University of Münster at the 77th SBPC Annual Meeting in Recife

From 13 to 18 July 2025, the University of Münster – represented by Cíntia Toth, Head of the Brazil Centre and the Liaison Office São Paulo, and Dr. Anne Vortkamp from the REACH – Euregio Start-up Center – took part in the 77th Annual Meeting of the Sociedade Brasileira para o Progresso da Ciência (SBPC) in Recife. The participation offered a valuable opportunity to gain direct insights into Brazil’s science, technology, and innovation landscape, to strengthen networks, and to present the University of Münster in an international setting.

Scientific exchange and international visibility

Alongside numerous discussions with actors from politics, funding agencies, and academia, Cíntia Toth attended a networking event organised by DWIH São Paulo, which brought together representatives from SBPC, the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC), Brazilian universities and the state funding agency FACEPE. The representatives used this platform to discuss existing collaborations and initiate new contacts.

One of the many themes highlighted at the conference was existing and new initiatives in Brazilian research funding – for instance, the recently launched CAPES Edu Global programme, which aims to foster international networks between universities across all Brazilian regions. This moment presents an excellent opportunity for the University of Münster to strengthen existing partnerships in Brazil and could lead to the development of new project ideas.

Women in science and innovation

A highlight from Münster’s perspective was Dr. Anne Vortkamp’s participation in the SBPC roundtable “Women in Science and Innovation”, moderated by newly elected SBPC Vice-President Prof. Dr. Soraya Smaili. Together with Prof. Dr. Laura Bechthold (TH Ingolstadt) and Maitê Gothe (Carbonife), Vortkamp presented the REACH – Euregio Start-up Center and its programmes supporting female founders, such as REACH to Empower and Exist-Women 2025.

In her talk, she shared her own entrepreneurial journey in founding CARAPAX Biotechnologies, a start-up developing sustainable plant biostimulants. She emphasised the crucial role of university support, mentoring, and networks in encouraging women in science to take entrepreneurial paths. As a result, the panel opened up a discussion from international and intercultural perspectives about women in science, academia and leading positions in different institutions.

Insights into Recife’s innovation ecosystem

To explore Recife’s local innovation environment, Cíntia Toth and Anne Vortkamp visited the technology and creative industry hub Porto Digital and the CESAR School institute. Both play a central role in supporting start-ups and providing practice-oriented training in the region. As a result, first contacts were established with two important partners, which could lead to pathways exploring joint innovation projects and open possibilities for exchange formats.

In addition, Dr. Vortkamp met with Prof. Dr. Ana Maria Benko-Iseppon at the Centre for Health Sciences of the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE). Their discussion on shared research themes – particularly plant health and drought tolerance – laid the foundation for potential collaboration with further research groups at the University of Münster.

Representing the University of Münster

The University of Münster’s participation in the SBPC meeting in Recife and fostering connections with different institutions highlight the strategic importance of the Brazilian research landscape for our international networking. It strengthens the visibility of our research, opens up new perspectives for cooperation, and actively fosters scientific exchange between Germany and Brazil.

The close collaboration between the Brazil Centre, the Liaison Office São Paulo, REACH, and our Brazilian partners continues to build bridges between science, innovation, and society – in the spirit of a vibrant and mutually enriching partnership.