Brazil

Political framework for bilateral cooperation in education and research

Following the financial crises in 1999 and 2002, Brazil's economy has been making a comeback in recent years. Industrial production and especially export activities are on the rise. This development was bolstered by a strong devaluation of the Real in 2002, Brazil's access to the booming Chinese market (especially for agricultural products), and the high prices of natural resources on the world market. Brazil’s real GDP rose by up to 5.7% (2004) in recent years. The 1,200 German businesses in Brazil, with their 250,000 employees, attained total sales of US$33 billion, accounting for 6.5% of Brazil’s GDP.

The German government is systematically expanding its contacts in research, technology and education to the emerging countries in Latin America in order to further develop the traditionally close economic and cultural relations. During Federal Chancellor Merkel’s visit to Brazil in May 2008 a “German-Brazilian Strategic Partnership Action Plan” was agreed. This Action Plan describes the STC as an important key area of the relations between the two countries, and particularly emphasises the importance of sustainability-related fields of research for the STC between the two countries. Brazil has assumed a leading role among the Latin American countries in the research dialogue between the member states of the EU and Latin America at the EU-Latin America summits.

Scientific and Technological (S&T) Cooperation with Brazil is based on the framework agreement on scientific research and technological development between Germany and Brazil, which was updated in 1996 and places particular emphasis on the integration of industry partners in both countries. The framework agreement was complemented and made more specific by means of various individual agreements. The thematic focuses of the collaboration are chosen by the joint commission, which meets every two years. The most recent meeting took place in November 2007 in Brasilia.

In November 2007, the Brazilian government launched a national Action Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation. Developed by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the plan provides approximately 16 billion euros for the promotion of science from 2007 to 2010. Among other objectives, the policy of the Brazilian government aims to increase the involvement and integration of industry into research. The Action Plan is designed to promote research in the fields of nano-, bio-, information and communication technologies, health and energy research, among others.

The scientific environment in Brazil is extremely varied. In addition to universities run by the federal government, the states, and the private sector, there are large non-university research institutions that are financed by the federal government or the individual states, as well as important research centres run by companies (e.g. PETROBRAS).

Key areas of German-Brazilian cooperation

The key areas of cooperation in individual specialist fields were determined in collaboration with the Brazilian partner ministries MCT (science and technology), MEC (education), MMA (the environment), and the overarching MRE (foreign ministry).

The STC with Brazil concentrates on the environment, climate protection and sustainability, aerospace research, agriculture, health, and collaboration in academic and vocational education. At the STC meeting in 2007 the two countries agreed to intensify cooperation in the fields of new materials, biotechnology, production technology, nanotechnology, and information and communication technologies.

A highlight of bilateral cooperation

Due to Brazil’s long colonization history and the concentration of two thirds of the population in the coastal region, the original ecozone – the Brazilian coastal rainforest (Mata Atlântica) – has been largely destroyed and is highly fragmented. The coastal rainforest is rich in endemic and endangered plant and animal species. Against this background, the research programme “Mata Atlântica” was launched in 2003 with the aim of developing preservation strategies for the remains of the forest. Currently, the BMBF is funding four interdisciplinary research projects on the sustainable use and protection of biodiversity in natural forest areas. Funding for the projects on the Brazilian side comes from the CNPq. The programme entered its second stage of funding in 2006.

Of global importance and interest are projects in environmental research and technology, one of the financially most extensive key areas of collaboration between Germany and Brazil. Various research programmes are concerned with protecting Brazil’s coastal rainforests and coastal waters, and with sustainable port management.

In addition to governmental funding institutions (CNPq, CAPES, FINEP, etc.), the Brazilian research funding scene also features institutions at state level, such as FAPESP in São Paulo and FPERGS in Rio Grande do Sul. Germany has bilateral contacts with all of these institutions, but the National Science Council – Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) – is the main contact partner.

There are yearly calls for proposals, with the aim of supporting the initial phase of research and development cooperation projects. The funding comes from the BMBF on the German side and the CNPq on the Brazilian side. It focuses on exchanges of scientists (mobility projects). The BMBF specialist programmes also fund large-scale research projects.

The “Agua DF” research project was launched in Brasilia, Brazil’s capital city, in 2008. The project is part of the BMBF-funded joint project “International Water Research Alliance Saxony (IWAS) – Managing water resources in hydrologically sensitive areas of the world”, which examines the effects of climate change, population growth and other factors on the water supply of the future in Brasilia and four other locations around the world.

The International Bureau: special activities of the International Bureau

On behalf of the BMBF, the International Bureau funds various measures in Brazil to promote Germany as a research location. A number of German-Brazilian innovation forums on topics such as production technology, materials research, environmental technology and more have taken place in Salvador, São Paulo and Porto Alegre. A German-Brazilian biotechnology forum was held as part of the supporting programme of the Biotechnica trade fair in Hanover in 2007.