B.BICE+ Newsletter - N°1 April/May 2014

http://b-bice-plus.eu1

Newsletter l April & May 2014

Dear Colleagues, In May 2008, the so-called Ljubljana Process was launched by the European Council of Minis-ters with two ultimate conclusions concerning Europes research system. Firstly, the process would refocus governance of and develop common visions for European research while estab-lishing the European Research Area (ERA) as a main pillar for tackling Europes common chal-lenges. Though also, it would prioritize the full realization of a wide opening of the ERA to the world, which gave Europes Lisbon strategy for strengthening its scientific and technological base a strategically international dimension (Council 2008).

In part, this was done with the realization that accelerating globalization, with all the confron-tations that it brings, also creates particularly beneficial opportunities for coordinating action. If our societies are indeed sharing and diffusing knowledge and ideas at higher and higher rates, then we can at least attempt to direct some of this momentum towards the achievement of our shared aspirations.

In particular, the European Union and Brazil have chosen to ramp up scientific and technologi-cal cooperation to target major global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity, energy security, and ICT and the digital divide, most recently with initiatives such as Horizon 2020, Sci-ence without Borders and the so-called coordinated calls, among others. Though, while ST&I cooperation plays a crucial role in ensuring scientific excellence and promoting the interna-tional mobility of researchers and brain circulation, the way that the equal inclusion of all mem-bers of society can benefit this pursuit must be considered.

It is for this reason that we have decided on the theme Women in Science, Technology and Innovation for this edition of the B.BICE+ Newsletter, our first. Science, technology, and inno-vation have been prioritized by policy-makers worldwide because these sectors have the po-tential to be transformative to a nations economic and industrial base. However, we invite you throughout this edition to also consider the gender dimension of ST&I and how the promotion of gender equality in research and the sciences has the potential for being equally beneficial by acting as a vector for social change in society as a whole.

For the first edition of the B.BICE+ Newsletter we have chosen to prepare a special issue with 30 pages including interviews and analysis regarding the theme Women in Science, Technology and Innovation. The following editions will be more succinct while maintaining a special sec-tion presenting analysis on a featured theme relevant for the EU-Brazil cooperation on ST&I.

Your B.BICE+ Team

This project has received funding from the European Unions Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under

grant agreement No. 312190

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In this Edition //Updates from B.BICE + //

Upcoming call for participation in the EU-Brazil Technology &

Innovation Forum...................................................................................

Tour of Brazil Events...............................................................................

Featured Story //Article: Brazilian women lead in sceince, technology and in-

novation, study shows..........................................................................

Exclusive interview with Dr. Alice Abreu, Emeritus Professor

of the Federal University of Rio de Janerio (UFRJ) in Brazil.......

Success Story //Dr. Katharina Averdunk, coordinator of the Macauba

Project........................................................................................................

News from Brazil // Brazils new Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation

embarks on an ambitious endeavor....................................................

Brazil combats dengue with genetically modified

mosquitoes...............................................................................................

News from Europe //Gender Summit 4 Europe 2014.......................................................

European Women Researchers Day...............................................

2015 Officially Designated European Year of Development..

News on Cooperation //EU - Brazil Cooperation

EU-Brazil Summit announces measures in Science,

Technology, and Innovation................................................................

EU-Brazil relations strengthened with the creation of

a Delegation of the European Parliament for Relations

with Brazil..............................................................................................

Strategic Forum for International Science & Technology

Cooperation (SFIC) meets in Brussels................................................

Semana da Europa kicks off in Brazil!..................................................

EURAXESS Links Brazil.........................................................................

Bi-Regional Cooperation

The 4th Senior Officials Meeting: Cooperation between the EU

and the Community of Latin American & Caribbean States .........

EU Member State - Brazil Cooperation

The UK launches Newton Fund for research in Brazil and other

emerging countries...............................................................................

Agreement between CNPq and the British Council

broadens scientific cooperation ....................................................

Brazilian-German Symposium on Renewable Energies to

be held.......................................................................................................

Featured Programs and Calls //Horizon 2020...........................................................................................

Universal Call MCTI/CNPq - Call for Projects 2014........................

Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa e Inovao Industrial - Call for

Participants.............................................................................................

Brazil and France CAPES-COFECUB and USP-COFECUB

Partnership Research and Exchange Programs.............................

Chile Call for Proposals in Support of International

Networking between Research Centers..........................................

Para Mulheres na Cincia.......................................................................

Irne Joliot-Curie Prize for Female Scientists in France ..........

Featured Events //FAPEMIG International Lecture Series 2014 - So Pedro.........

8th FORTEC Event on Evolving from Intellectual Property

Management to Strategic Business Units......................................

Cloudscape Brazil Conference...........................................................

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Updates from B.BICE+ //

B.BICE+ has a new website!The B.BICE+ website offers several tools and services for both policy-makers and researchers interested in EU-Br cooperation in ST&I: Context on the EU-Brazil Policy Dialogue in ST&I; a Program & Calls Database with opportunities including Horizon 2020; News & Events; and other resources; Subscribe to the newsletter Coming soon to the B.BICE+ website: Updates to the Program & Calls Database, an EU-Brazil Guide to Innovation, and an Institutional Mapping Tool

Upcoming call for participation in the EU-Brazil Technology & Innovation Forum

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http://b-bice-plus.eu

The EU - Brazil Technology and Innovation Forum is organized by the B.BICE+ consortium at the occasion of the ANPROTECs annual seminar on Science Parks and Business incubation, held this year in Belm (Brazil).

Belm (Brazil) September 22 - 25, 2014

Given the opportunity to promote links with Brazilian innovation actors, B.BICE+ will organize several events and encounters: September 22nd morning: Training for Brazilian SMEs,

Technological Parks and other innovation actors on opportunities for cooperation with Europe. This is event will be organized as part of the Tour of Brazil

September 22nd afternoon: B2B encounters between Brazilian and European research and innovation actors

September 23rd: Training and exchange on EU and Brazilian best practices on Technology Transfer and innovation management

Date TBA: High level round table on IPR for European and Brazilian experts

September 25th morning: Plenary session: Paths toward international cooperation: experiences from Europe, Brazil and other emerging countries (Joint B.BICE+ / ANPROTEC Plenary session)

How to participate

This call will identify about 30 participants with the following profiles:

European and Brazilian research and innovation actors interested in Business to Business and Business to Research opportunities: SMEs, Science & Technology Parks, Business Incubators, Universities, Research Center, Clusters, and Innovation Centers, among others

Technology transfer professionals

Innovation and research agencies

Brazilian and European IPR experts

The participation of the selected candidates will be financed by B.BICE+.

Visit our website for more information or to apply


Tour of Brazil: Opportunities for Cooperation with Europe on Innovation

Organized by the European Union Delegation to Brazil and the Embassies of the EU Member States, with the support of B.BICE+ and EURAXESS, the Tour of Brazil is a series of events scheduled in Brazil for 2014.

