Brazil is fast becoming "the grown-up BRIC", according to financial information provider Thomson Reuters.

Brazil’s rapidly expanding middle class and complex intellectual property framework is creating a host of new opportunities, according to a new report published by Thomson Reuters.

The report, “The Grown-Up BRIC: Innovation & Brand Expansion in Brazil,” tracks patent and trademark activity, as well as scientific literature output, over the last decade to benchmark current levels of innovation and brand expansion.

Following are some of the key findings of the research:

– Recession-Proof Patent Growth: The total number of unique inventions issued in published patent applications and granted patents in Brazil grew 64% from 2001 to 2010.

– Record Growth in Brazilian Trademarks: Between 1990 and 2010, trademark applications increased nearly 200 percent, with most significant growth occurring in class 35: advertising/business management; class 25: clothing/footwear; class 43: hotels/restaurants and; class 44: medical/beauty.

– Computers, Industrials, Autos and Pharma Thrive in Brazil: The top technology areas in terms of volume of published patent applications and granted patents with a Brazilian priority between 2001 and 2010 were computers, automotive technology, domestic appliances and pharmaceuticals.

– Steady Growth in Scientific Literature Output: Brazil has become the 13th largest producer of scientific research in the world and leads in the output of new research in Latin America since 2000.

– Culture of University/Industry Collaboration: 27% of all patents in Brazil are owned by universities, a direct result of steps taken by the Brazilian government to improve cooperation between universities and industry.

“Few emerging market economies boast Brazil’s unique combination of steady growth and a well-established intellectual property system,” said David Brown, president of the IP Solutions business of Thomson Reuters.

“Our analysis reveals Brazil is a country ripe with market opportunity for the international community. Its stable intellectual property system and respect of brand protection make it a viable choice for companies looking to expand globally.”

For investors looking to gain exposure to Brazilian equities, there is a growing list of low-cost ETFs to choose from, ranging from broad market trackers to specialist focus funds.

The following ETFs track the MSCI Brazil Index. The MSCI Brazil is a free float-adjusted market capitalisation-weighted index intended to reflect the performance of the Brazilian equity market by targeting all companies with a market capitalisation broadly within the top 85% of the Brazilian investable equity universe.

HSBC MSCI Brazil ETF (LSE, HBRL, physical, TER 0.60%)

Credit Suisse MSCI Brazil ETF (LSE, CSBR, physical, TER 0.65%)

iShares MSCI Brazil ETF (LSE, IBZL, physical, TER 0.74%)

MSCI Brazil Source ETF (LSE, MXBS, swap-based, management fee 0.65%, plus swap fee 0.50%)

The following fund from Lyxor tracks the Bovespa Index (or IBovespa). The Bovespa is an index of about 60 or so stocks that are traded on the Bovespa (Sao Paulo Stock Exchange). The index is composed of a portfolio of the stocks that accounted for 80% of the volume traded in the last 12 months and that were traded at least on 80% of the trading days.

Lyxor ETF Brazil IBovespa (LSE, LBRZ, swap-based, TER 0.65%)

The following fund from EasyETF (BNP Paribas) tracks the Dow Jones BRIC Brazil 15 Index. This index represents 15 of the largest and most liquid stocks traded on the Bovespa stock exchange of Brazil.

EasyETF DJ Brazil 15 ETF (Euronext, EEB.PA, swap-based, TER 0.55%)

The following funds are more specialist and provide targeted exposure to specific Brazilian equity sectors or market-cap segments.

EGS INDXX Brazil Infrastructure ETF (NYSE, BRXX, physical, TER 0.85%)

iShares MSCI Brazil Small Cap Index ETF (NYSE, EWZS, physical, TER 0.59%)

Market Vectors Brazil Small-Cap ETF (NYSE, BRF, physical, TER 0.62%)

First Trust Brazil AlphaDEX ETF (NYSE, FBZ, physical, TER 0.80%)

Global X Brazil Mid Cap ETF (NYSE, BRAZ, physical, TER 0.69%)

Global X Brazil Consumer ETF (NYSE, BRAQ, physical, TER 0.77%)

Global X Brazil Financials ETF (NYSE, BRAF, physical, TER 0.77%)

(Stock exchange, ticker code, replication method, total expense ratio)