Brazil hosts international forum on industrial innovation with the participation of global experts.

The program includes discussions on contemporary industrial policies, with emphasis on the New Industry Brazil (NIB), launched in 2024 by the federal government to boost the sector until 2033. The policy foresees investments of R$ 300 billion until 2026 and is linked to the New PAC (Growth Acceleration Program).

Brazil will host the first regional meeting of the Babbage Forum in Latin America on April 28, 2026, in Rio de Janeiro (RJ). The meeting will bring together policymakers, representatives of funding agencies, researchers, and multilateral organizations to discuss industrial innovation, productive development, and their impacts on the global stage.

The event is organized by the Babbage Forum, University of Cambridge, in partnership with the Center for Management and Strategic Studies (CGEE), a social organization supervised by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), with institutional support from the Financing Agency for Studies and Projects (Finep) and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). The program will be held in person at Finep's headquarters in Rio de Janeiro.

Created within the framework of the University of Cambridge, the Babbage Forum brings together experts in engineering, economics and management and promotes periodic meetings with policymakers in regions such as China, Europe, Asia and the United States.

The Latin American edition will feature the participation of Professor Mike Gregory, president of the Babbage Forum and former head of the Manufacturing and Management Division of the Engineering Department at the University of Cambridge. With a broad academic and institutional career, Gregory has been active in the international articulation of agendas focused on industrial development and innovation.

The program includes discussions on contemporary industrial policies, with emphasis on the New Industry Brazil (NIB), launched in 2024 by the federal government to boost the sector until 2033. The policy foresees investments of R$ 300 billion until 2026 and is linked to the New PAC (Growth Acceleration Program).

Also to be discussed are initiatives adopted in countries of the region, such as the Chilean program Desarrollo Productivo Sostenible and the Colombian National Reindustrialization Policy, as well as experiences in Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay.

Latin America

The regional meeting of the Babbage Forum seeks to broaden the exchange of experiences between Latin American countries and international experts, stimulating cooperation and the development of common strategies to address the challenges of the new global economy. The meeting takes place in a context marked by structural obstacles in the region, such as low economic dynamism, institutional weaknesses, high levels of social inequality, and stagnant productivity, in addition to the recent decline in investments in science, technology, and innovation.

Among the topics planned are artificial intelligence applied to industry, international technological cooperation, and strategies for strengthening productive capacities.

The meeting should also address the balance between technological cooperation and industrial sovereignty, as well as alternatives for overcoming institutional limitations through new governance arrangements.