IIIT-Bangalore/COSS and Brazil’s DATAPREV Sign MoU to Establish the Centro de Infraestrutura Pública Digital (CIPD)
New Center of Excellence to Advance Digital Public Infrastructure Across Brazil and Latin America
By Anil Kumar Raman
Bengaluru, November 19, 2025. 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.
About the Centre for Open Societal Systems (COSS)
COSS is a collaborative initiative between the EkStep Foundation and IIIT-Bangalore that helps countries co-create, implement and adopt Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).
COSS aims to improve one billion lives by 2030 through the global adoption of DPGs.
IIIT-Bangalore is a premier institute dedicated to undergraduate, postgraduate and Ph.D. programmes specializing in Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE), Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DSAI), Digital Humanities and Societal Systems, and broader fields of IT and research. Situated in the heart of Electronic City, Bengaluru, it holds a prominent position in the academic landscape. IIIT-Bangalore is graded A+ by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). In the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) for 2025, IIIT-B has secured 69th ranking. IIIT-Bangalore contains state-of-the-art infrastructure, eminently qualified faculty, a vibrant alumni community, cutting-edge research facilities, and close industry collaborations.
The institute’s specially designed courses make the students’ cognizant of the current technologies. Experiential learning and practices followed in the institute equip them with the tools and knowledge to solve contemporary real problems. IIIT-Bangalore has consistently achieved excellent placement records every year since its establishment in 1998, thanks to the unwavering support of the industry and the expanding pool of highly skilled alumni.
