A unique gateway to investing in Rio Grande do Sul
Invest RS, Development Agency of Rio Grande do Sul, in accordance with its institutional mission, promotes the economic development of the State by attracting investments and commercial promotion, in cooperation with public authorities and society.
Based on this cooperation, Invest RS carries out its activities with the following purposes:
1.
Sustainable development
2.
Reducing regional inequalities
3.
Promoting the competitiveness of the state economy
4.
Creating opportunities for the future
5.
The generation of employment and income
6.
Promoting innovation and the new economy
Created by Law 16,076/2023 as an Autonomous Social Service, the agency is a private law entity that follows market rules and standards, in the same way as other similar entities in Brazil. Its operating model combines agility in decision-making with flexibility in hiring and remuneration, in addition to providing security in financing.
Inspired by the best examples of development agencies in the world, Invest RS is an initiative to transform the economic reality of Rio Grande do Sul, positioning the State as a competitive player on the international scene, boosting local companies and improving the business environment, so that it becomes attractive to new investments.
Invest RS’s actions are guided by the Economic, Inclusive and Sustainable Development Plan, launched by the Rio Grande do Sul government, prioritizing strategic sectors to boost growth. Its activities are aligned with the Secretariat for Economic Development (Sedec) and other bodies responsible for public development policies.
There are 13 objectives of Invest RS
1.
Promote the business environment, development and improvement of the State's competitiveness.
2.
Promote coordination with public and private entities, national or foreign, to foster business opportunities and generate employment and income.
3.
Assist municipalities in serving investors and developing the business environment.
4.
Attract new investments and encourage the expansion of companies located in the State.
5.
Monitor the development of the activity after the company is set up.
6.
Prospect, in Brazil and abroad, investment opportunities in the State.
7.
Attract new investments and encourage the expansion of companies located in the State.
8.
Monitor the development of the activity after the company is set up.
9.
Prospect, in Brazil and abroad, investment opportunities in the State.
10.
Coordinate with state development agencies and other financial institutions to support development programs.
11.
Develop projects, actions and programs aimed at attracting investment, business qualification and export promotion.
12.
Plan and execute State business strategies, nationally and abroad.
13.
Carry out other activities that contribute to attracting investment and commercial promotion in the State.
Executive Board
President and Vice President. The executive board of Invest RS is led by the president and vice-president, who carry out, among others, the agency’s legal and institutional representation activities. They are responsible for management commitments and for promoting the agency’s articulation with institutional, national and international bodies.
The agency is made up of three departments, which act in a complementary way, combining data and information intelligence with practical action to attract investments.
The Directorate of Investment Attraction and Trade Promotion has the role of relationship, identification, prospecting and development of opportunities with investors and exporters and is divided into sectoral departments, which will specialize in priority economic areas.
The Strategy and Intelligence Directorate offers support in data intelligence, preparation of investment and export theses, as well as expansion strategies, concentrating knowledge on the State’s reality.
The Corporate Management Department is responsible for the agency’s core activities, including the management of human resources, assets, finances and budget, in addition to operational support.
Rafael Prikladnicki President
PhD in Computer Science and was an executive in the innovation area at PUCRS from 2010 to 2020, being director of Tecnopuc between 2013 and 2020. Researcher and Full Professor at the Polytechnic School of PUCRS, he has more than 20 years of experience in Technology, Education and Innovation. He is a permanent member of the postgraduate program in Computer Science at PUCRS and was a development advisor at the Superintendency of Innovation and Development at the same university. During his professional career he had experiences in Canada in 2007, South Korea in 2015 and the United States between 2021 and 2023.
CAROLINE BÜCKER
DIRECTOR OF STRATEGY AND INTELLIGENCE
Advertising professional with 25 years of experience participating in the development of strategies for small to large companies focusing on innovation and expansion processes, such as XP Investimentos, Renault, Petrobahia, Fruki, Panvel, Unimed and Sicredi. Professor of MBA in Innovation at PUCRS, participated in projects in entities such as Sebrae and Senac.
FABRICIO FOREST
DIRECTOR OF INVESTMENT ATTRACTION AND COMMERCIAL PROMOTION
Business administrator with an MBA in International Business Management. He was CEO of a multinational company in Porto Alegre and is the former CEO of Ideal Foods, a company specializing in the export of proteins of animal origin. He worked in business entities in Rio Grande do Sul, such as ADVB-RS, where for six years he was president of the RS Exportation Award Council, made up of 17 entities relevant to Rio Grande do Sul's foreign trade, and Federasul.
RODRIGO RIBEIRO
CORPORATE MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR
Lawyer, PhD and Master in Law from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), is a specialist in Financial and Budgetary Management from Fundação João Pinheiro. He was part of the executive group that led the formulation of the Economic, Inclusive and Sustainable Development Plan of Rio Grande do Sul, working on the structuring of Invest RS, of which he was the first president, with the responsibility of leading the administrative creation of the agency.
Launched in 2024 by the State government in the context of the Rio Grande Plan, the Economic, Inclusive and Sustainable Development Plan is a broad study of the current economic stage of Rio Grande do Sul and its growth trajectory over the last 20 years.
The plan is based on analyzes of socioeconomic and competitiveness indicators. From this survey, opportunities, levers, initiatives and actions were identified that must be adopted to improve productivity, increase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and consolidate the State as a hub for attracting investment.
More than 500 actors participated in its construction, including businesspeople, non-governmental organizations, entities, academia, government leaders and the government’s multidisciplinary technical team, always with the support of the international consultancy Mckinsey. During its development, different stages took place: construction meetings, validation meetings, events, workshops and individual interviews.
The three pillars of the Development Plan are:
Economic, Inclusive and Sustainable Development Plan
1.
Economic: analyzes the growth trajectory of real GDP in the State based on the components and productivity of the workforce;
2.
Inclusiv: analyzes income and labor market indicators in the State, including a view by functional region for selected indicators;
3.
Sustainable: analyzes selected strengths and opportunities in the State's environmental context and its positioning in terms of climate resilience.
Considering the analysis of the three pillars, leverage sectors and designed initiatives, five strategic priorities were established, which will act in the practical implementation of the plan, with an approximate potential, for 2030, of a GDP growth rate of 3% per year, an increase of GDP per capita by 21% and an increase in State productivity by 20%. The five strategic priorities are:
1.
Human capital: qualify basic and professional education, consolidate full-time schools and attract and retain people;
2.
Innovation: convert innovation and technology into productivity and advance artificial intelligence (AI) in the economic matrix;
3.
Business environment: simplify the business environment and consolidate RS as an investment destination;
4.
Infrastructure: restructure and diversify strategic logistics;
5.
Natural resources: enhance the energy transition, climate resilience and irrigation.
The creation of Invest RS is a first operational step of the Development Plan. The next step of the Economic, Inclusive and Sustainable Development Plan will be its expansion to the various government structures, and also its presentation to all segments of society, including institutions, organizations and economic agents, aiming to ensure broad engagement and active participation in implementation of shares in the State economy.
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