Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM)
The Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) is home to a state-of-the-art, multi-user and multidisciplinary scientific environment and works on different fronts within the Brazilian National System for Science, Technology and Innovation. A social organization overseen by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), with the involvement of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health, CNPEM is driven by research that impacts the areas of health, energy, renewable materials, and sustainability. It is responsible for Sirius, the largest assembly of scientific equipment constructed in the country, and is currently constructing Project Orion, a laboratory complex for advanced pathogen research. Highly specialized science and engineering teams, sophisticated infrastructure open to the scientific community, strategic lines of investigation, innovative projects involving the productive sector, and training for researchers and students are the pillars of this institution that is unique in Brazil and able to serve as a bridge between knowledge and innovation. CNPEM’s research and development activities are carried out through its four National Laboratories: Synchrotron Light (LNLS), Biosciences (LNBio), Nanotechnology (LNNano), Biorenewables (LNBR), as well as its Technology Unit (DAT) and the Ilum School of Science — an undergraduate program in Science and Technology.
Local Contact
Leticia Zanphorlin
The Center’s strategic differentials and interdisciplinary activities
Participation in the alliance solidifies CNPEM’s role as a link between outstanding research and industrial applications, serving as a bridge between knowledge and innovation through highly specialized science and engineering teams. By providing biotech platforms for scaling up bioprocesses, and with academic support from the Ilum School of Science, the Center makes active contributions to the GBA’s mission of advancing sustainable bio-based solutions. This connection with leading global universities strengthens research and education in this area, allowing CNPEM to collaborate on topics like renewable carbon and innovation that are essential for the energy transition and sustainable development on a global scale.
In joining the alliance, CNPEM contributes its cutting-edge infrastructure and multidisciplinary expertise to address strategic scientific challenges. The Center is responsible for Sirius, the country’s largest scientific research infrastructure, and is constructing Project Orion, a laboratory complex for advanced pathogen research, with essential competencies in bioprospecting, synthetic biology, biocatalysis and bioprocesses. Its work is driven by research that impacts the areas of health, energy, renewable materials and sustainability, with a focus on developing technologies based on renewable sources and Brazilian biodiversity. Its sophisticated infrastructure, which includes multi-omics tools and precision fermentation, is open to the scientific community in order to strengthen the national ecosystem and boost its autonomy in biofuels, chemicals and materials.