Technology draws companies to São Carlos
DCI
The Municipality of São Carlos works to increase its reference as a national technological and industrial center. A proof of that is that one of the main municipal projects this year is the creation of the "Energy City", a center that aims at the technological development and diffusion of the use of renewable energy both nationally and internationally. The works of the "Energy City", which include the construction of a university for the development of new technologies, will begin this semester and should be concluded within one year. The investment amounts to nearly R$ 88 million (US$ 45.6 million) - R$ 58 million (US$ 30.1 million) of which from the Federal Government, R$ 25 million (US$ 13 million) from the Brazilian Machinery Manufacturers Association (Abimaq) and R$ 5 million (US$ 2.6 million) from the municipal administration - and it is the greatest investment of the Federal Government in the municipality.
"In partnership with the Federal Government and the Abimaq, we are building the Energy City, in São Carlos, for all investors who want to have access to new technologies and so that we can sell, study and display the renewable energies", said the Mayor, Oswaldo Barba (PT, Labor Party), during an exclusive to DCI. Together with the announcement of the Energy City project came announcements that new companies will be installed in the municipality. Among them, the Mayor pointed out: the carrier Transmagna; Tubo Express; and Symetrics, which will invest R$ 1 billion (US$ 518.1 million) and will generate nearly 700 new jobs.
According to the mayor, the municipality also has strong attraction on investors because it is an "academic center". São Carlos is the home of two public universities, the Federal University of São Carlos (Ufscar) and one of the units of the São Paulo University (USP), besides sheltering two Embrapas (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation): Embrapa Southeast Cattle and Embrapa Agricultural Instrumentation. Companies like Volkswagen, Electrolux, Faber Castell and TAM are installed in the municipality.