Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos (FINEP), also known as the Brazilian Innovation Agency, is a publicly owned agency linked to the Ministry of Science and Technology, based in Rio de Janeiro. Since its foundation, FINEP has had a dual role: it provides grants to non-profit institutions, such as universities and research centers, and it lends money to companies to promote innovation. In 1999, a Science and Technology Sectorial Fund was created to finance Brazilian research, development and innovation. FINEP is the executive body responsible for the management of these funds. In 2009, FINEP managed US$1.6 billion, benefiting over 2,100 firms. Major business initiatives in partnership with universities are also associated with FINEP funding, such as the development of the Tucano aircraft by Embraer (Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica). Recently, FINEP created new instruments to support nascent high-tech firms. Some have been developed within the Inovar Project, supported by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). This includes venture capital, provided mainly through risk capital funds. Another instrument is the Programa de Apoio à Pesquisa em Empresas (PAPPE, or Program for Supporting Research in Enterprises) – a program to provide research grants to individuals in small companies, similar to the Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) in the US. In 2010, the G20 chose FINEP as a model of an innovation agency for promoting innovation in emerging markets.

Marcopolo S.A was founded by Paulo Bellini and six other young mechanics in 1949 in Caxias do Sul, in Rio Grande do Sul. In 1991, it established its first factory abroad, in Coimbra, Portugal. The following year it signed a contract with Dina Autobuses S.A de C.V of Mexico to supply bus bodies and technology. Unlike its competitors, Marcopolo is vertically integrated, producing about 80% of the components and accessories in Brazil, including seats, windows, panels, and roof racks. By 2010, Marcopolo had over 13,000 employees. For the first semester of 2009 total revenues were US$13.3 billion. The bus firm operates in Argentina, Colombia, Mexico and South Africa. In 2007, Marcopolo created the first Brazilian bus powered by hydrogen. It has since distributed hydrogen-powered buses via its operations in Latin America. Currently, Marcopolo is developing a new line of buses called “Generation 7”. This “green bus” is more respectful of the environment: it needs less fuel, emits fewer gasses that contribute to the greenhouse effect, and consists of recyclable components. The bus is made from a special foam developed at the Technological Aerospace Centre, which allows it to have one of the lowest aerodynamic coefficients ever achieved by a bus (cx 0,42), comparable to the coefficients achieved by passenger cars. This coefficient is directly connected to the reduction of fuel consumption. In May 2010, Marcopolo received first prize and the ‘Industry Distinction’ for “Generation 7”. It also had the honour of building the bus of the Brazilian football team for the 2010 World Cup.

Natura Cosméticos is a pioneering manufacturer of eco-friendly personal cosmetics, fragrance and personal hygiene products. Founded in 1969 by Luiz Seabra, Natura went public on the São Paulo Stock Exchange in 2004. Today it is one of the largest cosmetic companies in the world. The company has 6,200 employers, sells more than 900 products, and has revenues of US$2.31 billion. Natura’s products are sourced from indigenous communities. The company’s success is a result of its combined innovations in product development and its direct sales business model. Currently, Natura operates one of the largest direct sales networks, with over one million sales representatives (called ‘consultoras’), mostly women, throughout South America. With a vision of “bem estar bem” (i.e., “well-being well”) it has successfully integrated socially responsible practices with satisfying consumer demand for natural products. Natura focuses on a two-pronged strategy. The first emphasizes ethics, transparency and open communication channels with all stakeholders who interact with the company. In 2008, Natura developed and implemented the Natura Management System, an organizational model based on management by process, catering to business units and regional units. The second is to create and pursue key performance indicators that promote both profits and sustainable development. In 2007, Natura launched a Carbon Neutral Program in an effort to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 33% within five years and fully offset emissions that cannot be avoided. Natura’s main goal is to create value for society as a whole, integrating economic, social and environmental dimensions.

