The FINEP Innovation Award is a recognition granted by the Financing Agency for Studies and Projects – FINEP – to institutions and individuals who contribute significantly to the maturation of a national culture of innovation.
The Award celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2012, a fact that proves its pioneering role in promoting economic and industrial development through innovation.
Being among the finalists of the competition is a great achievement, as the largest companies, universities, research institutes, and inventors in Brazil apply to compete for this award. In addition to financial incentives, winning the award brings an extremely relevant image boost, as it highlights the selected among the institutions that invest in science and technology as factors for growth and competitiveness.
Natura has a history of over a decade of interaction with FINEP, whether through funding, joint calls, or partnership initiatives, such as the construction of the high-throughput screening laboratory at the National Laboratory of Biosciences (LNBio). The company believes that innovation should generate value for a whole national and international ecosystem of actors involved with science, technology, and innovation. In this context, partners that promote innovation, such as FINEP, become very important and strategic.
All of Natura's efforts aimed at building an innovative environment in Brazil were recognized by FINEP in 2009. That year, the company won the FINEP Innovation Award in the large company category, competing against 25 other companies that have innovation as a key element in their operational strategy. Undoubtedly, the award helped to consolidate Natura's image as an innovative company.
In 2012, the Award will have 588 entries in its nine categories, and Natura is competing in two of them: large company, those with gross revenue exceeding R$ 90 million; and sustainable innovation, which will award companies of any size and segment that have developed and marketed, for at least three years, products, processes, and services in which the pillars of sustainability (environmental, social, and financial) are integrated into the research, development, and commercialization system.
At this moment, the Award is in the pre-judging and evaluation phase of the submitted projects. The national award ceremony will take place in December, in Brasília.
