Federal University of Lavras

What Federal University of Lavras does

Federal University of Lavras (Universidade Federal de Lavras, UFLA) is a Brazilian public federal university under the Ministry of Education (MEC), headquartered in Lavras, Minas Gerais, with a secondary campus in Paraíso. Founded in 1909 as Escola Agrícola de Lavras, the institution was federalized in 1963 and renamed UFLA in 1994, evolving from a single-discipline agricultural school into a comprehensive university spanning agricultural sciences, engineering, exact sciences, health, and humanities. Its primary constituents are undergraduate and graduate students admitted through SiSU, PAS, and PSS selection systems, plus a faculty and research community organized around applied agricultural science, soil science, sustainability, and tropical agriculture.

UFLA's core offerings are non-commercial: tuition-free higher education (for Brazilian citizens and qualifying foreign residents), graduate programs, applied research, technology transfer to agribusiness, and extension services including a veterinary hospital and an application school (Colégio de Aplicação). The institution conducts research spanning computer vision (YOLOv11-based livestock monitoring), water management (1.6 million liters/day treatment plant, 90,000 seedlings planted for spring reforestation, 90% water savings from reverse osmosis replacing laboratory distillers), soil science (including a now-lapsed patent on a kit for Iron-II determination in floodplain soils), and satellite/remote sensing partnerships with NASA-affiliated alumni. Notable alumni include a World Food Prize laureate (Alysson Paulinelli) and NASA Goddard researchers.

The university's revenue model is government appropriation rather than commercial sales: funding flows from federal MEC budget allocation plus research grants from Capes, CNPq, and Fapemig. UFLA reports R$6 million in annual operational savings from internal water reserves and sewage treatment. The institution holds the second-ever Blue University certification globally (2016) and maintains recognition in CWUR 2026, QS by Subject 2026 (Agricultural and Forestry Sciences), and THE Ranking by Subject 2026 (#6 in Brazil in Life Sciences, #1 in Latin America in Agricultural Sciences).

Name

Federal University of Lavras

Legal name

Universidade Federal de Lavras

Website

https://ufla.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1909

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Federal University of Lavras (UFLA) is a Brazilian public federal university under the Ministry of Education, headquartered in Lavras, Minas Gerais. It delivers tuition-free undergraduate and graduate education, applied agricultural and sustainability research, and extension services to students and the Brazilian agribusiness sector.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Land-Grant Public Research Universities (EDAHAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Research Universities with Major Extension & Outreach Missions (EDAHAAAG), Research Collaboration & Joint Labs (International Partnerships) (EDAIABAC)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Agricultural research
• Public university programs
• Graduate education
• Scientific research services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lavras

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

UFLA is a Brazilian public federal university that delivers tuition-free undergraduate and graduate education across agricultural sciences, engineering, health, and humanities. It conducts applied research (including tropical agriculture, soil science, computer vision, and water management) and runs extension services such as a veterinary hospital and an application school for basic education.

Product overview

Federal University of Lavras (UFLA) is a public higher education institution in Brazil that offers undergraduate and graduate academic programs, research services, and extension activities. The university's primary offerings are educational programs across various disciplines including agricultural sciences, with specialized research centers and institutional services for students, faculty, and the community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Portal da Ciência UFLA: Science communication portal featuring research news and scientific publications from UFLA researchers
• TV Universitária
• Rádio Universitária FM
• Revista Ciência em Prosa
• Hospital Veterinário
• Colégio de Aplicação da UFLA

