InovaUFRJ

What InovaUFRJ does

InovaUFRJ is the Technology Innovation Nucleus (Núcleo de Inovação Tecnológica) of the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), a Brazilian public federal university. Originally established as Agência UFRJ de Inovação and rebranded in October 2022, the organization is an administrative unit of UFRJ rather than a standalone commercial entity, and is directed by Daniela Uziel since July 2023. Its core function is intermediating between UFRJ's academic research output and external industry and entrepreneurial demand — managing intellectual property protection, technology licensing, R&D partnership agreements, and structured programs such as InovaSeed and InovAÇÃO for deeptech and university entrepreneurship. The organization operates across a national footprint with no disclosed revenue, government-owned ownership, and approximately 15 internal staff supported by access to UFRJ's broader research base.

InovaUFRJ's technology portfolio comprises 145 protected IP assets and 136 granted patents spanning pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, and energy. Notable commercializable assets include iWAAM (integrated wire-and-arc additive manufacturing with real-time monitoring and fault correction for large-scale metal 3D printing), SolverBR (C++ linear solver for petroleum reservoir simulation), Yarrowia lipolytica-based bioremediation for triazinic herbicides, and a pharmaceutical pipeline covering HDAC-inhibiting anti-tumor compounds, Bergenin-derived triazoles for metabolic disease, rivaroxaban transdermal formulations, gene therapy vectors for neurodegenerative disease, and chitosan-based photoprotective nanoemulsions. These technologies are surfaced to the market through the Vitrine Tecnológica online showcase, INPI public licensing offers, and event-based channels such as Rio Innovation Week.

The business model is a hybrid of licensing royalties, fee-for-service technical engagements, and collaborative R&D partnership agreements — each negotiated individually rather than priced from a public schedule. Customer segments span industrial licensees (exemplified by an unnamed major national pharmaceutical laboratory licensing polilaminina for spinal cord injury treatment), the academic community of researchers and students, and spin-offs and startups supported through an integrated ecosystem that includes the UFRJ Technology Park, COPPE/CRIOS/Inyaga incubators, and a network of campus-level innovation units. Distribution is domestic-only (Brazil) with no global footprint claim and depends heavily on direct enterprise engagement and government-validated licensing channels.

Name

InovaUFRJ

Legal name

InovaUFRJ

Website

https://inovacao.ufrj.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

InovaUFRJ is the technology transfer and innovation office of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, managing intellectual property protection, technology licensing, and R&D partnerships that connect UFRJ research to Brazilian industry and startups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

University Technology Transfer & Licensing

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

Applied Research & Innovation Universities (EDAHAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Science, Technology & Innovation Administration (National R&D Policy) (BPAIAAAK), Quality Engineering & Risk Management (ICH Q9/Q10, validation, change control) (HLAGAKAL)

Keywords

• Technology transfer services
• Intellectual property licensing
• University industry partnerships
• Academic entrepreneurship programs
• Innovation management consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Rio de Janeiro

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Technology Licensing: Licensing of patented technologies developed at UFRJ to companies for commercialization. Examples include polilaminina licensed to a major national pharmaceutical laboratory.
2. Service Provision: Provision of specialized technical services to companies and institutions using university infrastructure and expertise.
3. Partnership Agreements: R&D partnership agreements between companies and UFRJ for collaborative development of technologies.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

InovaUFRJ is the technology transfer and innovation management office of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). It identifies, protects, and licenses intellectual property generated by UFRJ researchers to private companies, and supports entrepreneurship through incubators and training programs such as InovAÇÃO UFRJ and InovaSeed. Its flagship Vitrine Tecnológica platform catalogs licensable technologies spanning pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, nanotechnology, clean energy, and software.

