Our Projects and Research Coordinator, Beatriz Mattos, was in India on April 17–18, where she represented Plataforma CIPÓ at the BRICS Academic Forum in New Delhi.
Organized by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), the event brought together scholars and representatives from leading research institutes around the world to discuss strengthening economic cooperation, consolidating the bloc, and addressing shared global challenges.
During the session “Innovation, Equity, and Enterprise: Towards a People-Centric BRICS,” Mattos highlighted the bloc’s strategic role in shaping growth models that are more inclusive, sustainable, and future-oriented. In her remarks, she emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation in innovation and green technologies in light of persistent inequalities in the global landscape:
“Today, 75% of patents in renewable energy technologies are concentrated in just four countries: China, the United States, Japan, and Germany. This scenario reveals a significant structural imbalance.” In this context, she underscored the importance of expanding cooperation within BRICS so that developing countries can also participate in value creation during the green transition.
The coordinator also highlighted initiatives within the bloc that point to concrete pathways toward this goal, such as the Climate Research Platform, the report on intellectual property for climate technologies, and the BRICS Laboratory on Trade, Climate Change, and Sustainable Development—examples of how South-South cooperation can drive innovation with social impact.
