University of Münster joins German delegation on roadshow in Northeast Brazil

In October, the Brazil Centre of the University of Münster took part in a roadshow organised by the German Centre for Research and Innovation São Paulo (DWIH-SP) at two important universities in Northeast Brazil: the Federal University of Ceará (UFC) in Fortaleza and the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE) in Recife.

On 20 and 21 October, the activities took place at UFC. The German delegation had the opportunity to learn about the local science, technology and innovation landscape through presentations from the Secretary of Science, Innovation and Technology of Ceará, Sandra Monteiro; the President of the Ceará Foundation for Scientific and Technological Development Support (Funcap), Raimundo Costa Filho; and  the CEO of the Technology Park of the Federal University of Ceará (Partec UFC), Prof. Dr. Abraão Freires Saraiva Júnior, among other participants. Professors from UFC and the State University of Ceará (UECE) who collaborate with Germany also presented their bilateral projects and areas of interest in possible new partnerships. These included Prof. Dr. Francisca Rejane Bezerra Andrade, from the area of Public Policy and Education at UECE, who discussed her long-standing collaboration with Germany, including with Prof. Dr. Marcelo Parreira do Amaral, from the Institut of Educational Science at the University of Münster. On the afternoon of the 20th, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) held its Regional Alumni Meeting, focusing on bioeconomy and sustainability.

The following day, the well-established ‘Workshop on Postdoctoral Studies in Germany’ took place for the first time in north-eastern Brazil. The first session was held that day at UFC, and the second edition on 23 October at UFPE. Aimed at early-career researchers, the event provided an overview of the German academic and scientific system and of research funding opportunities through the German Research Foundation (DFG), the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). There were also lectures from various German universities, including the University of Münster. In the afternoon, participants had the opportunity to speak with representatives from German institutions individually and ask question

The Director of our Liaison Office in São Paulo, Cíntia Toth Gonçalves, represented the University of Münster in all activities during the week. She found it very enriching to interact with early-career researchers from a wide range of fields and support them by providing information about the university's faculties, lecturers, and research areas. “It was great to see that many researchers had already prepared for the conversation, for example, by doing an initial search for possible supervisors on the university's website and bringing specific questions about the research carried out at the university's different institutes and research centres.” The workshop in Fortaleza was attended by 77 participants, while the edition in Recife had 57 participants.

To close the week, on 24 October, our Director of the Liaison Office and other members of the German delegation visited the UFPE Computer Science Centre (CIn) a national reference in teaching and research in computing in Brazil and in promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in Pernambuco.

All in all, the roadshow reinforced the commitment to strengthening scientific and technological cooperation between Brazil and Germany, creating more opportunities for researchers and encouraging sustainable development in both regions.

German delegation: German Centre for Research and Innovation (DWIH-SP), Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH), German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), German Research Foundation (DFG), Ruhr University Alliance (UA Ruhr), Ruhr University Bochum, Freie Universität Berlin (FU Berlin), Brazil Centre at the University of Münster, Technical University of Munich (TUM).