Petrobras said it has broken the record number of patent applications for the third year in a row, filing 142 applications with the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) in 2023. This is more than the company's 119 and 128 applications in the past two years, the company said in a draft.
The company said it rose from fifth place in 2019 to second place in 2020 in the ranking of applicants, and it has been leading the way in patent filings since last year. Petrobras added that it has also exceeded its target of 1,200 active patents, maintaining its leading position among national applicants, including companies and universities, and is awaiting confirmation from the INPI to determine if it has reached the national record.
Jean-Paul Prates, CEO of Petrobras, said: "It is with great satisfaction that we celebrate this achievement for Petrobras, a 70-year-old company that remains a model of innovation. This result is a testament to the importance of our growing investment in research, which brings benefits to society, improves the safety and decarbonization of our operations, and makes a significant contribution to our ongoing movement for a just energy transition. ”
The company's strategic plan expects $3.6 billion in R&D and innovation from 2024 to 2028, the highest in the company's history, with investment in decarbonization and new energy growing by about 30% in 2028.
Carlos Tr**Asos, the company's Executive Officer for Engineering, Technology and Innovation, emphasized: "For Petrobras, technology and knowledge are essential to sustainability, and this is embedded in the company's DNA. Our R&D and innovation goals are to achieve efficiency and future business diversification through innovation, so our patent portfolio will become stronger and stronger. We have CENPES, the largest research center in Latin America, which interacts with the entire innovation ecosystem".
Petrobras said it has invested more than US$4.9 billion (BRL 24 billion) in R&D and innovation over the past decade, most of which has been spent on collaborations with scientific and technological institutions. In 2022 alone, there are more than 8US$1.6 billion (BRL 4 billion) investment.
Petrobras said most of the projects associated with the 2023 order were developed to meet the needs of sustainable projects such as exploration and production, refining, gas and power, renewable energy, and decarbonisation and emission reduction.
In 2021 and 2022, about 13% of patent applications were related to decarbonization and new energy sources. In 2023, Petrobras forged important partnerships in the offshore wind sector, processed the world's first 100% renewable cargoes at refineries, and continued to invest in research in areas such as hydrogen, carbon capture, offshore wind and solar, biorefining, new production systems, and more, the company said. (Compiled by Xiao Chen).
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