Featured Events

Minas Gerais EventMay 15, 2014

The Government of Minas Gerais, through the Secretariat of State for Science, Technology and Higher Education (SECTES), together with the European Union delegation in Brazil and the Embassy of Poland, organized the event: Tour of Brazil: Science, Technology and innovation in the European Union, held in the Administrative City of Minas Gerais.

Time: 9h - 17hLocation: Bairro Serra Verde, Prdio Gerais / 9 andar Address: Rodovia Prefeito Amrico Gianetti, 4143

Learn More

FIESP Event in So PauloMay 22, 2014

With the participation of the Ambassador of the European Union Delegation to Brazil, Ana Paula Zacarias, as well as Brazilian and European specialists in the area of technological innovation this event will focus on European research and innovation projects, Horizon 2020, and the EURAXESS network.

Time: 8h30 12h30Location: Edificio Sede da FIESPAddress: Avenida Paulista, 1313 So Paulo/SP

Learn More

The events will take place in vari-ous Brazilian states throughout 2014 and target research and innovation authorities (FAPs,

Secretariats of Research and Education) as well as other interested members of the research and innovation commu-nity (universities, research centers, SMEs, technological parks, clusters, start-ups).

Tour of Brazil sessions will provide information on European research and innovation cooperation programs - Horizon

2020 and Member States programs - open to Brazilian organi-zations or individuals interested in carrying out research and innovation projects with Europe. The events will also present information and services for better understanding the EU ST&I landscape and guidance for more effectively taking advan-tage of European research and innovation opportunities.

Additionally, the Tour of Brazil events will lend an occasion for networking of European and Brazilian ST&I contacts and strengthening bilateral relations.

Visit the European Delegation to Brazils page on the Tour of Brazil.


Featured Story //Brazilian women lead in science, technology and innovation, study shows

By ALEXANDRA MENDREK-LASKE

According to a series of gender benchmar-king studies led by experts from the Wo-men in Global Science & Technology (WISAT) and the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD), Brazil ranks just behind the European Union and the United States in terms of overall assessments of gen-der equality in the knowledge society.

This framework study brings together data on womens economic activities, participa-tion in economic and political decision-ma-king, knowledge and skills, their health, well-being, status and the conditions in which they live to draw a portrait of the level of gender equality, empowerment, and the successful participation of women in the knowledge society for the respective countries studied.

In most countries of the world, women considerably lack access to information and technology in comparison with men, and are increasingly underrepresented in education, entrepreneur-ship, and employment opportunities. Failure to actively address such discrepancies may lead to continued marginalization of women from the rapidly-evolving digital and knowledge world and a deterioration of womens ability to design, create, and take advantage of the opportunities of the knowledge society.

This may also have negative effects on society as a whole, in-cluding through frustrating sustainable economic growth and the achievement of poverty reduction and development goals. The study indicates that womens contributions to sustainable socio-economic development as food producers and providers, owners of micro and small-scale enterprises, healthcare provid-ers, household managers, educators, and natural resource man-agers, are all integral factors in alleviating poverty and achiev-ing the Millennium Development Goals (WISAT 2012).

The Brazil StoryWhile third overall, Brazil ranks first in womens participation in the knowledge economy and in science, technology, and innovation, as well as in womens agency. Brazil is second in health, opportunity, and capacity and enabling policy, and third in social status, economic status and access to resources. On the other hand, Brazil ranks relatively low (forth out of se-ven) in decision-making in knowledge society, illustrating the need in Brazil to increase the number of women in leadership to better reflect their overall participation in the field.

Brazils successes in this respect stem from a wide range of fac-tors and former programs that have specifically targeted so-cial inequalities and increased womens position both inside and outside of the home. In the past ten years, special atten-tion has been paid to addressing social and gender inequali-ties in the country, for example, by allowing for greater access to contraceptives and paid maternity leave, and thus in-creasing womens labor force participation.

The Bolsa Famlia (Family Stipend), enacted by President Luiz In-cio Lula da Silva in Brazil in 2003, has affected women positively through its reduction of gen-eral poverty in the country. The first of the programs goals is reducing short-term poverty by cash transfers and the sec-

Photo IRD

Constantini, Carlo

This study was initially postedon March 13, 2013 by the Elsevier Foundation.


ond aims at boosting human capital amongst the poor through conditional cash transfers. The Bolsa Famlia is said to be one fac-tor contributing to the decline in poverty in Brazil, which fell by 27.7 percent during the Lula administration (World Bank 2005). An enabling national policy environment has improved the condition of the Brazilian woman, her social and economic status, her access to physical and non-tangible resources like property and education, and her agency and role in decision-making. The importance of such measures cannot be unde-restimated when considering that the position of women to contribute and benefit from the knowledge society depends on if they have the full range of gender equality rights, bene-fits, and opportunities (WISAT-OWSD 2013).

Brazil, Women, and ST&IThough it is perhaps Brazils substantial investment in ST&I the largest in Latin America and the Caribbean that can best ac-count for the nations successes. A strong national base of science and technology capacity is considered fundamental to long-term economic growth, innovation, and research; it allows for the development of technological solutions in areas such as food production, water and sanitation, and energy. Developing a scientific and technological workforce and population implies a population who understands and actively uses ST&I to im-prove their livelihoods and possibly bridge social gaps.

Brazil invests generously in ST&I about 1.4 percent of its GDP and has enacted considerable programs and policies to sup-port ST&I education for all. Scholarship opportunities, particu-larly at the graduate level and in science and technology, are transparent and open to all, aiding in womens participation. This contrasts with the situation of many societies wherein the gender imbalance endures as a result of a wide range of barri-ers from unwillingness of families to support their daughters in higher levels of education, to preconceptions that science and technology is a male domain, to teaching methods that privilege boys.

Brazilian women constitute more than half of all tertiary-level students and are a majority in health (58%) and biological sciences (62%). While females in Brazil make up lower percen-tages in science, technology, and engineering, female enroll-ments have been increasing: the number of females enrolled in engineering has increased 17 percent since the year 2000. Although globally, there exist consistently low levels of women engaged in the skilled technology workforce, women in Brazil

constitute the majority of three out of eight technology profes-sions: biotechnology, information, and support technician in bio-technology categories. However, fewer women are employed in engineering and technology and information management.

That said, the gender dimension of science and technology has become an increasingly important issue worldwide. In the drive to strength knowledge-based societies and technologi-cal advancements, policy-makers are looking to ensure that their countries have an adequate supply of researchers, indi-cating the need to tap into both halves of the population. Moreover, if the inclusion of women in ST&I sectors of the economy is successful, ST&I has the potential for not only be-ing economically transformative by yielding innovative and wealth-generating outputs to be used by everyone. An effec-tive, inclusionary ST&I sector can also be socially transforma-tive by acting as a vector for promoting gender equality in society as a whole.

