In 2013, Natura and the Amazonas State Research Support Foundation (FAPEAM) launched a pilot project for Training Innovation Managers in the Amazon. Over a period of 12 months, four scholarship holders had the opportunity to develop projects, participate in formal training, and interact directly with the work environment and the team at the Natura Innovation Center Amazon (NINA).
The scholarship holders, Marta Siza and Zeni Bessa, shared with us how this experience of learning, multidisciplinarity, and collaboration was. Check out the interview!
Natura Campus - What motivated you to participate in the challenge?
Marta Siza - I applied for the call with the aim of deepening my knowledge about innovation projects. I already knew a bit about classic project management and, in parallel, I started to become interested in entrepreneurship, which is when I realized the connection between these areas and that there was a more dynamic field, with new challenges, which is innovation project management. When the Fapeam call was released, I saw the challenge as an opportunity to understand more about the topic.
Zeni Bessa – I have a degree in Library Science, which allows me to navigate through all areas of knowledge. Since I had been working with strategic information for science and technology for a few years, I found the opportunity to work within a company and contribute to the regional innovation system very interesting.
N.C - How was the experience of working at NINA?
M.S - Certainly, the experience within the company is one of the main highlights. In addition to formal training with theoretical classes, the fact that we were inside NINA, experiencing issues specific to the company, added much more value to the projects we were developing. The combination of theory and practice within the company is one of the points that made all the difference in the project.
Z. B - NINA was very welcoming. We were integrated into the team from the beginning, they provided us with all the necessary infrastructure, and this was definitely a differentiator. Furthermore, the selection of people from different areas, with diverse backgrounds, allowed for knowledge exchange and the opportunity not to limit ourselves only to our own projects and challenges.
N.C - How was it to interact with this network of multi-sectoral agents, formed by startups, educational institutions, scientific parks, incubators, and researchers?
M.S - We talked and interacted with various people who are part of the decision-making process within the regional innovation system. This type of relationship brought us a much broader perspective of what we were learning about innovation.
Z.B - We had the opportunity to be with highly qualified people, executives with pioneering experience in the area of innovation at the national level, and this was very enriching. It is very interesting to be able to ask a question and receive practical solutions, going beyond the theoretical field.
N.C - How do these multi-sector partnerships, like that of FAPEAM and Natura, add value to the development of innovation in the region?
M.S - The innovation system in Amazonas is developing and maturing. I believe that the interest in training people capable of dialoguing with all areas, in a collaborative manner, makes the system grow, mature, and develop more quickly and cohesively. This contributes both to the development of the Amazonas innovation system itself and at the national and international levels.
Z.B - It is a pioneering and very strategic partnership, as it demonstrates that the company is interested in contributing to the regional innovation system. The support from Natura and FAPEAM provided us with unique mobility and flexibility to interact. It is very timely to unite these forces to train qualified professionals to act in innovation.
N.C: - What has changed in you over the past year? What is your evolution in innovation management through this process?
M.S: - Everything we learn in books and classrooms is very different when we see its applicability. Having the opportunity to see this up close allowed me to grow a lot. The area of innovation projects is very dynamic; things happen very quickly. This experience helped me understand this entire dynamic better, which was extremely enriching for me.
Z.B - The experience was very important for my maturation and for me to gain more confidence. I had no idea of my capacity to develop and lead projects.
N.C: What tips would you give to people who intend to train in innovation management?
M.S - The main thing is to have the desire to learn. Put yourself in the position of being curious, wanting to discover more about your projects and the things that happen in the day-to-day of the company. It is important to have multidisciplinary curiosity and to want to learn what others have to teach, because this only brings richness to what is being built.
Z.B - Be open to working in a multidisciplinary field. People need to be open to interacting with different areas of knowledge, with people from distinct specialties, sharing information and adding value, thus generating new knowledge for innovation.
