MPOR establishes the National Port Research, Development and Innovation Policy
Ordinance GM-MPor No. 53, dated September 11, 2026, published in the Official Gazette on September 15, 2026, establishes the National Port Research, Development and Innovation Policy (PD&I Portos), whose purpose is to guide, structure, coordinate, foster and monitor research, development and innovation actions in Brazil’s port sector. The regulation creates a national reference for integrating innovation into sector planning and promoting efficiency, competitiveness and sustainability.
Guidelines and Objectives
Articles 2 and 3 establish the guidelines and objectives of PD&I Portos, focused on making research, development and innovation permanent strategic assets of the port system. The policy combines efficiency, competitiveness, sustainability, digital transformation, professional training and cooperation with public, private, academic and international entities. The main points include:
Competition and technological neutrality: the policy respects free competition, promotes the regional decentralization of initiatives and avoids the prior selection of technologies.
Digital transformation and sustainability: the agenda promotes digitalization, information security and interoperability, together with good governance practices, socio-environmental sustainability and asset security.
Innovation environments: the policy fosters incubators, innovation clusters, technology parks and Port Innovation Hubs.
Experimental environments: the policy fosters temporary, controlled experimental environments pursuant to Article 11 of Complementary Law No. 182/2021 for proof-of-concept activities, pilot projects, trials, tests and scaling.
Financing and decarbonization: PD&I Portos seeks to expand access to credit lines and financial instruments for sustainable innovation, decarbonization and climate resilience.
Intellectual property and technological procurement: the policy encourages the protection of rights, technology transfer and the contracting of technological procurement, in accordance with applicable law.
Instruments
The Ordinance brings together instruments to make innovation part of routine planning, management, training and cooperation in the port sector.
Annual strategic planning: each port authority must prepare research, development and innovation planning identifying funding sources, investment amounts, indicators and targets.
InovaPortos: the program, to be established by an act of the National Ports Secretariat, will coordinate and implement innovation and digital transformation actions in the port sector.
Management targets and indicators: innovation-related management targets and indicators, including variable compensation, profit-sharing and variable fees, as well as a specific indicator in the Port Authority Management Index.
Training and recognition: permanent training programs, awards, seals and certifications, including the Innovation category of the Prêmio Portos Mais Brasil.
Port Innovation Caravans: the MPOR’s itinerant initiative, in cooperation with ANTAQ, will promote a culture of innovation in ports.
Partnerships with ICTs and startups: cooperation mechanisms may connect port authorities, scientific and technological institutions (ICTs), startups and other entities, including international entities, for research, development and innovation.
Grants and delegations: public notices, grant instruments and delegation acts may include specific contractual and regulatory provisions relating to PD&I.
Governance and Competencies
PD&I Portos governance will be organized at central and local levels, with responsibilities allocated among the National Ports Secretariat, ANTAQ, port authorities and the port community. The structure is intended to combine national coordination, regional collaboration and gradual implementation.
The SNP will coordinate the central level with ANTAQ’s participation, while the local level will bring together, on a consultative, voluntary and unpaid basis, representatives of the port community and the regional innovation ecosystem, without being confused with the Port Authority Council (CAP).
Moreover, MPOR, as the granting authority, may propose including, in public notices and grant instruments to be entered into, clauses that encourage research, development and innovation, subject to ANTAQ’s powers, the specific features of the applicable legal regimes, reasonableness and compatibility with the contractual subject matter.
Implementation and Deadlines
The Ordinance entered into force on the date of its publication, but implementation of PD&I Portos by port authorities will be gradual, taking into account each authority’s size and institutional capacity. For companies and other private-sector actors, the policy is guidance-oriented and intended to foster innovation and does not, by itself, create new obligations.
Within 180 days after publication of the Ordinance, the National Ports Secretariat must publish a study schedule to specify the instruments under Article 4, including stages, responsible parties and estimated deadlines. Activities within ANTAQ’s purview will be incorporated following prior agreement with the agency.
Final Considerations
PD&I Portos fills a significant gap: before the Ordinance, the sector had no dedicated policy and ports and terminals were already developing initiatives individually. By creating a national reference, the regulation may turn isolated actions into a coordinated innovation agenda, with potential effects on port efficiency, sustainability and competitiveness.
For terminals, lessees and concessionaires, the agenda is relevant to energy transition, energy efficiency, automation and decarbonization projects. However, further definitions remain to be supplied through supplementary regulations issued by the SNP and ANTAQ; coordination between governance levels and the risk of new contractual obligations in future grants also remain concerns. Accordingly, strategic monitoring and positioning by sector participants will be important to take advantage of the opportunities created by the policy.