Assessment Though this study concludes that the gender divide in know-ledge society continues to exist in all countries of the world, Brazil ranks the highest of all countries studied after the Euro-pean Union and the United States, evaluated even above the Republic of South Korea.

These findings may be due to a highly enabling policy envi-ronment for women, effective implementation of strategies, and inclusionary investment in ST&I. Women have been taking advantage of opportunities made available by a growing edu-cation and research system and are increasing their numbers in some areas of science, technology, and engineering.

Continue to the next section for an interview with Dr. Alice Rangel de Paiva Abreu, Professora Emrita, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and the lead national researcher in

Brazil for this study.


Featured Story //Exclusive interview with Dr. Alice Abreu

Alice R. de P. Abreu, is Emeritus Professor of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) in Brazil. PhD in Social Sciences from the University of So Paulo Brazil (1980), and M.Sc. in Sociology from the London School of Economics and Political Science of the University of London (1971), she was a Full Professor of Sociology at UFRJ until 2005, and has published extensively in sociology of work and gender. She held a number of important positions within the academic community of Brazil and internationally, which included the Director of the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean of the International Council for Science (ICSU) (2007-2010), the Vice Presidency of the National Research Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) in Brazil, and Director of the Office of Education, Science and Technology of the Organization of American States, in Washington D.C.

B.BICE+: Briefly, how would you describe the current status of the woman engaged in sci-ence, technology, and innovation in your country / region?

Dr. Abreu: I will start by saying that, unfortunately, women do not lead science in Brazil, in spite to being the majority of stu-dents finishing their university course in 15 out of 23 disciplines; as well as being the majority of PhD graduates since 2004.

What the study shows is that women in Brazil have benefit-ted from the important changes in Brazilian society and by the steady support for S&T in the last 60 years. The modernization of Brazilian society saw an increased participation of women in the labor market, and strong demographic changes, with increased life expectancy, lower fertility rates and changes in family structure, especially in the more developed southeast of the country.

These changes were supported by a strong institutionalization of social and economic policies (health, violence against wom-en, workers rights and equal pay, social security and money

transfers mechanisms). The creation of a National Council for Women Rights in 1985, transformed in 2003 into the Special Secretariat for Womens Policies with ministerial status, gave important visibility to gender issues in the government struc-ture. An Observatory organized by the Secretary is an import source of information in the priority areas that are covered.

It is, however the specific aspects of the Brazilian system of science and technology that can explain the strong partici-pation of women in this area. One important aspect is that education in federal and state universities in Brazil is free of charge, at both undergraduate and graduate levels. These universities represent today approximately 35% of higher education institutions, but incorporate almost the whole re-search community of Brazil.

In 1951, two central institutions were created, which are still major players in the S&T system today. The first was the Na-tional Research Council (CNPq Conselho National de Desen-volvimento Cientfico e Tecnolgico) with the central aim of supporting scientific research in universities. The second was CAPES (Coordenao de Aperfeioamento de Pessoal de Ensino Superior), at the Ministry of Education, aiming at training uni-versity lecturers. In 1985, the Ministry of Science and Technol-ogy was created.

The Brazilian capacity building effort has increased and diver-sified substantially from its starting point in the early 1950s. Between CNPq and CAPES at the federal level, and agencies at the state level, several different support mechanisms have been put in place throughout these last decades. They have ranged from research funding granted through competitive calls for projects, to a wide range of scholarships and fellow-ships supporting students and researchers at different points in their careers. Established in a transparent and decentral-ized manner, women were able to compete for these different types of scholarships and are today, as mentioned before, the majority at all levels at the capacity building level (undergrad-uate, MScs and PhDs).

Women are, however, con-centrated in certain areas, an absolute majority in humani-ties and social sciences, and in certain disciplines of the ex-


act sciences, with a noticeable decrease in their participation in physics, mathematics, computer science, astronomy and certain specialties of engineering.

Another, quite different picture emerges when you look at the higher echelons of scientific careers. One important indicator are data regarding the Senior Research Fellowships, a program of fellowships that distributes around 6000 grants on a very competitive basis for the best researchers in the country. This is the only program in which the participation of women has remained stable in the last decade, representing around 32 to 33% on average of these fellowships. At its highest level, women never exceeded 22 to 23% of the grants.

This same difficulty in attaining high decision-making posi-tions in the system is visible if you look at the different sci-ence institutions and organizations. There is a flagrant lack of reliable statistics regarding these issues, but the number of women rectors in Federal and State Universities, the number of Full Professors, even in disciplines with majority of women, number of high-level positions in the system, they all show that women are not there yet.

Whether it is a question of time - and women will have to wait a few more years to see if this strong baseline group effectively climbs to the higher levels of the system - remains to be seen.

One must also remember that in spite of the enormous prog-ress in the last two decades, the number of PhDs and MScs is still a very small fraction of the Brazilian population. An es-timate based on the National Household Survey has counted 580 thousand masters and PhDs in 2008, representing 0.31% of the 190 million inhabitants of Brazil in that year. Comparing the number of PhDs by a thousand inhabitants between 25 and 64 years of age of Brazil and selected countries, one sees that Brazil has 1.4 PhDs, while the USA has 8.4, Germany 15.6.

So Brazil has a long way to go to create an effective base for a knowledge society, and it is important to assure that women will be an inclusive part of this process and partici-pate fully in the system.

What are the main challenges related to the promotion of gender equality in the knowl-edge society?

What the comparative study shows clearly is the need of more detailed information and reliable statistics regarding gender

in the system as a whole. Without clear data on the partici-pation of women at the different areas of the system, it will not be possible to establish a reliable picture of the position of women in the knowledge society. Brazil has a good rating in this issue if compared to other countries in the region and even with some developed countries, but the sex-disaggre-gated data is still confined to certain areas.

The CAPES evaluation data of the more than 3000 gradu-ate programs in the country, which would give us a reliable overview of the graduate system, does not dispose of any sex disaggregated information in its website, for example. Par-ticipation of women in the knowledge-related sectors of the economy is very hard to come by. Universities rarely dispose of this kind of data in a systematic and easy manner. An im-portant example to be followed would be to emulate the SHE FIGURES of the European Commission.

What are the objectives currently promoted through policies and programs aiming to support women working in science, tech-nology and innovation fields? Are there ob-jectives to be better promoted or that are not sufficiently covered by current policies and programs?

The Brazilian experience shows that, given a level playing field and balanced opportunities, women will be able to compete and participate in the S&T system. There are however real bottlenecks regarding certain scientific areas and at different moments of a scientific career. It would be interesting to look at the international experience to see how to promote specific policies to overcome these. Two important examples come to mind. The first program called ADVANCE comes from the United States. A 10-year grant is given in a highly competitive manner to universities that present an incentive program to increase female participation in scientific careers.

