Newly established agency to facilitate business and investments in Santa Catarina

Newly established agency to facilitate business and investments in Santa Catarina

Recently the State of Santa Catarina created, in partnership with the Federation of Industries of Santa Catarina – FIESC, InvesteSC. InvesteSC is an agency to act in the diffusion of opportunities in Santa Catarina to facilitate business, as well as to prospect companies interested in partnerships, and/or investing in sectors of high added value.

According to the State´s Secretariat of Sustainable Development (SDS) it is cheaper to invest in Santa Catarina than in the major cities of Brazil (e.g. São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro), and companies will not compromise on the level of technological knowledge and labor quality. The objective of InvestSC is to reinforce the technological development of the industry and to foster the development of all regions of the State. InvesteSC focuses on meeting the demands of investors, for example by triggering the responsible entities and partners and by monitoring the process.

Data collected by the FIESC Industrial Intelligence Observatory show that out of a total of 60,000 multinational companies worldwide, 40% intend to invest in innovation and research projects outside their country of origin. The studies also indicate that of the 35,000 medium and high technology investment projects launched in the last five years, 73% were carried out by North-American and European multinationals. According to the Secretariat for Sustainable Development, multinational companies confirm that in Santa Catarina the environment is fully business-friendly, starting with easy access to markets with high growth potential. Recently, one of the most important projects that the State attracted was a German BMW plant located in Araquari, a city near Joinville. It is the first BMW unit in Latin America, with investments of R$ 650 million. Its capacity is 32 thousand vehicles produced per year.

World Bank Doing Business Study – Data of Santa Catarina in Brazil

• 1st State with less difficulty in enforcing contracts;
• 2nd State with lower costs to register properties;
• 3rd State with fewer taxes;
• 9th State with greater ease to do business;
• 6th State in terms of Gross State Product (GSP);

Santa Catarina Innovation Program (PCI)

Besides InvesteSC, the State initiated a program to implement Innovation Centers. There are 13 units, scattered throughout the territory of Santa Catarina in polo-cities, with the purpose of generating innovation and knowledge to qualify the State's economy. This report was compiled with the help of InvesteSC. Full reports can be found at www.investesc.com.br. Companies wishing to get more information on Santa Catarina or contacts at InvesteSC, State government or FIESC, can contact NBSO Brazil at:

info@nbso-brazil.com.br or +55 51 3378 1144.