Desenvolva tecnologias que valorizam a biodiversidade amazônica e criam renda para quem protege a floresta em Alimentos, Cosméticos e Novos Materiais.
✓ Grant: R$3,500–7,500/month · 6 months
✓ Validation fund: R$100,000 per team
✓ Intellectual property remains with you
✓ International contacts: companies, investors, and researchers
✓ Residency certificate
✓ Grant: US$650–1,300/month (Phase 3, 6 months)
✓ Bonus for finalist specialists
✓ Residency certificate
✓ Unique immersion in the planet’s greatest biodiversity
✓ Direct connection with communities and local actors in the Amazon
✓ Impact on climate change mitigation and local income generation
Individual applications evaluated by the committee.
Innovators and Specialists are grouped into teams to develop proposals with workshops, mentoring, and market reports.
15 days in the Amazon + 6 months of validation with financial and laboratory support.
Immersion · workshops · FIINSA
Within the territory
Grant: R$3,500–7,500/month · 6 months – Fund: R$100,000 per team – Specialist: US$650–1,300/month
Finalist teams present to investors and buyers. Top 3 awarded and Zôma partners.
Phase 4 · 1st Place
Phase 4 · 2nd Place
Phase 4 · 3rd Place
Completed PhD
PhD Candidate
Completed Master’s
Master’s Candidate
Undergraduate or no postgraduate degree
Over two decades in the Amazon. Zôma is the Business Generator of IDESAM.
Lead funder. Focus on forest and sustainable value chains.
Academic bridge connecting Amazonian talent to international networks.
Laboratory infrastructure for technology validation in Phase 3.
Mentoring and connection with industrial buyers during validation.
11 protected areas, ~4M ha in Pará. Co-creators of the challenges.
Cooperative from Acre. Infrastructure, markets, and territorial knowledge.
Program co-facilitators. Specialists in technology transfer and science-based innovation.
No. We require a real connection to the Amazon and a project rooted in sociobioeconomy supply chains. Extractivists, indigenous peoples, and cooperative managers have the same eligibility as academic researchers.
Yes — if you have origins in the region or active engagement in research, extension, or businesses with impact in the Amazon. An affective-only link, without proof, is not sufficient. It is worth noting that, after selection, creating the business may require relocating to the region.
No. The Amazon Innovator profile is exclusive to Brazilians. If you are a foreigner with research in the region, the correct profile is R&D Specialist — open to any nationality.
Not necessarily. Preference is TRL 3–4, but candidates with lower TRL may be selected if the proposal and profile are exceptionally relevant. Be transparent about your current stage.
For the innovator profile, registration should preferably be done in Portuguese; for the R&D specialist profile, it can be done in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. The organization will provide translation support for online and in-person group activities. However, for some individual activities, proficiency in two languages may be necessary. Innovators and R&D specialists will bear the costs and arrangements for translation support, if needed, in their individual interactions, including the use of commercially available translation services.
The goal is to form synergistic teams between Innovators and R&D Specialists and guide them in developing a robust initial technology or product proposal. To achieve this goal, participants will embark on a structured journey that combines interactive workshops, online sessions, and collaborative dynamics throughout the journey. There is no joint application.
Intellectual property belongs to the Innovator who develops the solution. R&D Specialists may be recognized as inventors for their technical contribution, but do not hold economic rights over it, fully assigning them to the Innovators. However, if the Innovator wishes to negotiate a partnership with the Specialist, building a long-term relationship, this is possible and analyzed on a case-by-case basis. It is worth mentioning that if the solution involves any prior intellectual property, this must be disclosed in the application for additional documentation review.
It remains yours. The Commitment Agreement does not automatically transfer intellectual property to IDESAM under any circumstances — neither for teams that advance nor for those that don’t. If you don’t win, you may still be eligible to receive alternative forms of support, at the organizers’ discretion, for the continuation of development and implementation of your business initiatives. If you have no interest in continuing, whether winning or not, IDESAM reserves the right to proceed with implementing the solution independently. In this case, IDESAM will evaluate options including negotiations of financial or non-financial compensation for technology holders.
Yes. The program aims to generate businesses, not just research — by applying, you acknowledge this purpose. If you decide not to proceed after being selected, IDESAM may continue the venture independently, evaluating financial or non-financial compensation for technology holders.
No. The dedication can be adjusted according to alignment between the Specialist, Innovator, and organization, which may influence the grant amount. Hours are flexible and arranged with each Innovator. However, we count on the team’s commitment to advancing in the competition.
15 in-person days: approximately 10 days in Manaus (immersion, workshops, and presentation at FIINSA) and 5 days in rural communities of Terra do Meio or COOPEACRE. Flights and accommodation are covered by IDESAM. The purpose is to receive training to continue development, as well as to understand the reality of supply chains in the Amazon.
Three dimensions: project relevance (alignment with the challenge, market potential), candidate profile (Amazon connection, execution capacity), and technical feasibility (current stage, proposal clarity).
Phase 1 Selection runs from April to July 2026. Pre-selected candidates are called for interviews. Final results by the end of July, with Phase 2 starting in August.
Yes. The program explicitly recognizes the eligibility of indigenous peoples, traditional communities, extractivists, and women researchers from the Amazon. There is no formal quota, but there is affirmative intent.
None. Application is free. All activities — workshops, mentoring, validation tools, and Amazon Residency (flights and accommodation) — are covered by the program for selected participants.
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