São Paulo firms plan IT hub

Brazilian IT companies from the interior of Ribeirão Preto in São Paulo state expect to formalize the creation of an IT hub on Friday (Jan.21), according to a press release on local commercial and industrial association's (Acirp) site. The venture is known as Piso (Pólo Industrial de Software) and be coordinated by Acirp. Piso's main goals will be to strengthen companies' export performance and achieve higher standards of excellence. Another goal is to help firms contribute to the communication ministry's digital inclusion project Gesac and thereby qualify for service tax breaks. The region's IT companies, which generate gross revenues of US$10mn a year, have already been working together on an informal basis since May 2004. They have reached an agreement with Brazil's software excellence society Softex resulting in monthly training workshops and assistance in accessing resources. There are also plans to secure agreements with IT companies such as Microsoft and local universities to improve the qualifications of the 340 engineers employed by Piso members.