IIIT-Bangalore/COSS and Brazil’s DATAPREV Sign MoU to Establish the Centro de Infraestrutura Pública Digital (CIPD)

BENGALURU:

The Centre for Open Societal Systems (COSS) at IIIT-Bangalore and DATAPREV, a strategic majority government-owned IT company, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish the Centro de Infraestrutura Pública Digital (CIPD) in Florianópolis, Brazil. The MoU was officially signed on October 30, 2025.

CIPD has been envisioned as a center of excellence for advancing Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in Brazil, with the potential to support the broader LATAM region. The center will combine India’s leadership and experience in DPI with Brazil’s strong tradition of digital public innovation to guide DPI architecture, policy, and implementation.

The initiative will focus on building capacity through training and knowledge exchange, piloting open-source solutions in sectors such as education, labour, and social protection, and driving research and collaboration on DPI.

Prof. Debabrata Das, Director of IIIT-Bangalore, and Mr. Rodrigo Assumpção, CEO of DATAPREV, formally signed the agreement in Brasília. The ceremony was attended by Ambassador of India to Brazil, Dinesh Bhatia, MGI Executive Secretary Ms. Cristina Kiomi Mori, Deputy Secretary for Digital Transformation at the President’s Office Ms. Beatriz Vasconcellos, EkStep Foundation CEO Mr Shankar Maruwada, COSS CEO Mr Ramesh M.C., DATAPREV board members, senior government officials, and DATAPREV employees.

At an event following the MoU signing, MGI Minister Esther Dweck and Ambassador Bhatia highlighted the importance of the strategic partnership between Brazil and India, emphasizing CIPD’s role in advancing equitable and inclusive digital transformation through DPI.

“At IIIT-B/COSS we are honoured and proud to be a partner with Dataprev to create the first Brazil–India institutional cooperation in Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). This is an extension of the increasing strategic cooperation between our two countries championed by President Lula and Prime Minister Modi. This center is built on our joint values of digital sovereignty and inclusive growth and will drive societal transformation through DPI for all Brazilians,” said COSS CEO, Ramesh M.C.

Prof. Debabrata Das described the MoU as a milestone in global digital collaboration. “By combining IIIT-B’s leadership in Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) with Brazil’s innovation in public digital services, we aim to co-create scalable, open, and inclusive digital systems that empower societies across Latin America and beyond,” he said.

With the establishment of CIPD, IIIT-B and COSS in partnership with DATAPREV aim to further advance societal transformation across Brazil, Latin America, and beyond.