Connecting ecosystems. Driving innovation in the bioeconomy.

Home to extraordinary biodiversity and more than 50 million people, including hundreds of Indigenous and local communities whose knowledge has shaped the forest for centuries, the Amazon is far from untouched. It is a living territory that not only plays a key role in regulating climate, rainfall, and global environmental stability, but is also a space where innovation takes shape through the bioeconomy, reinforcing what Indigenous, quilombola, and forest communities have long known: the forest is worth more standing.

In this context, nexBio Amazonia emerges in 2024 as a bilateral program fostering collaborative sustainable innovation in the region. It acts as a platform and catalyst for partnerships between Switzerland and Brazil, supporting projects that advance a sustainable, inclusive, and efficient bioeconomy.

The program

In this third edition, over two weeks from 3 to 14 August, startups and researchers from Brazil and Switzerland will have the opportunity to connect on the ground with innovation and research communities in the Amazonian cities of Manaus and Macapá. The program includes meetings with potential partners and stakeholders from different fields, immersion in the local innovation and research ecosystem, and other opportunities that enable participants to align their work with region-specific needs.

Startups

Eligible startups should develop ready-to-market solutions such as products, technology-based services, or methods with strong market potential to drive sustainable transformation in Amazonian production chains. These solutions must embrace a bioeconomy perspective, using biological resources like plants, microorganisms, agricultural waste, and biodiversity to generate food, energy, materials, and knowledge in ways aligned with natural cycles. By combining scientific research, technological innovation, and local expertise, they should strengthen sustainable production models that already rely on renewable resources and have lower environmental impact. Relevant areas include, but are not limited to, biotechnology, agriculture, green chemistry, finance, and social innovation.

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Researchers

The program encourages research into technologies, methods, and products that can drive meaningful and lasting change for local industries and ecosystems, while recognizing traditional knowledge and local production systems. Researchers are expected to align with sociobioeconomics and contribute to meaningful and sustainable impact in the local ecosystem, engaging with areas such as biodiversity, food systems, climate change, social sciences, and the economy, among others.

These interconnected fields foster interdisciplinary approaches that bring together scientific innovation and local knowledge, addressing the complex challenges of the Amazon region while promoting sustainable impact and environmental preservation.

Only fully-filled proposals meeting all eligibility criteria will be considered for further evaluation.

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Application & Evaluation process

The applications will be open from 14:00 on April 8 to 23:59 on May 3 (Brazil time), and the evaluation process should last until 22 May, when we’ll announce the participants selected after an interview phase.

Before submitting your application, please make sure to read the information provided in the program editorial and to make sure that you cover all the eligibility criteria.

READ THE OPEN CALL DOCUMENT →