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programs (Cursos de Graduação)
• Graduate Programs (Master's and Doctorate)
• Hospital Veterinário (Veterinary Hospital)
• Colégio de Aplicação da UFLA (Application School)
• Applied Research and Technology Development
• Water Treatment and Environmental Management Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Water treatment plant processes 1.6 million liters per day
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Universidad Nacional de ColombiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research partnership in computer vision for agricultural applications. Researchers from both institutions developed non-invasive computer vision approaches using YOLOv11 algorithm for pig body weight estimation.
• NASA Goddard Space Flight CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlumnus Célio Helder Resende de Sousa works at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Biospheric Sciences Laboratory. Joined in 2017 as Postdoctoral Researcher, promoted to Associate Researcher (2019-2021), currently serves as Assistant Researcher since 2021.
• Council of Canadians (Blue Community)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partnership resulting in Blue University certification. UFLA is the second university in the world to receive this recognition for water management practices. Recognition presented at University of Berna, Switzerland in May 2016.
• EMBRAPA (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing research collaboration in agricultural sciences, plant genetics, and sustainable agriculture. Multiple joint cultivar registrations for coffee species Coffea arabica.
• Epamig (Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuária de Minas Gerais)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agricultural research partnership. Joint development of the first UFLA patent (Kit for Iron-II determination) and multiple coffee cultivar registrations.
• Oregon State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlumnus Célio Helder Resende de Sousa completed PhD in Forest Ecosystems & Society at Oregon State University (2013-2017), with thesis on Remote Sensing of Photosynthetic Light-Use Efficiency of Amazonian Rainforests.
• Michigan State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessor José Maria de Lima completed PhD in Crop and Soil Science at Michigan State University (1991-1995), with research on Oxisols from Brazil.
• North Carolina State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessor Alfredo Scheid Lopes completed PhD (1975-1977) and Master's (1972-1975) under orientation of Frederic Russel Cox, with research focused on Brazilian Cerrado soils.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV): Brazilian federal public university with the most directly comparable profile: agricultural sciences focus, Minas Gerais location, federal funding, and similar ranking tier in agricultural sciences. UFV is UFLA's closest domestic peer and primary competitor for agricultural talent and research funding.
• ESALQ - Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (USP): Brazil's premier agricultural college within the University of São Paulo system, the gold-standard comparator for agricultural sciences rankings and agribusiness partnerships in Brazil, and the institution UFLA is benchmarked against in QS Agricultural Sciences rankings.
• Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG): Largest federal university in Minas Gerais and one of Brazil's top comprehensive research universities. UFMG competes with UFLA for state-level talent, federal funding, and partnerships, while being geographically proximate (Belo Horizonte, 230 km from Lavras).
• Universidade Federal de Viçosa - Campus Rio Paranaíba: UFV satellite campus focusing on agronomy and engineering, with overlapping research areas in precision agriculture and crop sciences. Direct competitor for the same pool of Minas Gerais agribusiness students and EMBRAPA collaboration contracts.
• Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ): Brazilian federal university dedicated to agricultural, veterinary, and environmental sciences. UFRRJ has overlapping research areas in Cerrado biome, animal science, and forestry, and competes with UFLA for federal graduate student funding (Capes) and agribusiness talent pipelines.

Broad incumbents

• Universidade de São Paulo (USP): Brazil's largest and highest-ranked university, with a comprehensive portfolio including agricultural, life sciences, engineering, and humanities. USP sets the ceiling for Brazilian federal/state university rankings and competes with UFLA for top Brazilian students and faculty.
• Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP): Top-tier São Paulo state university with strong applied research, technology transfer, and innovation programs. UNICAMP's success in commercialization and startup creation contrasts with UFLA's weaker IP track record and represents a benchmark UFLA aspires to in R&D output.
• EMBRAPA (Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária): Brazil's federal agricultural research corporation and UFLA's most important research partner. EMBRAPA operates applied R&D centers across Brazil and is the dominant producer of tropical agriculture innovation, functioning as both collaborator and alternative career destination for UFLA-trained scientists.
• Universidade de Brasília (UnB): Federal university located in Brasília with significant agricultural and life sciences programs. UnB is a frequent co-bidder for federal agricultural research grants and competes with UFLA for Capes/CNPq funding in tropical agriculture and Cerrado biome research.
• University of Florida - Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS): US land-grant equivalent and internationally ranked agricultural research institution. UF/IFAS represents the global standard UFLA is benchmarked against in QS and THE Agricultural Sciences rankings, and is a potential international collaboration partner for tropical and subtropical agriculture research.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/tvulavras
• TikToktiktok.com/@uflabr
• Xx.com/uflabr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/universidade-federal-de-lavras

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Federal University of Lavras