Claro announces partnership to fund Research Center focused on 5G and Generative AI

This is a machine translation of Claro Brasil's press release

São Paulo, August 22, 2024 – Always seeking new things, Claro is involved in several initiatives that prioritize technological evolution to transform the world we live in. In another step on this journey, the operator is joining forces with Fapesp – São Paulo Research Foundation to create an Engineering Research Center focused on 5G and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI).

According to the public call notice released this week, applications must be submitted through the SAGe system – Management Support System, until November 18, 2024. To participate, researchers must be linked to higher education institutions in São Paulo and meet a series of requirements, the main ones being: having a bold and original research plan, which is competitive nationally and internationally; and being based in one or more higher education and research institutions or non-profit public or private research institutions in the state of São Paulo.

The partnership aims to encourage internationally competitive research that is connected to the needs of society, exploring the potential of areas such as Agrotech, Industry 4.0 and Smart Cities, with a focus on exploring 5G and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, considered fundamental to leading society into a new technological era. “Claro is a great supporter of joint work between the various agents of the innovation ecosystem and believes that the connection between the technological resources and technical knowledge that the company has and the human and research capital that academia can provide is fundamental to the development of solutions that can effectively unlock the potential of emerging technologies for the benefit of business and society,” explains Rodrigo Duclos, Claro's Director of Innovation and Digital and founder of beOn Claro.

The research plan chosen for implementation may receive up to R$10 million from the operator over a 5-year period, plus an additional R$10 million from FAPESP, totaling approximately R$20 million for the development of the project. This amount should be used to finance the initiative in the long term, enabling the treatment of complex problems through high-level interdisciplinary approaches, using 5G and Generative AI technologies.

For André Sarcinelli, Claro’s Engineering Director, this collaboration around 5G is essential to accelerate the transformation of society. “We have access to a technology with immense potential, which has yet to be unlocked. The application possibilities for 5G are endless, and they should have profound impacts on the way we live and do business in the coming years, and academic research is a fundamental part of this process,” he says.

The expectation is that the collaboration between researchers and the operator will result in the development of solutions that can be placed on the market and scaled up nationally and even globally. “The successful connection between research and business results in innovative solutions that not only facilitate the formatting of the final product within a viable and replicable business model, but also increase national competitiveness. When academic research and the business sector work together, the difficulties of market insertion are overcome, ensuring that innovations have a real and lasting impact on the country’s economy,” comments Duclos.

According to Fapesp, in addition to its main mission of developing world-class applied research focused on specific themes and objectives, the Engineering Research Center (CPE) must develop effective means of innovation, technology transfer, education and knowledge dissemination.

"The Engineering Research Center is the largest research cooperation program between academia and companies in the country. For FAPESP, it is important to have Claro as a partner in this initiative to ensure long-term funding for a CPE with research focused on developing solutions in areas such as Smart Cities, Industry 4.0 and Agro", highlighted FAPESP President Marco Antonio Zago.

More information about the call for proposals is available at this link .

About Claro

Claro is one of the largest multi-service operators in Brazil, present in all regions of the country. It is present in more than 4,800 Brazilian municipalities and its networks provide services to approximately 98% of the population. Claro was recently chosen as the most innovative telecommunications company in Brazil by the 10th edition of the Valor Inovação 2024 Award and was ranked as the 4th most valuable brand in Brazil in the Kantar BrandZ 2024 study. It was also the most valuable brand among telecommunications companies. Claro offers integrated solutions for connectivity, entertainment, productivity and digital services in a truly convergent way, across multiple fixed and mobile platforms. In 2019, the company created beOn Claro, its innovation hub, to facilitate, enhance and connect innovation inside and outside the company. Claro is a leader in pay TV, broadband and the fastest growing operator in mobile services. It also leads the corporate services segment, which includes offerings in cloud, telecom, IT and network and application security. The operator also has Claro 5G+ available in regions of all states and the Federal District. Claro is part of América Móvil, with a presence in 25 countries in Latin America, Europe and the United States.

About FAPESP

The São Paulo Research Foundation is one of the country's leading agencies for the promotion of scientific and technological research. With an annual budget corresponding to 1% of the state's total tax revenue, FAPESP is linked to the Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation of the State of São Paulo and supports research and technological development, as well as the training of researchers from São Paulo in Brazil and abroad.