Created with the aim of fostering the technology and innovation ecosystem in Rio Grande do Norte, the Augusto Severo Scientific and Technological Park (PAX) had the official creation of its association and approval of its statute on the morning of this Tuesday, October 11th. The event took place in the auditorium of the Instituto Santos Dumont (ISD), one of the founding member institutions of PAX, which will be a neighbor of the technology park and is part of the Park's Board of Directors. 

PAX will initially be structured around three areas of economic and technological vocation specific to the state of Rio Grande Norte: energy (renewables, oil and gas); health and Industry 4.0. 

At the meeting, the selection of the president of the General Assembly was made, approval of the statute, first composition of the Board of Directors with choice of presidency, election of the Supervisory Board, approval of the Internal Regulations and choice of the Chief Executive Officer. 

The representative of the State Secretariat for Economic Development (SEDEC), Olavo Bueno, was elected as President Director of PAX. “Today is a milestone, and I thank you for the trust and the words that were said. My commitment is to take forward the work of dialogue and integration between all these sectors, so that Rio Grande do Norte can stand out even more and PAX can very soon be considered one of the main technology parks not only in the Northeast, but also in the country,” said Bueno.

15 institutions make up the Board of Directors of the PAX Association: State Government; City halls in the municipalities of Macaíba, São Gonçalo do Amarante, Parnamirim and Natal; Santos Dumont Institute (ISD); RN Research Support Foundation (Fapern); Foundation to Support Education and Technological Development of Rio Grande do Norte (Funcern); Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN); University of the State of Rio Grande do Norte (UERN); Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid (UFERSA); Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of RN (IFRN); Federation of Industries of the State of Rio Grande do Norte (Fiern), Support Service for Micro and Small Companies of Rio Grande do Norte (SEBRAE/RN) and Fecomércio RN.

Professor Ângela Paiva, UFRN's special advisor for PAX, was unanimously elected to occupy the presidency of the Council. “All the challenges are met, because we are just starting out, despite the work having started a long time ago. The unity of purposes and beliefs in a transformative project for the state, based on scientific, technological development and innovation, is what makes us here today, creating an association to manage the Augusto Severo Technological Park”, said professor Ângela Paiva .

THE PAX

The land where the Augusto Severo Scientific and Technological Park is located was transferred by UFRN to the State Government for the structural adjustments necessary for the project in September 2021. The area that comprises PAX is 50 hectares, with 15 thousand square meters of built area and 70 rooms at Fazenda Jundiaí, in the rural area of the municipality of Macaíba. 

The building will house research and training centers, auditoriums, multipurpose laboratories, technological incubators and observatories. In the first phase of works, the State will invest R$ 8.4 million in adjustments with resources from the Citizen Government Project, financed by the World Bank.

The PAX headquarters building will be next to the Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neuroscience (IIN-ELS), one of the two ISD units in Macaíba. The objective is to create a favorable environment for exchanges, business and articulation of projects in the areas of health and innovation, which are areas covered by the Institute, where the first postgraduate program in Neuroengineering in Brazil is based. 

“PAX is the product of collaborative work and capable of promoting important synergies, which was born with a great purpose, which is the true desire to develop our state, our region and the science of our country. It is an ecosystem of social development mediated by this triple helix: science and technology institutions, governments and industries”, highlighted the General Director of ISD, Reginaldo Freitas Júnior, who is part of the PAX Board of Directors.