Abstract The need to stimulate technological entrepreneurship has been one of the biggest challenges faced in Science, Technology and Innovation Policies in Brazil. Therefore, the present research sought to carry out a comparative study of different programs and instruments to foster innovation for smaller companies coordinated by the Federal Government and operated through its Autarchies, Public Companies and Social Organizations. The following programs were used as research objects: (1) STARTUP BRAZIL; (2) STARTUP-INDUSTRY CONNECTION; (3) EMBRAPII - SEBRAE PROGRAM; (4) FINEP STARTUP; (5) STARTUP - INDUSTRY CONNECTION 4.0; (6) CONECTA STARTUP BRAZIL. We sought to investigate the following aspects: (1) proposed objectives; (2) profiles of targeted companies; (3) promotion frequency; (4) available financial resources; (5) fostering technological cooperation with STIs, and (6) mobilization of actors from innovation ecosystem. The research’s results demonstrated that there were upgrades in strategies to foster innovation. New programs started to establish new rules with the purpose of stimulating and/or conditioning partnerships’ formation among companies and institutions present in the innovation ecosystem.

Abstract Meeting the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic requires an interdisciplinary approach. In this context, integrating knowledge of immune function with an understanding of how genetic variation influences the nature of immunity is a key challenge. Immunogenetics can help explain the heterogeneity of susceptibility and protection to the viral infection and disease progression. Here, we review the knowledge developed so far, discussing fundamental genes for triggering the innate and adaptive immune responses associated with a viral infection, especially with the SARS-CoV-2 mechanisms. We emphasize the role of the HLA and KIR genes, discussing what has been uncovered about their role in COVID-19 and addressing methodological challenges of studying these genes. Finally, we comment on questions that arise when studying admixed populations, highlighting the case of Brazil. We argue that the interplay between immunology and an understanding of genetic associations can provide an important contribution to our knowledge of COVID-19.

Several phylogeographic studies of seabirds have documented low genetic diversity that has been attributed to bottleneck events or individual capacity for dispersal. Few studies have been done in seabirds on the Brazilian coast and all have shown low genetic differentiation on a wide geographic scale. The Kelp Gull is a common species with a wide distribution in the Southern Hemisphere. In this study, we used mitochondrial and nuclear markers to examine the genetic variability of Kelp Gull populations on the Brazilian coast and compared this variability with that of sub-Antarctic island populations of this species. Kelp Gulls showed extremely low genetic variability for mitochondrial markers (cytb and ATPase) and high diversity for a nuclear locus (intron 7 of the β-fibrinogen). The intraspecific evolutionary history of Kelp Gulls showed that the variability found in intron 7 of the β-fibrinogen gene was compatible with the variability expected under neutral evolution but suggested an increase in population size during the last 10,000 years. However, none of the markers revealed evidence of a bottleneck population. These findings indicate that the recent origin of Kelp Gulls is the main explanation for their nuclear diversity, although selective pressure on the mtDNA of this species cannot be discarded.