VivaTech will take place between June 11-14 in Paris, France (photo: VivaTech)

Published on 06/05/2025

Agência FAPESP – From June 11 to 14, the University of São Paulo (USP) and the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) will participate in the VivaTech International Fair—one of Europe‘s leading technology and startup events—to showcase disruptive technologies developed by their researchers in the areas of health, agriculture, sustainability, climate, energy, environment, mobility, and artificial intelligence.

In 2025, VivaTech will focus on exploring new frontiers of innovation in technology, viewed through economic, geopolitical, social, and environmental lenses. Last year, the fair attracted over 165,000 visitors.

Throughout the four-day event, USP and FAPESP will host a 100-square-meter booth where startups and researchers will have the opportunity to expand strategic connections, enhance the international visibility of their research and products, and attract new investors—demonstrating Brazil‘s expertise in cutting-edge science and innovation, and in delivering high-impact applied solutions to today’s global challenges.

The USP and FAPESP space will feature thematic sessions led by professors and startups, including interactive technology demonstrations for investors and the general public, a virtual reality experience, and displays of prototypes and models. Startups will also compete in a pitch contest.

Additionally, a special session will highlight São Paulo‘s innovation strategies, featuring the State Secretary of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Vahan Agopyan; USP Rector, Carlos Gilberto Carlotti Junior; and FAPESP Executive Director, Carlos Américo Pacheco. Another session titled “Science and Innovation for a Sustainable Future” will include presentations from USP professors.

On the last day of the fair, June 14, which is open to the general public, an interactive session titled “A Conversation with Students” will be offered, focusing on opportunities in three thematic areas: Artificial Intelligence; Health and Well-being; and Climate Technology, Energy Transition, and Sustainability. The idea is to create an engaging and informal space for professors and researchers to share their personal and academic journeys, highlight the roles of USP and FAPESP in global science and technology, and inspire future talent interested in studying or collaborating with Brazil.

“USP accounts for 20% of all scientific output in Brazil. In terms of innovation, 164 startups were created at USP in 2024 alone, along with 43 spin-off companies. More than 3,000 companies have been founded by alumni, reflecting the entrepreneurial mindset and pioneering spirit embedded in USP‘s DNA. It’s this DNA we want to showcase at the fair, giving international visibility to groundbreaking research developed at the university and supported by FAPESP,” said the Rector.

Startups’ Technologies

USP and FAPESP will bring twenty startups to VivaTech. Representing USP:

• Blantron: low-cost, portable devices for electrical and electronic instrumentation focused on education and research;
• Carbonic: processes for converting carbon dioxide into methanol;
• Carbon to Carbon Technologies: electrochemical reactor that transforms CO₂ into high-value molecules with negative carbon intensity;
• IOZ Biotech: viral platform based on genetically engineered Zika virus capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier to deliver therapies directly to the central nervous system;
• Mirscience Therapeutics: RNA-based therapies to treat age-related muscle loss;
• MOF Tech: nanomaterials for regenerative agriculture;
• Multiscale Solutions: computational tools for simulating and optimizing materials at atomic and molecular levels;
• Tissue Labs: 3D bioprinting platforms and biomaterials aiming to create viable human organs for transplantation;
• Treetronics: unique tree pruning consultancy using digital scanning and computational modeling;
• Xinfax Health Care: hydrogel with bacteriophages for treating bacterial infections, especially antibiotic-resistant strains.

Representing FAPESP:

• Occellott: critical solutions for defense and aerospace applications, such as aircraft batteries, surge suppressors, and command and control systems;
• Onkos: molecular test for thyroid cancer diagnosis and prognosis, sold in over 30 countries;
• 3D Biotech: vascularized artificial tissue printing technology to reproduce organs from the recipient’s own cells;
• Cor.Sync: ultra-sensitive quantitative test for rapid heart attack diagnosis;
• Mabe Bio: angico-based biotextile made entirely from native Brazilian plants;
• Future Cow: technology to produce milk proteins (casein, whey) without cows;
• Autaza: AI-based vision system to automatically detect surface defects in plastic, metal, and composite parts;
• Ideelab: sustainable solutions based on peptides and proteins to combat pathogens threatening major Brazilian crops like soybeans and citrus;
• In Situ: 3D-printed bio-dressing made from umbilical cord-derived cells to accelerate skin lesion healing;
• Imunotera: synthetic protein that stimulates the immune system to eliminate HPV-related tumors.

On June 13, nine startups will compete in a pitch contest titled “From São Paulo to the World: Scientific Innovation Ventures for Global Impact” , delivering two-minute business idea presentations to a panel of judges from USP, FAPESP, the São Paulo government, and VivaTech.