The other good example is the working group created by the European Commission, known as the Helsinki Group on Women and Science. Created with the mandate to promote discussion and exchange experiences on measures and policies devised and implemented at local, regional, national and European level to encourage participation of women in scientific careers and research. It is also charged with providing sex-disaggregated statistics and developing gender sensitive


indicators in order to monitor the participation of women in European research.

Brazil would profit greatly if a similar group were created, looking transversally at the national system of science, technology and innovation.

What initiatives are likely to be more appropriate and efficient in order to attract girls and women to careers in science?

The experience has shown that any successful initiative has to start early and has to be applied simultaneously at different levels of the career path. Given the positive trend in many countries in the increase of women in university courses, one may think that there will be a trend to gender parity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Unfortunately, evidence indicates that increased numbers of girls and women in the lower level has not increased numbers in the higher echelons, nor has it greatly influenced parity in certain areas and disciplines.

In fact, if you look at the trajectory of a scientific career, there are several pivotal moments that influence the loss or the permanence of girls and young women in science, from the initial training to the job market, from the advancement of young professionals to high-level decision-making positions in the academic world.

Different initiatives and policies should be devised for these different moments of the scientific career. Here again, a dedicated work group would help to propose focused policies and initiatives.

How may international cooperation in ST&I improve gender equality in ST&I?

International cooperation is fundamental to expose scientists and researchers to other experiences and ethos, to expand collaborative work and publications, and to promote advancement and excellence in scientific careers. To have women fully integrated in these programs is important, but experience shows that the family/career balance is an important factor to allow this to happen. To devise ways of addressing this problem to promote gender equity would be an important step.

Do you have a message or any suggestions or comments to give to the European or Brazilian institutions that finance collaborative research and innovation projects?

Once again, looking at interesting practices already in place in some international programs, especially the European grant programs, can show us what the good practices in this issue are. Many of these programs have clear norms and directives to the committee members regarding gender equity and this is a simple and effective action to introduce. It does not introduce quotas, which I think do not equate with the importance of maintaining excellence in science, but it does suggest targets and alert against prejudices, in such a way that the field is leveled for women candidates.


Success Story //Dr. Katharina Averdunk, coordinator of the Macauba Project

Innovative Methods in Agroforestry

The Macauba research project aims at developing concepts on an environmentally, socially and economically sustainable production of vegetable oils. In the past decade, global plant oil demand for food, feed and fuel production has constantly risen. The resulting increase in supply often triggered deforestation. Large tracts of rainforests were cleared to produce plant oils such as palm and soybean oil with irreversible negative impacts on the worlds ecosystems.

Avoiding such negative effects is possible if additional volumes of vegetable oil are produced without direct or indirect land use change. As proven by this research project, production systems without land use change can be economically, socially and environmentally sustainable.

By integrating Macauba palm trees into existing pastures (so called silvo-pastoral systems), grass yields of the pastures are not reduced. Consequently, no direct or indirect land use change occurs. Macauba has the potential to be produced on 500,000 km2 (or 50million ha) of available pastures in the Brazilian Cerrado. The palm tree is already native to most parts of the Cerrado and could be cultivated in the entire region.

In this manner, pastureland in Brazil could be used to produce up to 60 million tons of oil each year. Macauba pulp and kernel oil have similar properties and quality palm oil and palm kernel oil

Macauba (Acrocomia aculeata) palm tree

needs significantly less precipitation than the conventional oil palm and is resistant to droughts;

can be integrated into existing pastures without reducing grass yields as demonstrated by the Centro Agronmico Tropical de Investigacin y Enseanza;

yields at least 30-40kg of fruit per palm per year, which can be processed into plant oil, animal fod-der, and a dense biomass granulate;

is native to the Cerrado project region of Brazil.

(Source Climate Investment Funds)

Agroforestry system with Macauba trees on pasture land

which are the most important oils on the world market today and could substitute for those products. Thereby, Macauba oil could become the worlds most important plant oil without destroying natural reserves or changing current land use.This could be realized by employing an innovative afforestation method as opposed to deforestation for monocultures.

Moreover, Macauba is harvested later in the season than coffee, implying the possibility for workers to earn additional incomes at a time when seasonal unemployment rates usually rise. Therefore this approach is economically viable with smallholder integration in training, employment and income diversification. (CIF)

For this edition of Success Stories on EU-Brazil cooperation in ST&I, B.BICE+ spoke to Dr. Katharina Averdunk, who has been working as project developer in the field of alternative oil plants for the past seven years and initiated the Macauba Project.

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International Partnerships in Science and IndustryThe Macaucba research project took place in the Cerrado region of Alto do Paranaiba, Minas Gerais, Brazil. It was based on knowledge and experience from a previous European Union-funded research project at Leuphana University Lneburg, Germany. This three-year research program focusing on the sustainable production of plant oil was supported by the innovation incubator in Lneburg with a total budget of 2.7million. The innovation incubator - a project that is unique in Europe aims to promote the economy in the former governmental area of Lneburg (a Convergence Region). It is funded by the European Union in the amount of nearly 64 million allocated by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF); the Federal State of Lower Saxony provides funding in the amount of 22 million.

The concepts developed in the context of the research project will be implemented in cooperation with a German spin-off company of the Leuphana University (INOCAS) and a Brazilian farmer cooperative (Coopatos).

Being based on extensive research, the project developed by INOCAS was ranked as the best project world-wide in a global competition for funding through the World Banks Climate Investment Fund. Besides a USD 3million loan, the project will receive a USD 1million grant by the Inter-American Development Bank. The project will serve as a flagship model and implement the results of the research by establishing the worlds first silvopastoral Macauba pilot with significant potential to scale.

Weighing of a fruit bushel

Brazilian Minister of Agriculture (2nd from left) with representatives from Leuphana University Lneburg

Cooperation at the Macauba ConferenceSeveral universities have been working on different aspects regarding the cultivation of Macauba palm trees. The support of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has sponsored the organization of and participate in the first international conference on Macauba palms. For the first time

researchers from Brazil, Germany, Paraguay and other international universities;

companies and university spin-offs involved in the sector;

government organizations such as EMBRAPA;

politicians;

and other stakeholders such as farmer organizationsmet in Brazil to exchange knowledge on Macauba, presenting their work and building up the basis for future cooperation. The conference was an important step to consolidate knowledge, identify research gaps, and give political recommendations.

Among the participants of the event was the Brazilian Minister of Agriculture which highlights the relevance of the Macauba Conference and led to much press coverage. The experience with working with international partners in the context of the Macauba Conference is described by Dr. Averdunk as excellent.


