Last week, Inaitec was awarded at the 2025 edition of the Campeãs da Inovação ranking, one of the country's most relevant initiatives on corporate innovation. The award ceremony was held on July 24, in Curitiba (PR), and recognized the institute in the special category of Technology Parks, highlighting the role of the Palhoça-based business hub as one of the key players in southern Brazil's innovation ecosystem.
The ranking, conducted by Revista Amanhã in partnership with the IXL-Center of Cambridge (USA), uses the methodology of the Global Innovation Management Institute (GIMI), one of the most respected in the field of business innovation. The selection analyzes criteria such as the capacity to generate new ideas, knowledge-to-value transformation, and organizational practices focused on innovation.
"This recognition reinforces our commitment to impactful innovation, which generates real opportunities, strengthens the regional ecosystem, and positions Santa Catarina as a reference hub for technology and development," says Diego Chierighini, Inaitec's executive director.
What is the Campeãs da Inovação ranking?
Created more than 20 years ago by Revista Amanhã, the Campeãs da Inovação is considered the leading study on business innovation in southern Brazil. The research aims to identify the organizations with the greatest capacity to transform knowledge into new products, processes, and business models. In 2025, the edition highlighted companies and institutions from various sectors operating in the states of Santa Catarina, Paraná, and Rio Grande do Sul.
The methodology applied is based on the standards of the Global Innovation Management Institute (GIMI) and executed by the IXL-Center, a global innovation institute headquartered in Cambridge, United States. The evaluation takes into account a combination of technical analysis, quantitative and qualitative data, and interviews with the leadership of participating organizations.
In addition to the sector-based categories, which evaluate companies by size and segment, the study includes special categories, such as Technology Parks, in which Inaitec was awarded in 2025.
Inaitec's role in Santa Catarina's innovation ecosystem
Headquartered in Creative City Pedra Branca, in Palhoça (SC), Inaitec operates as a business hub that connects startups, established companies, investors, and public institutions around technological and high-impact solutions. Focused on technology, innovation, and economic development, the institute is one of the pillars of Greater Florianópolis's innovation ecosystem.
Since its founding, the institute has supported more than 500 companies at different stages of development, with programs focused on incubation, acceleration, internationalization, and open innovation. In 2024 alone, the institute recorded 120% revenue growth and promoted business missions to strategic innovation centers such as Silicon Valley, Dubai, and Barcelona.
Recognition that reflects a collective effort
Inaitec's achievement in the Campeãs da Inovação 2025 ranking is the result of ongoing and collective work. "This award is a direct reflection of our team's dedication, collaboration with resident companies, trust from partners, and the strategic vision of the Palhoça City Hall, which for years has bet on innovation as a driver of local development," emphasizes Chierighini.
The recognition also reinforces the institute's positioning as a replicable model of public innovation, serving as a reference for other cities and city halls seeking to develop their own innovation ecosystems.
Perspectives for the future
With a solid foundation and a growing ecosystem, Inaitec continues to expand its operations in 2025. Highlights include preparations for the new Business Mission to Barcelona, the strengthening of international softlanding programs, the launch of new calls for startups, and the consolidation of Cidade Pedra Branca as an urban innovation laboratory.
The award at Campeãs da Inovação 2025 is an incentive to continue transforming ideas into solutions with real impact. "Innovation, for us, is a tool for social, economic, and environmental transformation. Being recognized for this is one more step in building this legacy," concludes Chierighini.
