Polo, the current headquarters for the Instituto Nacional em Refrigeração e Termofísica (INCT-RT), was selected for the reaccreditation. The proposal, submitted in name of Professor Claudio Melo (POLO/UFSC) and in with the partnership of the researchers of Instituto Federal de Santa Catarina (IFSC), Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (UTFPR), Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM) and Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), has the goal of consolidating the Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Refrigeração e Termofísica (INCT-RT) as an excellence center within its work area.

The main goals of the INCT-RT are: (i) establish cooperative research activities between groups and individuals of recognized expertise in the areas of Cooling and Thermophysics, (ii) strengthen the existing partnerships, and establish new ones, with Brazilian and international industrial partners, and (iii) expand the scientific and technological activities in the areas of Cooling and Thermophysics. As a result, the proposal seeks to advance the knowledge in an important area of Mechanical Engineering, where there is a lack of specialized human resources. The outcomes of the research projects related to the INCT-RT will also contribute to improving the design of equipment and processes in various areas of Thermal Sciences, as well as in other branches of Mechanical Engineering (e.g., the oil and aerospace industries), through more efficient technologies that are less aggressive to the environment.

The consolidation of the National Institute of Science and Technology in Cooling Thermophysics (INCT-RT) will ensure that both the laboratory structure and the research lines set out in the first term of the INCT-RT will be expanded in the coming years, allowing not only significant technological advances to be made, but also ensuring the continuous growth and development of Brazil in a branch of science that is equally essential for the industrial sector and for the society.