Product overview

InovaUFRJ is the Technology Innovation Office of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Rather than a traditional software product company, it manages a portfolio of technologies available for licensing from UFRJ researchers. The offering consists of a technology showcase platform (Vitrine Tecnológica) displaying available technologies, complemented by multiple technology transfer programs (InovAÇÃO, InovaSeed) and specific licensed technologies including: iWAAM for 3D metal additive manufacturing, SolverBR petroleum reservoir simulator, bioremediation solutions, and various pharmaceutical compounds covering anti-tumoral, transdermal, anti-diabetic, gene therapy, and cosmetic applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• InovaCaxias: Innovation unit at UFRJ Caxias campus
• InovaCCJE
• InovaCCS
• InovaCOPPE-EQ
• InovaEBA
• InovaPoli
• InovaMacaé
• InovaSeed
• InovAÇÃO UFRJ
• Vitrine de tecnologias
• Inovateca
• Sistema Inova

Products and services

• Vitrine Tecnológica

Quantifiable outcome

• 135 invention disclosures, 145 protected assets, 136 granted patents in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, core and flagship.

• ABDI (Agência Brasileira de Desenvolvimento Industrial)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 June 2026ABDI supports the 1st Innovation Solutions Contest at UFRJ, which encourages public procurement of innovation for solving challenges in government institutions.
• INPI (Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2026INPI published a public licensing offer for UFRJ technologies in RPI nº 2883, including patents for health applications such as radionuclide diagnostics. This formal partnership facilitates technology transfer to interested companies.
• SEBRAEstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 July 2025Sebrae management visited UFRJ Technology Park to strengthen connections between university and small business support ecosystem, exploring potential collaboration areas.
• USP (Universidade de São Paulo)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2025Joint research collaboration between ICB/UFRJ and USP discovered hevina glycoprotein capable of reversing cognitive deficits. Research published in Aging Cell journal with support from FAPERJ and FAPESP.
• Large National Pharmaceutical Laboratory (unnamed)flagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerPolilaminina technology (for spinal cord injury treatment) licensed to a major national pharmaceutical laboratory, representing a flagship technology transfer case.
• Incubadora de Empresas da COPPE/UFRJcoreOthersPart of the UFRJ innovation ecosystem, providing incubation services for technology-based startups with up to 5 years support.
• CRIOS (Centro de Recursos para Inovação e Oportunidades)coreOthersIncubator located at UFRJ Macaé campus, focused on technology entrepreneurship in the regional ecosystem.
• InyagacoreOthersUFRJ incubator focused on environmental impact businesses, part of the innovation ecosystem.
• Parque Tecnológico da UFRJcoreOthersTechnology park supporting company-university collaboration and housing the Inovateca innovation space.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Agência USP de Inovação: Technology transfer office of the Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Brazil's largest university by research output; comparable to InovaUFRJ in mission (IP protection, licensing, incubators) and as a counterpart in joint research partnerships.
• SEDETEC UFRGS: Technology development secretariat of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; provides TTO-equivalent services (IP, licensing, incubators) comparable to InovaUFRJ within the federal university system.
• Inova Unicamp: Innovation agency of the Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), one of Brazil's most research-intensive universities; directly comparable TTO with similar licensing, incubation, and spinout support functions.
• CTIT UFMG: Centro de Transferência e Inovação Tecnológica of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; runs the same technology transfer, IP protection, and licensing mandate as InovaUFRJ at another major Brazilian federal university.

Broad incumbents

• EMBRAPA: Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation; federal public R&D entity that runs its own large-scale IP, technology transfer, and licensing operation — a broader public-sector incumbent comparable in mandate to InovaUFRJ but in agribusiness.
• Stanford Office of Technology Licensing: Stanford University's technology licensing office; comparable mission of commercializing university IP and supporting spinouts, with much deeper venture-backed spinout ecosystem and global brand recognition.
• MIT Technology Licensing Office: University technology licensing office at MIT, the most established academic TTO globally; broader incumbent with the same core function (IP protection, licensing, spinouts) but vastly larger scale and international licensing footprint.

Regional players

• Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz): Brazilian federal health research institute that operates its own technology transfer and licensing office for biomedical IP; comparable in mission and public-sector governance model but focused solely on the health vertical.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/inovaufrj
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/inovaufrj

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about InovaUFRJ