INCT IAmazônia

The Brazilian Amazon holds global relevance due to its unparalleled biodiversity and its crucial role in climate regulation, influencing rainfall patterns and climate cycles throughout the Southern Hemisphere, directly impacting agriculture and water security across multiple regions. In light of its specific characteristics — including significant social challenges related to regional poverty — this proposal aims to establish a National Institute of Science and Technology in Artificial Intelligence applied to smart and sustainable cities in the Brazilian Amazon, named IAmazônia.

The proposal aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): good health and well-being; quality education; clean water and sanitation; industry, innovation and infrastructure; reduced inequalities; and sustainable cities and communities. To this end, an interdisciplinary network has been formed, composed of nationally and internationally recognized experts in Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, Telecommunications Systems, Smart Cities, and Sustainability. These researchers are affiliated with Science and Technology Institutions (STIs) across Brazil.

The host institution of IAmazônia is located at the Center for High-Performance Computing and Artificial Intelligence (CCAD-IA) at the Federal University of Pará (UFPA). It encompasses strategic areas such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Communication Infrastructures, aiming to deliver solutions in key domains including environmental monitoring, public health, education, digital literacy, cloud computing, and telecommunications infrastructure.

The proposal also includes the participation of a consortium of companies and municipal governments whose activities address the aforementioned themes, structured in networks across the cities of Belém, Canaã dos Carajás, Melgaço, Paragominas, and Bragança. A core focus of INCT IAmazônia will be technology transfer and knowledge dissemination to promote the fair, ethical, and efficient use of AI, with the objective of transforming cities throughout the region.