News from Brazil //Brazils new Minister of Science, Technology

and Innovation embarks on an ambitious endeavor

On the 17th of March, the new Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation was appointed by President Dilma Rousseff. The economist, Cllio Campolina Diniz, served previously as Rector of the Federal University and as CEO of Belo Horizonte Technology Park (BHTec). In 2010, he was appointed to the Council for Economic and Social Development (CDES), an advisory body to the Presidency.

In his current role, Campolina is now aiming to give continuity to the orientation given to sci-ence by President Rousseff by means of taking on an ambitious plan for Brazilian science, which consists of a long-term vision as well as fast-paced progress. A plan with clear priorities, public use of projects, and objective selection criteria will allow us to overcome the current fragmen-tation of investment in research and development and will encourage an entire new genera-tion of scientific researchers and innovative enterprises, said the newly-appointed Minister.

Campolina is betting the viability of his program on the direct input of the scientific and tech-nological community. If successful, his investment plan will create over the next decade an en-tire generation of scientists and technological experts, placing the country closer to the knowl-edge frontier. The exact priorities, means, and strategies to be mobilized to reach this goal and build this program are to be discussed within the National Council on Science and Technology.Campolina believes that Brazil can revolutionize its productive structure if the country correct-ly defines and pinpoints priorities in key scientific and technological sectors. The economist hopes to harness science to produce to boost Brazilian competitiveness, economic growth, and wealth creation. While building consensus with regard to the role played by science for in-novation, the most important challenge lies in the organization and the institutionalization of this process of technology transfer.

Internalization and Internationalization Another challenge the Min-ister will deal with during this mandate is providing incentives for the internal-ization of research and in-novation, and most of all, at-tracting foreign capital into Brazil, a model which is has been developed in countries

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CNPq

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such as the United States and China.

This strategy necessitates that Brazils leaders dedicate themselves to providing for the ap-propriate national policy environment conducive to supporting ST&I projects and attracting foreign involvement. At a possibly global watershed moment, Brazil would be wise to draw in foreign capital to its markets, to be invested in domestic research and innovation projects.

The Minister seems to believe that a technological revolution is taking place: economic devel-opment, not to mention the creation of innovative processes, nowadays almost unanimously occur through scientific development. Notwithstanding, according to the new Minister, so-cial and human objectives should also be more carefully taken into account in this evolution.

Source: CNPq

Brazil combats dengue with genetically modified mosquitoes

Genetically modified in a laboratory with a gene that would render them dependent on the antibiotic tetracycline for survival, the newly bred Aedes aegypti mosquitoes may be Brazils answer to the dengue epidemic. These transgenic male mosquitoes, unable to bite and thus unable to spread the dengue virus, are to be released into nature in quantities twice that of non-transgenic mosquitoes in order to reproduce with the savage, non-GMO females. The result: an offspring dependent on antibiotics with a very small chance at survival, and thus, a reduced instance of both mosquitoes and the dengue virus.

According to the Pan American Health Organization, last year Brazil reported 1.4 million cases of dengue, constituting an epidemic. The virus often leads to fever, vomiting, and sometimes life-threatening hemorrhaging, and there currently exists no treatment, nor vaccine. Today the only existing methods for protection against the virus are environmental protection (eliminating stagnant waters) and the spraying of pesticides, which present a risk to human health as well as by developing resistance.

The Brazilian National Technical Commission for Biosecurity (CTNBio) approved the plan in April 2014 by a vote of sixteen to one. The mosquitoes, developed by the British biotech firm Oxitec, are the worlds first genetically modified animal or insect to be released into the wild.

The president of Moscamed, a Brazilian company thats raising and testing the GM mosquitoes in Jacobina (Bahia state), was quoted as saying, We need to provide alternatives because the

system we have now in Brazil doesnt work.

We have thousands and thousands of cases of dengue and that costs a lot for the country. People are unable to work.

Sources: Le Monde, Mercopress, Portal Brasil

Photo IRD Jacquet, Maxime


News from Europe //

Gender Summit 4 Europe 2014

The overarching theme of the Gender Summit for Europe (GS4EU) will be Quality Research and Innovation through Equality and will focus on Horizon 2020. The summit will bring together experts from research, policy and industry to discuss the possibility of strengthening the impact of research and innovation with an increased consideration for gender.

The GS4EUs Themes and Tracks will evolve around the effective inclusion of gender within different calls, either in actions that could improve gender equality, or in the content of research itself. The theme of the first day is the Strategic and Cross-cutting Priorities, while the second day focuses on Expanding Understanding of the Sex and Gender Dimension.

This year, the event will be held at the European Parliament in Brussels on Monday 30 June - Tuesday 01 July.

The 4th Gender Summit is focused on Horizon 2020. Theres a lot of money at stake in Horizon 2020 and the new rules ensure that women are at the centre of the decisions on how it should be spent and at the heart of the research and innovation that is funded.

Horizon 2020 provides a clear incentive to applicants to ensure a better gender balance in their research teams. If two proposals receive exactly the same scores on all other evaluation criteria, the gender balance will be one of the factors in deciding which

proposal is ranked higher. Horizon 2020 also promotes the gender dimension in research and innovation content to ensure that it takes into account the needs, behaviours and attitudes of both women and men.

This is the way to excellence, jobs and growth. In Horizon 2020, the gender dimension is explicitly integrated from the outset in many of the specific programmes in more than 100 topics so far out of 610 in total, spread across 13 different programmes. This gives us a promising idea of the number of projects that will develop a gender dimension and of the new knowledge that they will produce.

I hope that those attending the Gender Summit and the science community will respond to these opportunities to create better research and more sustainable technological innovations.

- M i r e G e o g h e g a n - Q u i n n , C o m m i s s i o n e r w i t h r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r r e s e a r c h , i n n o v a t i o n a n d s c i e n c e , E u r o p e a n C o m m i s s i o n

For more information, visit:http://gender-summit.com

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2015 Officially Designated European Year of Development

After being adopted by the Commission, the Council, and the European Parliament, the EUs proposal for designating 2015 as the European Year of Development was finally approved by the Foreign Affairs Council on 14 April, 2014. The motto for the year will be Our world, our dignity, our future, symbolizing what will be a pivotal stage for development and an unique opportunity for the EUs external action: 2015 is also the last year for achieving the UNs Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and will be the year in which their replacements, the Post-2015 agenda, will be decided upon and put into place.

Additionally, this date marks four years since the adoption of the Agenda for Change, the ECs blueprint for refocusing developmental aid and more precisely targeting strategies for poverty reduction. Thus, 2015 will be an opportune time for donors and stakeholders to discuss the achievements of action so far in addition to what remains to be done in regards to European development policy.

Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs was quoted as stating that the European Year will grant, an unparalleled opportunity for us to engage with EU citizens, to showcase our strong commitment to eradicating poverty worldwide and to inform them how every euro of support helps to make a difference in the lives of so many, in some of the worlds poorest countries. The EC Member went on to note that the European Year would be a major event and a key opportunity to raise awareness amongst European citizens about EU development cooperation and about the benefits ultimately brought about in the world as a result of their tax contributions.

