Press room

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), 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 supported by the Ministry of Education (MEC).

https://cnpem.br/en/

About LNLS

The Brazilian Synchrotron Light National Laboratory (LNLS) works with scientific research and technological development that involves synchrotron light, focusing on the operation and utilization of the multidisciplinary potential of Sirius, the country's most advanced scientific infrastructure. With ten research stations already online and open to the scientific and industrial communities, Sirius allows thousands of researchers from various areas to test their hypotheses about the microscopic mechanisms that produce the properties of both natural and synthetic materials which are used in a variety of fields such as health, the environment, energy, and agriculture. LNLS is part of the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) in Campinas, São Paulo, a private, non-profit organization overseen by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI).

https://lnls.cnpem.br/

About LNBio

The Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio) is dedicated to the study of human health, combining integrative biology with advanced technologies. With competencies in gene editing, microphysiological systems, bioimaging, and tissue engineering, LNBio works to discover molecular targets and develop innovative therapies for illnesses that are of public importance. This broad approach, which includes molecules and living organisms, unravels molecular mechanisms to identify bioactive compounds that are essential to develop new active pharmaceutical ingredients. LNBio concentrates its efforts on demands from the public health system, using state-of-the-art infrastructure and a matrix work model to promote innovation and development at the crossroads between science and health. To integrate health with socioeconomic and environmental factors, LNBio serves as a scientific platform that is available to the government, able to develop advanced technologies that respond to strategic issues. LNBio is part of the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) in Campinas, São Paulo, a private, non-profit organization overseen by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MCTI).

https://lnbio.cnpem.br/

About LNNano

The Brazilian Nanotechnology National Laboratory (LNNano) works in research and development at the nano scale using sophisticated infrastructure and highly specialized teams that can search for answers to scientific challenges and leverage technology solutions. Its open facilities comprise a center that is unrivaled in Brazil and include electron and atomic force microscopy, as well as clean rooms and laboratory spaces that allow activities ranging from materials synthesis and characterization to device manufacturing. Scientific research at LNNano covers strategic topics where nanoscience and nanotechnology can help solve problems facing the country, in areas like renewable energy, materials for sustainability, health and quantum devices. LNNano is part of the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) in Campinas, São Paulo, a private, non-profit organization overseen by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI).

https://lnnano.cnpem.br/

About LNBR

The Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory (LNBR) works to address scientific challenges that are strategic for Brazil in order to promote energy transition and develop a sustainable bioeconomy. Its interdisciplinary competencies in bioprospecting, synthetic biology, biocatalysis, bioprocesses and sustainability are integrated into the development of technologies founded on renewable sources, domestic production chains and Brazilian biodiversity. Its infrastructure on the cutting edge of multi-omics, synthetic biology, precision fermenting, and scaling-up of bioprocesses is open to the scientific community in order to strengthen the national bioeconomy ecosystem and partnerships with the productive sector. The biotechnology platforms developed by LNBR, which are made available for research and innovation, are intended to boost Brazil’s autonomy and competitiveness in the production of biofuels, chemicals and materials. LNBR is part of the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) in Campinas, São Paulo, a private, non-profit organization overseen by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI).

https://lnbr.cnpem.br/

About the Ilum School of Science

Ilum offers a free undergraduate degree program that utilizes an interdisciplinary approach to train scientists and professionals in science and technology. With an innovative educational model, the three-year full-time bachelor program offers courses that connect life sciences, materials science, data science, artificial intelligence, and the humanities in order to prepare researchers to work in an ethical and collaborative manner in the search for solutions to the global challenges of the twenty-first century. The Ilum School of Science is funded by the Brazilian Ministry of Education (MEC) and is part of the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) in Campinas, São Paulo, a social organization overseen by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MCTI). Ilum's educational mission offers early contact with experimental activities, in teaching labs at the school as well as at CNPEM, in projects carried out together with researchers.

https://ilum.cnpem.br/

Project Orion

Project Orion will be a laboratory complex for advanced pathogen research, and will include Latin America’s first maximum biological containment level facilities (BSL-4), the only labs of this kind in the world connected to a synchrotron light source, Sirius. Currently under construction in the city of Campinas, São Paulo on the CNPEM campus, this project will combine analytic techniques and advanced competencies in bioimaging which will be open to the scientific community and public agencies. By permitting advances in knowledge on pathogens and related diseases, Orion will support health surveillance activities and policies, as well as the development of diagnostic methods, vaccines, treatments, and epidemiological strategies. Orion will support national sovereignty in facing health crises, and has the potential to benefit various areas such as health, science and technology, defense, and the environment. The implementation of Project Orion is overseen by the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), a social organization linked to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI). The project is part of the federal government’s New Growth Acceleration Program (PAC) and funded with resources from the National Scientific and Technological Development Fund (FNDCT) and MCTI, with support from the Ministry of Health (MS). This initiative is part of the federal government’s New Industry Brazil (NIB) stimulus policy and will serve as an instrument of national sovereignty, competence, and security in the fields of science and technology for research, defense, and human, animal, and environmental health. Orion was also planned to strengthen the Health Economic-Industrial Complex (CEIS), an initiative coordinated by the Ministry of Health and intended to meet priority demands from the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS).