An initiative by Sebrae ABC was presented this Monday (4) at the Innovation Center, with a focus on strengthening regional coordination, stimulating new businesses, and expanding innovation governance in the region
On Monday (4), the Santo André Technology Park hosted the launch of ELI—the Local Innovation Ecosystem in Greater ABC—an initiative led by Sebrae ABC to strengthen coordination among institutions, companies, government agencies, and other strategic stakeholders involved in innovation and regional economic development.
Held at the Center for Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship, the meeting brought together public leaders, institutional representatives, and stakeholders from the ecosystem to present the methodology that will be applied in the region. Among the participants were the mayor of Santo André, Gilvan Ferreira; the secretary of Economic Development and Job Creation, Evandro Banzato; the regional manager of Sebrae ABC, Vinicius Nóbrega; and the executive director of Sebrae-SP, Nelson Hervey Costa.
Developed by Sebrae, ELI offers a collaborative process to identify areas of strength, integrate initiatives, bring stakeholders together, and build a shared innovation agenda. The methodology aims to support the organization of the local ecosystem, avoiding isolated efforts and creating conditions for technology-based projects, businesses, and solutions to move forward in a way that is more closely aligned with the region’s needs.
In the Greater ABC region, the goal is to foster collaboration among companies, universities, startups, innovation hubs, associations, investors, and public and private institutions. Through this collective effort, the program aims to strengthen regional governance, expand opportunities for entrepreneurs, and promote initiatives with economic, social, and productive impact.
During the launch event, Sebrae ABC outlined the planned steps for implementing ELI in the region and explained how interested institutions can participate. Participation in the initiative will be free of charge and will allow organizations to contribute to the development of strategies and actions aimed at strengthening the innovation ecosystem.
For Nelson Hervey Costa, the executive director of Sebrae-SP, the arrival of ELI in the Greater ABC region represents an opportunity to strengthen the synergy among institutions already working to promote regional development.
“I made a point of being here today to reinforce the partnership that Sebrae-SP has already built with the Santo André Technology Park. We have a very important agenda focused on innovation, new businesses, support for startups, and strengthening governance. ELI is a program designed to foster collective action and bring together universities, companies, laboratories, innovation hubs, startups, government agencies, and investors. Our goal is to increase output, create a large network, retain talent in the region, attract investment, and enable businesses in the Greater ABC region to grow with a local, regional, national, and global perspective,” Nelson emphasized.
The mayor of Santo André, Gilvan Ferreira, emphasized that initiatives such as ELI help establish the city and the region as environments better equipped for innovation, entrepreneurship, and the creation of opportunities.
“The launch of the ELI Program represents an important step toward strengthening our innovation ecosystem in Santo André and throughout the Greater ABC region. We’re talking about an initiative that brings together government, universities, companies, and institutions around a common goal: to foster sustainable development, create opportunities, and boost competitiveness in our region. “The partnership with Sebrae-SP reinforces our commitment to entrepreneurship, to creating skilled jobs, and to building an increasingly favorable environment for those who want to innovate and invest,” said Gilvan.
Holding the launch event at the Innovation Center reinforces the role of the Santo André Technology Park as a meeting place for strategic initiatives related to technology, entrepreneurship, and industrial transformation. Through its infrastructure, network of partners, laboratories, and technology demonstrators, the Park serves as a hub connecting companies, startups, researchers, educational institutions, government, and organizations within the ecosystem.
Author: Thiffani Valeriano