Source: Andris Piebalgs EC

European Women Researchers DayThe European Women Researchers Day is an annual event taking place simultaneously in several research and higher education institutions across Europe. The event is planned to support women in science and promote gender equality as a contributor to scientific excellence. Celebrated for the first time March 28th of this year, the European Women Researchers Day is supported by the EUs FP7, reaffirming the engagement of the EU in acknowledging the importance of improving gender equality between men and women in research and academia. It is part of the European project INTEGER which is coordinated by the Mission for the Position of Women at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS).

This years events were organized at the CNRS and the University of Alexandru Ioan Cuza (Iasi, Romania). Organized events and seminars provided information and perspectives on career development and allowed for the sharing of experiences of other female researchers. At the CNRS, for instance, events included practical workshops on obtaining individual or group funding, as well as on recruiting, encouraging networking and exchange between participants.

Source: Womens Researcher Day


News on Cooperation //

E U - B r a z i l C o o p e r a t i o nEU-Brazil Summit announces measures in

Science, Technology, and Innovation

Leaders of Brazil and the European Union met in Brussels on the 24th of February to discuss the ways in which their strategic partnership could be best developed in key areas that are of vital interest to both areas populations. Concluding the EU-Brazil Summit, a Joint Statement was issued, reaffirming the close alliance and asserting [a]s we both face global challenges, our partnership represents a valuable opportunity for greater prosperity and security to our 700 million citizens.

In the Joint Statement, cooperation on research and innovation was proposed as a means of strengthening competitiveness, creating jobs, and addressing global challenges in areas such as sustainable development, climate change, environment, energy, human rights, and international cyber policy.

Likewise, the statement emphasizes the importance of cooperation in education for science and technology. Specifically, a discussion was held on the possibility of Brazilian scientists participating in EU projects through the Cincia Sem Fronteiras (Science without Borders) program. Eurochambres, Businesseurope, and the Brazilian National Confederation of Industry (CNI) have begun encouraging European companies and Brazilian subsidiaries in Europe to open their doors to the programs participants. Correspondingly, Brazil continues to invite European students and researchers into Cincia Sem Fronteiras within their own borders, particularly as Young Talents and Special Guest Researchers.

Furthermore, the Joint Statement welcomed progress made during the most recent Joint Steering Meeting (Brussels, June 26 and 27, 2013), which was in part tasked with drawing

up the areas of research cooperation that represent the most economically and socially priority domains to be leveraged through strategic cooperation. These key fields include marine sciences, food security, nutrition, sustainable agriculture and bio-economy, energy, nanotechnologies, and information and communication technologies (ICT).

In the field of ICT, the authorities an-nounced their intention at the Sum-mit to in-vite Euro-pean start-

Credit European Union, 2014

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ups to participate in calls of the Start-Up Brazil program and to encourage cooperation in the European equivalent. In addition, support was vowed for the development of projects within the Inova Empresa Plan, a federal investment program guaranteeing 13.5 million real towards Brazilian businesses or research centers engaged in technological innovation.

A third coordinated call under Horizon 2020 for research and innovation in the ICT field is foreseen for 2015 and will have an emphasis on developing advanced cyber infrastructure. According to assessments on the former two coordinated calls that were in part supported by the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), cooperation has provided thus far for a notable social and industrial impact.

As for ICT infrastructure, enlarged policy cooperation in cloud computing was welcomed and a plan to install a trans-Atlantic submarine communication cable was agreed upon.

The statement was signed by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Luiz Alberto Figueiredo, and Development, Industry, and Foreign Trade, Mauro Borges, the President of the National Confederation of Industry, Robson Braga de Andrade, and representatives of the European Commission, the Eurochambres, and Businesseurope.

Sources: EURAXESS, Joint Statement

EU-Brazil relations strengthened with the creation of a Delegation of the European

Parliament for Relations with Brazil

For the last several years, the importance of Brazil as a political partner for the European Union has grown steadily. A recent testimony to this increasingly close relation is the opening of a Delegation for the Relation with Brazil by the European Parliament on March 12th of this year.

Previously, Mexico and Chile were the only two nations with individual EP delegations, the rest of the Latin American countries being treated by blocs. At the same time the Delegation for Relations with Mercosur Countries (DMER) was replaced by the Delegation for Relations with Mercosur. This step marks a highly strategic move in terms of dealing more directly with the political Brazilian partners.

According to the President of EUBrasil (a non-profit association made up of parliamentarians, and elected officials, European and Brazilian businesses, and experts and academics), Luigi Gambardella, this change brings about a different kind of relation with Brazil which will henceforth be carried out bilaterally. This can be considered indicative of the heightened importance of Brazil as a European-level partner. In light of the new European elections and of the first plenary of the 8th legislature, the delegation is scheduled to be operative in October.

Sources: EUBrasil, European Parliament

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Strategic Forum for International Science & Technology Cooperation (SFIC) meets in

BrusselsRepresentatives from twenty-one countries and the European Commission were present at the plenary session of the Strategic Forum for International Science and Technology Cooperation (SFIC), the 5th of February, 2014 in Brussels. Created following the Council Conclusions of December 2nd, 2008, the objective of this forum is to facilitate the implementation of a European strategy for international cooperation in research.

On the meetings agenda notably figured geographic initiatives currently brought up by the Member States and the Commission in Brazil, China, and the United States. Two thematic initiatives were also discussed concerning:

shared principals for cooperation in research (concerns for intellectual property, research careers, ethics, gender and diversity, etc.);

and the consideration of international cooperation in the definition of monitoring indicators in the European Research Zone.

The European Commission presented several preparatory elements on the subject of the pluriannual roadmaps that in the future will be responsible for structuring international cooperation in research and innovation and will be enacted in Horizon 2020. Once fixed, these roadmaps should be published in the report on strategic framework for international cooperation in July 2014.

The next plenary SFIC meeting will take place on May 19th, 2014 in Brussels.

Sources: Council of the EU

Semana da Europa kicks off in Brazil!

European Week or the Semana da Europa, which in fact takes place over twenty-six days (April 30th May 25th), has been celebrated in Brazil since 2005. Each year European Week culminates in the Day of Europe, commemorated on May 9th.

The significance of this day is to celebrate peace and unity on the European continent, as it marks the anniversary of the presentation of the Schuman Declaration in Paris in 1950. Being of paramount importance, the Schuman Doctrine promoted the idea of political cooperation between European states so as to avoid the outbreak of another war, and is often considered the beginning of what is known today as the European Union.

During this week, a great variety of activities are organized, covering culture, cuisine and sports. In consideration of the impact that the World Cup is having on Brazilian society this year, the main themes of the event will be sports and culture.