Founded in 1987 in Brazil, Stefanini is a global provider of information technology consulting, development and integration services. The company is the largest native Brazilian IT consulting company. It is organized as a franchise, where each manager is both in charge of the commercial area and the quality of the services provided, with the objective of improving the manager-client interaction and, at the same time, quality and reliability and works in a decentralized way, since each unit’s business manager is motivated to act like its owner. Currently, Stefanini has 8,700 collaborators, of which 1,500 work abroad. In 2009, Stefanini‘s gross income was US$400 million, 22% from international clients. Stefanini is currently in North and South America, Europe, and India. According to the Dom Cabral Foundation rankings, it is the most internationalized Brazilian IT Company. In 2010, the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals named Stefanini the best company for outsourcing in Latin America. As the company sees it, management and service initiatives and a relationship-based clientele are what make Stefanini innovative.

União da Industria da Cana-de-Açucar (Unica) is the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association. It was created in 1997, following the consolidation of the country’s sugarcane industry, and represents more than 20 producers of sugar, ethanol and bioelectricity. Unica’s members represent more than 50% of all ethanol produced in Brazil and 60% of overall sugar production. Currently, Unica operates in the US, Belgium and Asia to help promote the exports of ethanol to those countries. The main objective of the organization is to promote demand for ethanol as a clean and renewable transport fuel. In 2008, UNICA producers exported 1,519.4 million litres of ethanol to the United States, the biggest buyer of Brazilian ethanol, as well as to 63 other countries. Currently, Unica is working on the development of large-scale production of bioelectricity for the Brazilian market. Ethanol’s success depends largely on the existence of Unica. Unica innovates in the way Brazil’s ethanol is marketed, exported and branded.

FBased in Rio de Janeiro and founded in 1953, Petrobras is the largest company in Latin America by market capitalization and eighth in oil exploration worldwide. By 2009, it had 71,000 employees, a net income of US$118 billion and profits of US$18 billion. In 2003, Petrobras was the first Brazilian company to sign the Global Compact, which is part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Initiative. It is also part of the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) and uses the Ethos Institute indicators (a Brazilian association of companies interested in developing their activities in a socially responsible manner). The company’s policy is to ‘bring social environmental results to society and aggregate social technologies without risking ‘profitability’. Petrobras included its entire social project in a single program, Petrobras Zero Hunger, which has helped 11 million people. The Petrobras Development & Citizenship Program aims to contribute to local, regional, and national development, helping to rehabilitate people and groups who live in conditions of social risk in Brazil. The program is investing US$710 million from 2007 to 2012, and aims to reach four million people directly. Petrobras has won several awards as the 'Company of Dreams of Young People’ and ‘Brand of Trust’. These prizes show that Petrobras is a world leader in implementing social programmes.

In 1995, Rodrigo Baggio, founded the Center for Digital Inclusion (CDI) in Rio de Janeiro, based on the concept of helping people to help themselves. CDI Community Centers have three principal objectives: they are self-managed, self-sustaining, and they implement the CDI pedagogy. This unique pedagogy requires that by the end of each 4-month course, students will have used technology as the main tool to initiate, plan, implement and complete a “social advocacy project” aimed at changing an aspect of their existence. At the same time, CDI provides training on the use of computers and pays teachers higher-than-average salaries (US$200 per month, more than twice the average salary of a teacher in the public school system). Currently, there are CDI franchises in 753 schools in Brazil and 100 abroad, with 1,036 volunteers, 1,726 educators, and 600,000 people from low-income communities certified. CDI mobilized five internal working groups from different disciplines to innovate new solutions for efficient growth. The result was the creation of a new multimedia learning environment, new courses, new services with business plans, revised performance indicators, a new monitoring process, and an online platform for communication and collaboration. With the support of James Wolfensohn, former President of the World Bank and the Wolfensohn Institute, CDI is in the process of expanding to the Middle East and North Africa, to be followed by India and other parts of Africa. In 2000 Time Magazine named Baggio as one of 50 ‘Latin American Leaders of the new Millennium’.