Insper will host the MIT SCALE Network Academic Workshop for the first time in over fifteen years of participation in the group that brings together logistics researchers from Latin America and the Caribbean associated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States. The event will take place from March 23 to 26 at Insper's headquarters in São Paulo and will discuss relevant topics for the logistics and supply chain sector.

 

Every two years, researchers, professors, and representatives from the region's innovation centers gather to discuss the main trends and innovations in the field. “The focus is to expand research cooperation as supply chains deal with complex issues, ranging from critical disruptions due to geopolitical changes and climate crisis to the adoption of emerging technologies. The group is a catalyst for the future of supply chain management in the Latin American and Caribbean region and helps connect researchers and professionals to tackle practical challenges,” says Vinicius Picanço Rodrigues, Assistant Professor at Insper and affiliated researcher at the Emerging Market Economies Logistics (EMeL) Lab at MIT.

 

According to the professor, some topics are expected to guide the discussions during the meeting. These include emerging technologies, the increase of small retailers distributed in large urban centers, humanitarian operations, sustainability, digital transformation, and new pedagogical methods for teaching and learning logistics and supply chain management. “Our program was designed to gather researchers around thematic axes and ensure more assertive discussions that can later turn into research and studies with tangible benefits,” says Vinicius.

 

The expectation is that the event will gather about 40 specialists. Even though it is a closed meeting, only for invited partner universities, the Insper community benefits from the institution's recognition in the global research landscape. “We are including researchers and professors in this community that discusses real problems, along with MIT, which is a global reference,” says Vinicius.

 

For André Duarte, professor and researcher at Insper, the school’s students have the opportunity to participate in this network not as academics but as MIT students undergoing training in logistics. “This network opens doors to new research possibilities, and we have had some scholarship recipients collaborate on important projects throughout this process,” he says.

 

Insper and MIT have a partnership to recommend students for the MIT Graduate Certificate in Logistics and Supply Chain Management. This is an academic program ("graduate certificate") of the MIT Global Supply Chain and Logistics Excellence (SCALE) Network, aimed at graduate students and professionals from developing countries interested in learning relevant topics in logistics, freight transportation, and SCM, as well as tools for solving real problems in emerging regions. “Currently, there are also Insper graduate students taking this program at MIT,” says André.

 

 

Logistics challenges in Latin America

 

The network created by MIT is part of an initiative designed to increase awareness of global supply chains and includes affiliated research centers in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean. The MIT Global Supply Chain and Logistics Excellence (SCALE) Network aims to discuss and address the particularities of each region.

 

With the meeting held at Insper, researchers also intend to attract the attention of industry representatives. “The idea is to highlight the shared challenges in the region and seek funding to conduct joint research,” says Vinicius.

 

Among the topics expected to gain prominence on the meeting's agenda are logistics in slums and how to distribute in hard-to-reach and high-risk areas, sustainability challenges along the supply chain, and humanitarian logistics in disaster situations, which are becoming increasingly frequent and intense, such as the floods in Rio Grande do Sul. “All these topics are common in Latin America and can be discussed and analyzed together to find solutions that contribute to the improvement of logistics and, consequently, the region's economy,” says André.