Activities will take place in Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba and are organized

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by EUNIC Brasil (European Union National Institutes for Culture and Embassies of Member States to Brazil) and the Delegation of the EU to Brazil. The activities of EUNIC Brasil, including the European Week, are organized in cooperation with several Brazilian institutions and are aimed at strengthening cultural exchanges between the EU and Brazil.

Learn more!

EURAXESS Links Brazil

Euraxess NewsletterEURAXESS Links Brazil Newsletter is a monthly electronic newsletter, edited by EURAXESS Links Brazil, which provides information of specific interest to European researchers in Brazil and Brazilian researchers who are interested in the European research landscape and in conducting research in Europe or with European partners.

It features the latest developments in research and innovation in Brazil and Europe, as well as on cooperation between both. It also brings a selection of job vacancies and Grants & Fel-lowships funded by the European Commission, EU Member States or Brazilian authorities. A list of scientific events is also published monthly.

To receive the newletter automatically every month, click here. To read past editions, see the dedicated section on the EURAXESS Links Brazil website.

EURAXESS JobsEURAXESS Jobs is a free recruitment tool open to researchers and their employers from all over the world.

Researchers can find a wealth of constantly updated information on job vacancies, funding op-portunities and fellowships throughout Europe. Posting their CV will allow recruiters to find them.

Companies or research institutes or universities can post vacancies free of charge and search for the CVs of international top-notch researchers.

More here.

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B i - R e g i o n a l C o o p e r a t i o nThe 4th Senior Officials Meeting: Cooperation between the EU and the Community of Latin

American & Caribbean States The meeting of European and Latin American senior officials tasked with research and innovation (IV Senior Officials Meeting SOM) took place in San Jos, Costa Rica the 3rd and 4th of April 2014 with the participation of 70 representatives from 19 CELAC countries and 8 countries from the European Union. Co-directed by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Telecommunications of Costa Rica (MICIT) and the European Commission, these regular meetings allow the consolidation of bi-regional dialogue for cooperating in research and innovation through the support and the implementation of the Joint Initiative for Research and Innovation (JIRI).

From this perspective, five thematic groups are included in the framework of the ALCUE NET project, covering the following five wide social challenges: bioeconomy, biodiversity and climate change, renewable energy, information technology and communication, and health. The results from the thematic workshops were presented to the Senior Officals in order to be considered in the defining of the bi-regional cooperation.

Thus, the ERANet-LAC project is currently organizing joint calls, the first of which will be launched in October 2014 and will be based upon the thematic groups work. The interested agencies of research and innovation will be invited to participate in a workshop June 5th and 6th in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, in order to discuss the priority themes identified in the five overarching themes and to indicate their engagement in their choice themes.

Photos IRD

Favier, Marie-N

olle

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Agreement between CNPq and the British Council broadens scientific cooperation

The president of CNPq, Glaucius Oliva, and the Global Director for Society and Education of the British Council, Jo Beall, signed on April 30th in Miami an agreement for the development of the Researcher Links program whose

EU Member State - Brazil Cooperation The UK launches Newton Fund for research in

Brazil and other emerging countriesIn accordance with the UKs strategy of cooperation in the scientific and innovation fields, the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, during his recent visit to Brazil, launched a 375 million fund at the University of So Paolo. The creation of this fund can be considered an acknowledgement of the strategic importance that the UK gives to international collaboration, and more specifically, to engaging with emerging countries such as Brazil, a country that has in recent years increased its investment in scientific research.

The Newton Fund will support research collaborations, researcher and student mobility, as well as the creation of links between scientific institutions, developing innovation partnerships and support for innovation capacity building.The first confirmed partnership will be with the Conselho Nacional das Fundaes Estaduais de Amparo Pesquisa (CONFAP) and Fundaes de Apoio Pesquisa (FAPs) from different Brazilian states. Partnerships between the UK and institutions connected to CONFAP proved fruitful during the last term, leading to the signature of a previous agreement in 2013 between Brazil and the UK. Former activities included capacity building for researchers and English teachers, academic mobility, and integration of research results in industrial activities.

Sergio Gargioni, the president of CONFAP, stated the following regarding the newly-signed agreement: This agreement shows the importance of CONFAP as a coordinator of the activities of FAP in Brazil, as well as their relevancy, both regarding the volume of resources they apply to research, and their agility and efficiency in budget execution. (..) We hope that several important projects will be born from this cooperation with the UK. During the meetings of the National Forum of CONFAP, Gargioni also underlined the fact that Brazil has begun to be considered an important ally in science and technology for the rest of the world, and therefore it will contiue to be considered for future partnerships with Europe, as well as Latin American countries.

Science and innovation are deemed to be a key part of economic development, since they can considerably contribute to the discovery of new solutions in order to tackle poverty and foster sustainable development. Hence, the agreement will support bilateral collaboration in areas such as food security, future cities, bio-economy and neglected diseases. Furthermore, in consideration of the fact that the program was named after the renowned British scientist Isaac Newton, the correspondent programs in the partner countries will be named after a renowned scientist or statesman/woman from that country.

Sources: British Embassy to Brazil, Fapema Brazil

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Brazilian-German Symposium on Renewable Energies to be held

An event of high technical and managerial significance between Germany and Brazil is scheduled for May 19th and 20th in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte (Brazil). The event in question is a symposium on solar energy and photovoltaic systems: technology, opportunities, barriers to overcome, facilitators and best practices.

Why Brazil and Germany? Both countries stand out in the area of renewable energies and thrive in resources as well as the will to invest, rendering exchanges of technology and direct investment

in new projects a mutual beneficial opportunity to be significantly explored upon further.

The discussions between researchers, managers, investors and producers of solar parks will evolve around the technological development and extensive use of photovoltaic systems in Germany and possibly knowledge and technology transfers to Brazil. The event will also provide an opportunity for discussing the Brazilian environment (with a focus on the north-east) with a view to identifying opportunities and ideas that can be useful for actors in the government, academia and industry. Furthermore, the results of former projects in cooperation between Brazil and the EU will be presented and ideas for new projects in cooperation between the two countries will be proposed.

Sources: Diplomatic Representative of Germany to Brazil, BAER

objective is to organize research workshops and meetings between young British and Brazilian researchers. The agreement was signed during the international conference Going Global, an annual forum organized by the British Council where leaders gather for discussion the internationalization of education. Thousands of delegates from 70 different countries, amongst them 45 Brazilians, participated to the conference.

The program is developed in cooperation with FAPESP, (Fundao de Amparo Pesquisa do Estado de So Paulo) in as much as researchers from So Paolo are concerned. As Claudio Anjos, Director Education and Exams of British Council stated, Last year Brazil was the country with the highest number of proposals. Fifty-eight works have been received, from which seven were selected in order to receive support. The agreement with CNPq will expand the area of the program to the entire Brazilian territory.

