The mission that Invest RS carried out to Sweden and Malaysia with the aim of establishing connections with innovation environments and technology companies, with a focus on semiconductors, ended on Friday (28/2). In Penang, in northern Malaysia, the development agency signed an engagement agreement with Tellescom Semicondutores, which creates the basis for technical cooperation that will support the installation of a semiconductor encapsulation and testing factory in Rio Grande do Sul. The project will lead to the formation of a joint venture with a Malaysian company.
In addition to the agreement with Tellescom, a memorandum of understanding was also signed in Stockholm with the Caldeira Institute and Techarena, the largest innovation event in Scandinavia. It was the first document of its kind that the Swedes signed with Brazilian organizations, bringing companies and the Rio Grande do Sul ecosystem closer to the second most innovative country in Europe. The memorandum was the highlight of the tour of Sweden, which also included meetings with stakeholders in the ecosystem in partnership with the Caldeira Institute and South Sumit Brazil.
According to the president of Invest RS, Rafael Prikladnicki, the two signatures confirm that there is a broad field of action and international articulation to be explored by the agency, expanding the presence and connection of Rio Grande do Sul with the rest of the world. “Establishing these connections is a central objective of the agency. Our job is to sustain qualified international articulation and project it over time, opening markets and generating business for companies from Rio Grande do Sul,” explains Prikladnicki.
On the last day of the visit to Kuala Lumpur, Invest RS participated in a meeting with representatives of the Malaysian photovoltaic generation industry in the morning, held at the Brazilian Embassy, in which investment and partnership opportunities between the two countries were discussed. According to Prikladnicki, the Brazilian diplomatic post in the Malaysian capital was essential for the development of the agendas, focusing on companies and institutions linked to the country’s ecosystem.
Shortly afterwards, at the headquarters of Mimos, the Malaysian Institute of Microelectronic Systems, the agency participated in a meeting with the institution’s management. Among several possibilities for cooperation presented, the director of Innovation, Technology and Sustainability of the Secretariat of Innovation, Science and Technology, Guilherme Camboim, presented the RS Semicondutores program, which aims to strengthen the semiconductor chain in the state.
Among the highlights of the itinerary through Malaysia, Camboim highlights the partnership possibilities opened with a mature innovation environment, in a country that presents many opportunities. “They have a high level of technological development, a robust ecosystem with equally robust governance. There are many possibilities for collaboration with Brazil, mainly due to their openness to exploring new markets”, explains Camboim.
SICT presented the possibility of collaboration in the semiconductor sector at Mimos
The last event held in Malaysia took place at the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), one of the business promotion agencies operating in Malaysia with a focus on promoting connections that boost the digital economy. “Brazil is one of the new markets we are looking at, so the presence of the delegation is important,” explained Wan Murdani, Head of Digital Industry Acceleration.
MDEC organized a round of presentations with 11 innovative companies from Malaysia, from a wide range of sectors, who presented their businesses and signaled the possibility of doing business with Brazil. “There is an opportunity for us to hold online events between these companies and companies located in technology parks to get closer and close deals with us,” says Prikladnicki.
The itinerary allowed for closer ties with agencies
Among the events held in the country’s capital, there was also space for meetings with the country’s investment attraction and trade promotion agencies, structures similar to Invest RS. The delegation was received at Invest Kuala Lumpur by the CEO of Invest KL, Datuk Muhammad Azmi Zulklifi, and at the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida) by Nuhul Shamis Rusli, one of the directors of the International Investment Division.
The president of Invest RS highlighted the importance of these contacts with similar institutions at this time when the Rio Grande do Sul agency is in the process of organizing itself. “I heard from both that there is a huge path for collaboration and that we can increase mutual knowledge about our processes, strategies, products and services”, says Prikladnicki.
Before the tour in Kuala Lumpur, the Invest RS and SICT team visited Penang, in the north of the country, where, in addition to signing the engagement agreement with Tellescom, there were a series of meetings with representatives of the digital ecosystem and semiconductor production, a sector in which Malaysia is consolidating itself as a global reference.
At Invest Penang, the head of Digital Economy, Tun Qurratul’Aim, detailed the strategies adopted by the agency. After leveraging the semiconductor industry, investing US$ 120 million in five years to consolidate a park for integrated circuit design, Invest Penang, together with other local organizations, is part of Penang Silicon Design @5km+, a program that aims to make the region a global reference in solutions for the silicon industry.
In the first part of the mission, in Stockholm, Invest RS participated in Techarena, established connections with Business Sweden, visited Scania’s headquarters in Södertälje and spoke with different representatives of the country’s rich innovation ecosystem. With Ramboll, for example, a company specialized in solutions to deal with urban challenges caused by climate change, it was possible to start conversations with the aim of creating a path of collaboration with the reconstruction of the State.
