The State University of Feira de Santana (Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana - UEFS), recognized as a reference in innovation in Bahia, and the Wadhwani Foundation, an international non-profit institution operating in several countries, announce the signing of a cooperation agreement for the development of the Novatores acceleration program. This program, which will be run by UEFS with co-execution by UFRB (Federal University of the Recôncavo Baiano) and IFBA (Federal Institution of Bahia), and support from SECTI (State Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation), Sebrae (Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service) and Hub Feira, aims to boost innovative ideas from entrepreneurs at an early stage of business development, especially in the creation or ideation phases, in the Territories of Identity Portal do Sertão, Litoral Norte and Agreste Baiano, Recôncavo, Vale do Jiquiriçá, Bacia do Jacuipe and Sisal, in Bahia.
Novatores is a totally free project acceleration program that will help up to 30 innovative ideas from the regional ecosystem. Open to solutions from all areas of activity that are in the creation, ideation or validation phases, the program was initially developed in 2024, from InovAtiva Brasil Program, with the purpose of developing innovative entrepreneurship ecosystems at a regional level. In 2025, the program grew independently with the support of regional entities and actors, and now has the expertise of the Wadhwani Foundation.
The Wadhwani Foundation, whose mission is to accelerate the growth of employability and entrepreneurship in emerging economies, will participate in the Novatores program by offering specialized training to the selected teams. As an international non-profit institution, the Wadhwani Foundation has extensive experience in enabling budding entrepreneurs to start, sustain and thrive through personalized training and mentoring. It operates in more than 15 countries, including Asia, Latin America and Africa, supporting thousands of startups and ventures, as well as, training for employability and carrying out research and innovation. The foundation accelerates scale and global impact through institutional partnerships in different countries.
The partnership with the Wadhwani Foundation reinforces UEFS' commitment to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in Bahia for regional socio-economic development. This cooperation agreement represents an important milestone in strengthening the innovative entrepreneurship ecosystem in Bahia, combining the local expertise of UEFS with the international experience of the Wadhwani Foundation to transform ideas into successful businesses.
UEFS will host and run the Novatores program, offering an environment conducive to the development of innovative businesses with the support of the Wadhwani Foundation.
Applications for Novatores are open until May 20th, 2025 and more informations can be found at https://novatores.uefs.br/ and https://www.instagram.com/aceleranovatores/.
