Brazilian AI Challenge sets July 3 deadline for project submissions

Work groups participating in the Desafio Brasileiro de Inteligência Artificial (DB‑IA) must submit detailed technical proposals by July 3. Submissions are to be sent through the designated Unidade Operacional Executiva (UOE) on the Prosas platform.

The competition, backed by the Parque Tecnológico de Sorocaba and run by Agência Inova in partnership with the Agência Brasileira de Desenvolvimento Industrial (ABDI), has attracted more than 290 entries from startups, companies and organisations across Brazil. It aims to connect industrial challenges with AI‑based solutions and will recognise 30 champion industries, each receiving R$50 000 (totaling R$1.5 million). The results will be announced on 26 August 2026, with an awards ceremony on 16 September.

Projects must address needs in six strategic areas: process planning and optimisation, predictive machine maintenance, worker safety and quality inspection, demand forecasting and supply‑chain optimisation, data‑driven decision support, and energy efficiency. Nelson Cancellara, president of the Sorocaba Tech Park, said, “É a fase em que as ideias ganham estrutura e se transformam em propostas capazes de gerar resultados reais para as indústrias participantes.” André Santos, executive director of Agência Inova, added, “Mais do que uma boa solução tecnológica, os projetos precisam demonstrar viabilidade de implementação e capacidade de gerar resultados eficientes, contínuos e replicáveis.”