History
In operation since 1999, the Municipal Innovation Program - Prointec is the primary instrument of public policy aimed at fostering science, technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship in Santa Rita do Sapucaí.
Prointec consists of the following lines of action:
Incubation of technology-based business: providing support and infrastructure
for the development of startups and early-stage technology-based
business, fostering an environment for the creation and consolidation of
these ventures.
Post-incubation of technology-based business, graduated from the
Municipal Incubator or any other incubator: post-incubation involves providing
subsidies, training opportunities, and access to investors and mentors.
Acceleration of creative ventures: the goal of accelerating creative ventures is to promote
innovation and encourage entrepreneurial behavior to develop sustainable creative businesses.
Awards: awards granted to students from FAI - Center for Higher Education in Management, Technology, and Education, INATEL - National Institute of Telecommunications, and ETE - Technical School of Electronics, who present innovative projects at the technological fairs of these educational institutions contributing to solving problems within the municipality.
Support for scientific and technological research: aiming to stimulate technological innovation by strengthening the relationship between university and the productive sector.
Support for technological and creative fairs: promoting the participation of business and startups in exhibitions of innovative and creative products.
Through a demand from the city of Santa Rita do Sapucaí, the municipal government created the Sinhá Moreira Municipal Technology-based Business Incubator - IME, in 1998.
The primary purpose of this initiative is to actively contribute to the promotion, consolidation, and progress of innovative technology-based business and/or projects.
In order to provide ideal conditions for the development of incubated companies, IME offers individually equipped rooms with tables and chairs. Additionally, the incubator provides meeting rooms, training facilities, an auditorium, laboratory, as well as a fully equipped pantry and kitchen.
It is also worth noting that in order to ensure the success of companies in the incubation process, quarterly monitoring is conducted to assess their progress and adequately prepare them for market entry.
In 2011, with the inauguration of the incubator building in an area of 27 thousand
square meters, Prointec expanded its activities by establishing the Municipal
Business Condominium Ruy Brandão - CME.
In this new space, counters were made available specifically for business
that complete the incubation process, allowing them to have a suitable
environment for their productive activities.
These business still receive the support and guidance from the Prointec
administration, aiming to enhance their consolidation and, in the near future,
enable them to acquire their own independent space.
In 2013, the "Creative City, Happy City" movement emerged with the aim of fostering the local creative economy. As a result, in 2017, responding to a growing demand from entrepreneurs in the city, the Center for Creative Economy Enterprises (NEEC) was created, complementing the work of the Incubator, which until then had focused on technology-based business.
NEEC stands out for providing a conducive environment for collaboration and innovation, offering coworking spaces and public-use rooms. These resources are accessible to anyone interested, upon prior scheduling, providing a pleasant and functional space for individuals to sit and engage in productive work activities.
This initiative aims to stimulate the creative and entrepreneurial potential of the community, thereby strengthening the city's creative economy.
Finally, in 2019, the Municipal Innovation Law (Law 5255/2019) was enacted, which establishes guidelines for Prointec.
As part of this process, a Municipal Council was instituted, composed of
representatives from important institutions in the city, such as the National
Institute of Telecommunications - INATEL, the Technical School of
Electronics - ETE, SEBRAE - Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support
Service, among others.
This Municipal Council is responsible for making all decisions related to
Prointec, playing a fundamental role in defining strategies, supporting
incubated business, and directing actions aimed at innovation and
entrepreneurship development in the region.
With the Innovation Law and the creation of the Municipal Council, Prointec
reinforces its commitment to the progress and strengthening of the local
entrepreneurial ecosystem, ensuring participatory management aligned with the needs
and potential of the city's business community
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Admission to any of Prointec's initiatives is through a selective process conducted via public notices available on this platform under the section "Join Us".
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CERTIFIED INCUBATOR CERNE 1
The CERNE - Center of Reference for Supporting New Enterprises, was created by the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (SEBRAE), in partnership with the National Association of Innovative Entrepreneurship Promoting Entities (Anprotec), with the purpose of driving significant improvement in the results of incubators in different sectors, both quantitatively and qualitatively. The aim is to provide entrepreneurs with greater confidence in choosing an incubator.
This model aims to address the need for incubators to expand their capacity in systematically generating successful enterprises. With the implementation of CERNE, incubators take on a proactive role in promoting sustainable development, based on innovation. It is important to emphasize that the primary objective of an incubator is the systematic generation of successful enterprises.
Due to the complexity and set of key processes to be implemented, CERNE was conceived as a Model of Maturity of the Capacity of incubators to generate successful enterprises.
This model has been organized into four progressive levels of maturity, where each stage represents an advancement of the incubator towards continuous improvement:
CERNE 1: Focus on the enterprise
CERNE 2: Strengthening of the incubator
CERNE 3: Integration with the network of partners
CERNE 4: Culture of continuous improvement
Each of these levels reflects a specific set of practices and competencies that the incubator develops to enhance its performance and promote the success of incubated enterprises.
(Source: SEBRAE)
In 2022, through the collaboration of SEBRAE Minas and the Minas Gerais Innovation Network, to which Prointec is affiliated, the Sinhá Moreira Municipal Business Incubator obtained Level 1 certification from CERNE. This achievement represents a significant milestone for the program, and we are currently progressing towards the next levels of certification.
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Awards
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Best incubator of the year
In 2003, ANPROTEC - National Association of Entities Promoting Advanced Technology Enterprises recognized the Municipal Business Incubator as the best incubator of the year.
Best management team
In 2014, ANPROTEC and SEBRAE (Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service) recognized the management team of the incubator as the best through the business game "Avance!"
Best incubated company team
The ANPROTEC and SEBRAE (Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service) recognized the team from Bertoloni company as the best through the business game "Avance!"