This year the Brazilian Association of Science Parks and Business Incubators (Anprotec) and the Brazilian Service of Support for Micro and Small Enterprises (SEBRAE)], and local organizer, Sergipe Science Park (SergipeTec) will hold the XVIII Brazilian National Seminar on Science Parks and Business Incubation and the Anprotec Workshop, the largest event in the incubating sector in Latin America.

The event will take place September 22-26 at the Centro de Convenções de Sergipe and will have the support of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MCT), Studies and Projects Financing Entity (FINEP), the National Counseling of Scientific and Technological Development (Cnpq), the National Confederation of Industry and the Euvaldo Lodi Institute (CNI/IEL), the Government of the State of Sergipe, among others.

Under the central theme, "Entrepreneurship: The Energy for the Innovative Brazil", the event will discuss the relevance of entrepreneurship for innovation in the Country, having the generation of alternative, renewable, clean and biomass energy as a factor of foundation for local, regional and national socio-economic development.

During the days of the seminar, participants will be able to take part in 9 mini courses which will deal with such themes as business incubation and agro business, intellectual property, technology management, among others; 2 simultaneous workshops with the themes: " The Energy of Networks of Knowledge " and " Business Incubation and Science Parks in the New Economic Topography "; and 9 plenary sessions which will discuss the most varied and current themes dealing with business incubators and science parks; presentation of technical articles, rectors' meetings, congressmen, mayors, Science and Technology state and municipal secretaries, international meetings of business incubators and science parks managers, technical visits and much more.

Our intention is once more to contribute for increasing the visibility of the business incubation and science parks sector, as well as for the advancement of Brazilian innovation and increase our businesses' competitiveness, in Brazil and abroad.