Institutional | About Us
About Us
The Institute of Informatics (INF) of UFRGS is a center of excellence in research, education, and innovation in the area of Computer Science and Engineering. Our history began in the early 1970s with the Graduate Program in Computing.
Our faculty is composed of more than 70 professors, making it one of the largest Computer Science and Engineering groups in the country, covering a great breadth of research areas. We currently have more than 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students. A qualified team of technical and administrative staff gives support to our activities.
At the undergraduate level, we offer BScs in Computer Science and Computer Engineering – both degrees being ranked among the best in the country by the Ministry of Education and by independent assessors such as Folha de São Paulo and Editora Abril. The Institute has awarded more than 1,500 BScs in Computer Science and Computer Engineering.
At the graduate level, we offer MSc and Ph.D. degrees in Computing. PPGC, the Graduate Program in Computing, is ranked with the highest grade by the Ministry of Education, being among the top programs in the country in this area to receive such distinction. In collaboration with the Schools of Engineering, Physics, and Chemistry, we also host the multidisciplinary Graduate Program in Microelectronics. Our faculty also participates actively in the Graduate Program in IT in Education.
INF also serves the community through extra-curricular activities and by fostering entrepreneurship, development of startups, technology transfer, and regional economic development through CEI – Center for Entrepreneurship in Informatics.
The Institute of Informatics offers a world-class infrastructure for education, research, and innovation.
Mission
The Institute of Informatics is part of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), a public institution with a strong sense of community service and committed to high-quality education and world-leading scientific research.
Our mission is to prepare highly qualified professionals, contribute to scientific knowledge and innovation, and support technology transfer to the Industry to the benefit of both the University and community.
INF continuously seeks to keep its position as a leading center of excellence in undergraduate and graduate education, scientific research, and technology development, with a critical vision of the Brazilian society and the future.
INF maintains active collaborations with other units of UFRGS, the Industry, and other universities in Brazil and abroad.
History
The Institute of Informatics was founded in 1989 as one of the academic units of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), the largest public University in southern Brazil and one of the top five universities in the country. But the history of Computer Science and Engineering education and research at UFRGS is much older. It started in the late ’60s, within the Academic Division of the Data Processing Center of UFRGS (later named Department of Informatics) and in research groups spread over other academic areas, such as Engineering and Physics. These different groups came together in 1972 to build the Graduate Program in Computing, which initially offered an MSc degree. This initiative was closely followed by the offering of a BSc in Data Processing Technology, which later became the Undergraduate Program in Computer Science in 1984. The Ph.D. degree started to be offered by the Graduate Program in Computing in 1989, as a pioneering effort in southern Brazil. In 1996, the Institute of Informatics launched a new pioneering initiative, creating CEI – Center for Entrepreneurship in Informatics, the first business incubator in southern Brazil. The Undergraduate Program in Computer Engineering was launched in 1999, in a joint initiative with the School of Engineering. INF is at the root of the ICT industry in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, as many of its researchers and alumni had leading roles in the first companies in this area in the late ’70s.