The Swedish-Brazilian center of research and innovation officially known as Centro de Inovação e Pesquisa Sueco-Brasileiro (CISB) in São Bernardo de Campo, Brazil has been inaugurated. Saab took the initiative to start up the process of a research and development center in Brazil in September 2010. The areas of focus for the R&D center will be in Defense and Security, Transport and Logistics, and Urban development with a focus on energy and the environment. The center will create small teams of project experts that help the stakeholders to create projects in which the center will address different R&D challenges.

The concept of the center is to gather main stakeholders from the public, academia and industry to tackle key societal challenges with technology. So far the center has attracted over 40 partners. The partners and organizations involved will be members of the CISB association and sit on the board and its thematic committees to decide on activity focus and projects. They will also be active partners in the specific projects.

“Saab guaranteed the start up of the center and our intent is to invest in a number of projects with Brazilian academia and industry. I believe the center will generate innovations with corresponding business both in Brazil, Sweden and internationally. A few examples of projects that we intend to do in the center are a coastal surveillance radar based on state of the art phased array technology in collaboration with the Brazilian company Atmos and a datalink development project with ION,” said Håkan Buskhe, Saab’s President and CEO.

Saab sees many opportunities in Brazil, not least in the aeronautics sector but also in civil security. The company is committed to sharing technology at the highest level with Brazil, to invest in real and lasting partnerships that will provide a technological leap in Brazilian defense and security capabilities.