The startups will be evaluated based on criteria such as solution relevance, solution originality, quality, and positive impact. Three awards will be given to the top-rated startups:

• São Paulo Women in Tech Award: awarded to the startup that stands out for having female leadership or significant involvement of women, promoting gender equity and diversity in innovation.

• Global Impact Award: awarded to the startup with the highest potential for international impact, recognizing solutions with global scalability and the ability to attract foreign partnerships.

• Brazil’s Competitive Edge Award: awarded to the startup that best represents Brazil’s competitive advantages, leveraging local characteristics to create standout solutions.

Centers of Excellence

USP and FAPESP’s booth will also host presentations from university professors on technologies developed at their centers of excellence, including:

• CAR-T cell therapies for lymphoma and leukemia;
• MapBiomas Atmosphere, a system that provides data for land use analysis in the Amazon;
• Sustainable hydrogen production from ethanol—part of an R&D project by Shell Brazil, funded by ANP’s R&D clause—for potential use in hard-to-decarbonize industries and vehicle fueling;
• The Yegatu digital project, which develops reading and writing tools for Amazonian Indigenous languages;
• Photonic technology to eliminate bacterial resistance in severe pneumonia cases.

Visitors will also experience a multisensory simulation of the Amazon Rainforest, with visual, auditory, and olfactory stimuli. This initiative by the USP-based Greenhouse Gas Innovation Center (RCGI) is partnered with Brazilian cosmetics company Natura, which developed the wellness-oriented sounds and fragrances for the experience.

Together with TotalEnergies, USP will present:

• Avenir (Anisotropic ViscoElastic Numerical Inversion Research): a next-gen tool to generate detailed subsurface images for identifying oil reservoirs in complex areas such as the pre-salt layer;
• Agri-PV System: a project combining solar energy generation with food production and climate adaptation, offering a sustainable land-use model.

In partnership with renewable energy company Acelen, USP will also showcase a project to produce biofuels from macaúba, a non-domesticated native plant from the Brazilian Cerrado. The initiative aims to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel.

In collaboration with Shell Brazil and with support from ANP, USP will also exhibit “intelligent forest probes”: low-cost, high-precision sensors deployed in swarms to collect environmental data such as CO₂ levels, temperature, and humidity—crucial for understanding biodiversity and forests’ roles in climate mitigation.

Eve Air Mobility, an Embraer spin-off focused on Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), will present a model of its eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle), designed for zero local emissions in urban settings. The aircraft will be manufactured in Taubaté (São Paulo) at a facility powered by renewable energy. The company is also developing Vector, a unique urban air traffic management software, along with a service and support package (TechCare).

Special Session

On June 11, USP will host a special session from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. titled “Strategies of the State of São Paulo for a Global Technology Hub” , featuring São Paulo State Secretary of Science, Technology, and Innovation Vahan Agopyan, USP Rector Carlos Gilberto Carlotti Junior, and FAPESP Executive Director Carlos Américo Pacheco.

Following that, USP professors will lead a session titled “Science and Innovation for a Sustainable Future” , addressing topics such as:

• Climate (Paulo Artaxo, Institute of Physics);
• Artificial Intelligence (Fábio Cozman, Engineering School);
• Energy Transition (Julio Meneghini, Engineering School);
• Sustainable Fuels (Carlos Labate, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture);
• Electronic Systems (Marcelo Zuffo, Engineering School);
• Optics and Health Sciences (Vanderlei Bagnato, São Carlos Institute of Physics).

 

First-Time Participation

The agreement with VivaTech was signed in November last year, when a USP delegation, led by the rector, visited France to establish partnerships with universities and strengthen collaborations. This marks the first time USP and FAPESP are participating in the fair, now in its ninth edition, held in Paris at the Expo Porte de Versailles.

USP’s Research Center for Greenhouse Gas Innovation (RCGI) was responsible for organizing the institutions’ participation—from booth design to curating technologies and planning activities.

“Coordinating USP and FAPESP’s participation in VivaTech is a strategic opportunity to position Brazilian science and innovation on one of the world’s main tech stages. RCGI embraced this responsibility to highlight the participating startups, foster global connections, and help USP and FAPESP showcase their powerful ecosystem of research, entrepreneurship, and solutions to environmental and social challenges,” said RCGI Scientific Director Julio Meneghini.

The full event program is available on the RCGI website: sites.usp.br/rcgi/events/vivatech/

 

Source: https://agencia.fapesp.br/54959