable on “Scientific Dissemination as a Strategic Tool in Training for Science Teachers.” The discussion addressed the importance of bringing teachers closer to contemporary scientific production and strengthening dissemination practices capable of making knowledge more accessible and connected to reality for students.
Another roundtable, “Microplastics: Environmental Impacts and Scientific Challenges,” included LNLS researcher Ohanna Maria Menezes Madeiro da Costa. The discussion addressed the presence of these materials in the environment, their impacts and the scientific challenges related to their identification and characterization.
SBPC’s next Annual Meeting will be held in 2027, at the Federal University of Paraiba (UFPB) in Joao Pessoa (PB). The 79th edition will mark the first time this institution will host the meeting, which brings together researchers, students, teachers, managers and representatives of scientific institutions from different regions of the country every year.
About CNPEM
The Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) is home to a state-of-the-art, multi-user and multidisciplinary scientific environment and works on different fronts within the Brazilian National System for Science, Technology and Innovation. A social organization overseen by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), with the involvement of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health, CNPEM is driven by research that impacts the areas of health, energy, renewable materials, and sustainability. It is responsible for Sirius, the largest assembly of scientific equipment constructed in the country, and is currently constructing Project Orion, a laboratory complex for advanced pathogen research. Highly specialized science and engineering teams, sophisticated infrastructure open to the scientific community, strategic lines of investigation, innovative projects involving the productive sector, and training for researchers and students are the pillars of this institution that is unique in Brazil and able to serve as a bridge between knowledge and innovation. CNPEM's research and development activities are carried out through its four National Laboratories: Synchrotron Light (LNLS), Biosciences (LNBio), Nanotechnology (LNNano), Biorenewables (LNBR), as well as its Technology Unit (DAT) and the Ilum School of Science — an undergraduate program in Science and Technology.
