FUNDACAO COORDENACAO DE PROJETOS PESQUISAS E ESTUDOS TECNOLOGICOS COPPETEC

Their core work

COPPETEC is the project management foundation of COPPE/UFRJ, one of Latin America's largest engineering research institutes based in Rio de Janeiro. In H2020, they specialize in integrated assessment modelling for climate policy — building and running computational models that simulate how different policy choices affect emissions, economies, and sustainable development goals. Their work bridges the gap between climate science and policy decision-making, providing quantitative evidence for national and global emission reduction strategies. More recently, they have expanded into high-performance computing coordination and wildfire management technologies.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

From 2015 to 2020, COPPETEC focused almost exclusively on climate policy modelling — integrated assessment models, low-carbon pathways, NDC analysis, and the socio-economic impacts of emissions reduction. Starting around 2019-2021, their scope broadened notably: they moved into model transparency and distributional impacts (NAVIGATE), then jumped into completely new domains with HPC infrastructure coordination (RISC2) and wildfire management with big-data and AI components (SILVANUS). This suggests a deliberate expansion from pure climate modelling into applied digital technologies and environmental management, likely building on their computational modelling strengths.

COPPETEC is evolving from a climate modelling specialist into a broader environmental-digital research partner, adding AI, HPC, and real-world environmental management to their portfolio.

How they like to work

COPPETEC has never coordinated an H2020 project — they always join as a participant, typically in large, multi-partner consortia (116 unique partners across 40 countries in just 6 projects). Their consistent role as a contributing partner in very large international teams suggests they bring specialized regional expertise and modelling capabilities rather than leading project direction. For potential partners, this means a reliable, low-friction collaborator experienced in fitting into complex consortium structures.

With 116 unique consortium partners across 40 countries from just 6 projects, COPPETEC operates in exceptionally large international consortia. Their Brazilian base makes them a valuable bridge between European research networks and Latin American climate policy and research communities.

What sets them apart

COPPETEC is one of very few Brazilian organizations deeply embedded in European climate policy modelling networks. They bring a Global South perspective to integrated assessment — critical for projects modelling worldwide emissions pathways, where Latin American land use, deforestation, and energy transitions matter enormously. For consortium builders who need non-European partners with genuine modelling expertise (not just token representation), COPPETEC is a proven choice with a track record across multiple major climate projects.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ENGAGE
  Their largest H2020 grant (EUR 324,375), focused on supporting the Global Stocktake process — directly informing international climate negotiations.
• SILVANUS
  A significant departure from their climate modelling core into wildfire management with 3D forest models and big-data frameworks, signalling strategic diversification.
• RISC2
  Positions COPPETEC as a bridge for EU-Latin America HPC cooperation, connecting to AI and high-performance computing agendas beyond their traditional climate domain.