Brasilia, May 26, 2026 (Lusa) - The Brazilian government has launched the fifth auction of the Eco Invest Brazil programme, with the expectation of mobilising up to €8.57 billion in investments for technological innovation, green fuels, fertilisers, and critical minerals.
The programme, coordinated by the finance, and environment and climate change ministries, will use public funds from the Climate Fund to leverage private investment in sectors considered strategic for the new global economy.
The government estimates that it will inject a sum equivalent to €428.7 million in public capital from the Treasury, with €257.2 million earmarked for innovation funds.
Furthermore, it will allocate 1 billion reais (€171 million) to a corporate credit line, on the condition that participating banks invest at least double that amount.
Should the banks maximise their investment capacity, the government expects to mobilise a total of 50 billion reais (€8.57 billion).
Under the rules of the auction, financial institutions will compete for each strategic supply chain based on their capacity to attract private capital.
The successful bidders will be responsible for structuring the funds and other financial instruments.
The areas covered include green fertilisers, advanced sustainable fuels, industrial automation using artificial intelligence, critical mineral processing, battery systems and electric vehicles, green chemistry and biomaterials.
Among the segments identified as priorities is sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), considered strategic for the decarbonisation of the aviation sector.
The finance minister, Dario Durigan, said that the programme could enhance Brazil's economic resilience amid international geopolitical tensions and pressure on global energy chains.
"This is a war that will start to disrupt supply chains around the world," he said, commenting on the impact of the conflict involving Iran on international markets.
According to him, Brazil is suffering less than other countries due to its energy production capacity, but it needs to increase investment in green fuels, biomethane and fertilisers to reduce its dependence on foreign supplies.
The 5th auction also provides for supported companies to contract research and innovation projects with universities, technology centres and foreign institutions, and offers the possibility of acquiring technology companies abroad to bring knowledge into Brazil.
Part of the funding will be allocated on a non-repayable basis to early-stage research and technological entrepreneurship, areas considered to be higher risk and with less private sector involvement.
He noted that there were three distinct "valleys of death" in Brazil's innovation pipeline: turning ideas into reality through applied research, scaling up production, and commercialisation.
"Brazil is at a similar level of research to South Korea, but we are unable to get projects off the ground or register patents," he said, adding that the programme could change this “valley of death” situation.
Although launched on Monday, the 5th auction is not due to take place until July, on a date yet to be announced.
According to the finance ministry, the programme’s four previous auctions have mobilised over 140 billion reais, equivalent to €24 billion, in investments, and involve 13 accredited financial institutions.
On Monday, the government released the results of the 4th auction, with 13.3 billion reais, around €2.28 billion, in investments in the bioeconomy, sustainable tourism and infrastructure, with a focus on the Amazon.
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