Americas

Summary
International Synergies, in partnership with FIEMG, has been successful in submitting a multi-regional industrial symbiosis programme bid under the EU's Al-invest fund, allowing the expansion from the current project in the Minas Gerais state into six other states - Para, Pemambuco, Bahia, Goias, Parana and Rio Grande do Sul. The project will build on the success of the programme supported by International Synergies that began in November 2008.

The project commences in March 2011 and includes International Synergies training the in-country partners from the six states to enable the expansion of the industrial symbiosis programme beyond its current scale - a pilot project in the state of Minas Gerais. The expansion will include the delivery of workshops, the introduction of SYNERGie (International Synergies' proprietary synergy management software) and continued support for the delivery team throughout the project. The in-country teams will also visit the UK to increase their knowledge and experience of successful synergies by visiting members of NISP.

All six states will utilise the same SYNERGie platform, allowing information about all members and resources to be shared, allowing for the identification and management of inter-state synergies. This is the first occasion that a set up such as this has been introduced outside of the UK.

Impact
The project will last for one year with the key aim to expand from a single state programme to a multi-state programme. International Synergies will provide support throughout the project sharing its experience of running pilot, regional and national programmes.