INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE PESQUISAS ESPACIAIS

Their core work

INPE is Brazil's national space and earth science research institute, operating under the Ministry of Science and Technology. Its core work spans satellite-based Earth observation, atmospheric science, climate and environmental monitoring, and space systems development. In H2020, INPE contributed observational capacity and domain expertise to an ERC-funded study of the Amazon carbon cycle using airborne stable isotope measurements, and later provided specialist systems engineering knowledge to a European effort on verification and validation of cyber-physical systems. The combination reveals an institution with genuine cross-disciplinary depth: environmental field science on one side, formal software and systems methods on the other.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

INPE's H2020 participation begins squarely in environmental and atmospheric science: the 2015 ASICA project is about measuring Amazon carbon fluxes using airborne stable isotope techniques — field science grounded in Earth observation. By 2019, their second project is entirely different in character: ADVANCE is a formal software engineering effort on verification and validation of cyber-physical systems, with no thematic overlap with Amazon carbon. This suggests either distinct research groups within INPE operating independently, or a deliberate institutional push into systems engineering methods — a field directly relevant to space system development. No single continuous thread connects the two periods; the shift is abrupt rather than evolutionary.

INPE appears to be moving toward formal verification and model-driven engineering methods — likely driven by their space systems development role — making them a credible partner for future projects on dependable embedded systems, satellite software validation, or safety-critical system design.

How they like to work

INPE has never led an H2020 project — both participations are as partner or third party. This is consistent with the position of a non-European institute joining EU consortia in a specialist contributor role rather than as a coordinator. With 10 unique partners across 7 countries from only 2 projects, the network is relatively broad per project, suggesting INPE joins well-connected consortia rather than building its own cluster. Expect them to be a domain expert brought in for specific capabilities, not a project manager.

INPE has worked with 10 distinct consortium partners across 7 countries through just 2 projects, reflecting multi-partner European consortia rather than bilateral arrangements. As a Brazilian institution, their geographic reach is global — they connect South American scientific infrastructure to European research networks.

What sets them apart

INPE is one of very few Latin American research institutes with H2020 participation, giving European consortia a direct gateway to Brazilian observational infrastructure — including one of the world's most extensive Amazon monitoring networks. Their dual profile in environmental science and cyber-physical systems engineering is unusual and makes them relevant to projects that need both field data expertise and formal methods capability. For consortia targeting ERC or MSCA funding with an international dimension, INPE adds credibility and genuine scientific complementarity.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ASICA
  The largest funded project (EUR 812 k, ERC-COG class), focused on a scientifically critical and high-visibility topic — quantifying Amazon carbon balance — where INPE's local infrastructure and atmospheric measurement expertise are irreplaceable.
• ADVANCE
  Reveals an unexpected dimension of INPE's capability: formal verification and model-based testing of cyber-physical systems, directly applicable to space and safety-critical software domains.