Source: MCTIPh

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Featured Programs //

The Official Guide for Funding of Applicants from non-EU countries and International Organizations under Horizon 2020 has been published in the section International Cooperation of the H2020 online manual. The guide summarizes:

The general features of international cooperation through Horizon 2020;

The list of countries automatically eligible for funding.

For all other countries, the document details the conditions that potential partners must complete in order to benefit from European financing.

>> Guide for Funding of Applicants from non-EU countries and International Organizations >For more information on the Horizon 2020 framework, visit the Horizon 2020 section of our website. >>Additionally, the European Commission has created a LinkedIn page to facilitate the search for partners for multi-actor projects and thematic networks.

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Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa e Inovao Industrial -

Call for Participants

EMBRAPII (Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa e Inovao Industrial), as part of the Brazilian Institute of Technological Research (IPT) will support to cooperation projects between businesses and national research and development institutions with the aim of generating innovative products and projects. EMRAPII supports Brazilian institutions that are or are seeking to be in partnership with innovation institutions from European countries.

A call has been published regarding the public selection process for the accreditation of EMBRAPII units. These units may receive financial resources for planning and executing innovation projects in collaboration with private firms. A maximum of ten public or private institutions of scientific and technological research will be chosen to constitute units of EMBRAPII.

All Brazilian scientific and technological research institutions which develop

Universal Call MCTI/CNPq Call for Projects 2014

The Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MCTI) and the National Council for Science and Technological Development (CNPq) has issued the Universal Call for 2014 valuing $200 million real.

The objective is to support research projects that contribute significantly to the scientific and technological development of the country in any field of knowledge. Of the total 200 million USD contribution, 75% is from the National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development (FNDCT) and the remaining 25% from CNPq. The Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Cllio Campolina Diniz, is mainly responsible for expanding this investment envelope.

The additional funding added to this years call with be allocated mostly to young researchers. Additionally, a minimum of 30% of funds will be allocated to projects coordinated by researchers affiliated with institutions located in the North, Northeast, and Midwest regions, including the areas covered by the Regional Development Agencies.

Although not specifically defined in the calls regulations, in the past, this call has been open to international cooperation including with European partners.

Projects must be registered on the CNPq website, by the Carlos Chagas Platform by June 16th.

Read more.

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Brazil and France CAPES-COFECUB and USP-COFECUB

Partnership Research and Exchange Programs

The COFECUB (French Committee for the Evaluation of Academic and Scientific Cooperation with Brazil) was launched in 1979 and has worked in cooperation with two Brazilian institutions: the CAPES (Coordenao de Aperfeioamento do Pessoal de Nvel Superior, the Federal Agency of Support and Evaluation of Postgraduate Education) and the USP (Universidade de So Paulo).

The COFECLUB organization is currently offering research and exchange programs open for 2015:

- The CAPES-COFECUB inter-university agreement co-finances high-level exchanges of researchers and scholars and offers full financing to Brazilian doctoral students.

- The USP-COFECUB is financed by the University of So Paulo and supports collaborative research project between Brazilian and French researchers.

Visit the Campus France COFECUB homepage or the CAPES page (in Portuguese).

innovation projects in collaboration with industrial enterprises and which comply with the norms and the criteria defined in the Manual de Operao das Unidades EMBRAPII may apply.

Letters expressing interest will be accepted until the 15th of May, whereas the proposal for accreditation must be sent before the 2nd of June.

For more information, visit http://www.embrapii.org.br

Chile Call for Proposals in Support of International Networking

between Research Centers

The Comisin Nacional de Investigacin Cientfica y Tecnolgica (CONICYT) is offering financing and support for activities promoting international networking between Chilean national science and technology centers and those based in certain countries in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. Supported networking modalities include short-length training internships abroad, research visits to Chile, Research visits abroad, Organization of bilateral workshops or seminars in Chile, and Access to scientific and technological equipment.

Applications will be excepted until May 29th, 2014.

For program requirements and more information, please visit www.conicyt.cl or view the PDF.

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Para Mulheres na Cincia

Since 2006, the partnership between LOral, UNESCO, and Brazilian Academy of the Sciences (Academia Brasileira de Cincias) da vida program for Women in Science has been encouraging and supporting Brazilian women researchers for their contributions to the advancement of science and for outstanding benefits to society. Each year, the program recognizes the achievements of up to seven Brazilian women in national institutions by means of research aid worth 20000 USD.

The scientific areas which are taken into consideration by this scholarship include Physical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, Biological and Health Sciences, Mathematics, and Chemistry. The program supports high-value scientific projects which are to be conducted during twelve months by Brazilian researchers in national institutions. The participants should have finished their PhDs by 2008 and should be intent on carrying out scientific work in Brazilian institutions relevant to the project they have submitted.

The submission period for the project is March 24th May 30th.

For more information about submitting a project or to view previous winners, visit the website http://loreal.abc.org.br

Irne Joliot-Curie Prize for Female Scientists in France

The French Ministry of Research in accordance with the Foundation Airbus Group, has opened the 13th edition of the Irne Joliot-Curie Prize for the promotion of women in research and technology in France. The award is open to women of all nationalities who have resided and been involved in research or technology in France for at least 3 years.

The award is comprised of three categories:

1. The category Female Scientist of the Year rewards a woman that has brought a remarkable contribution to her public research domain through the reach and significance of her work, and her recognition in her scientific field at the national as well as international scale. (Endowment of 40,000)

2. The category Young Female Scientist showcases a young woman who has distinguished herself as a talented specialist in her field through her exemplary background and work. (Endowment of 15,000)

3. The category Woman in Business Track awards a woman who has cultivated her scientific and technical excellence through a research and development post in a business, or who has created an innovative company, notably by employing previous research results. (Endowment of 15,000)

The closing date for application is June 11th, 2014 at midnight.

For more information or to apply click here.


FAPEMIG International Lecture Series 2014 - So Pedro Event

May 16, 20149h - 16h

Horizon 2020 Europes News Program for Research and Innovation

Guillaume Ernst Coordinator in Brazil of B.BICE+ ProjetCharlotte Grawitz National Representative of EURAXESS Links Brazil

Location: Auditrio Carlos Ribeiro DinizFapemig - Fundao de Amparo Pesquisa do Estado de Minas GeraisAddress: Rua Raul Pompia, 101 12o andar, So Pedro, Belo Horizonte MG

Information and confirmation available via email: [email protected]

8th FORTEC Event on Evolving from Intellectual Property Management to Strategic

Business UnitsSo Paulo Rebouas Convention Center

May 18th to May 21st, 2014

Supporting the Development of Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship at Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) of Brazilian R&D Institutes

Brazil has in recent years organized their innovation chain to prioritize actions for transformation of scientific and technological knowledge into innovations that can benefit the country, both economically and socially. However, building an environment that contributes to the national innovation strategy has been one of the main challenges faced by multiple actors and has required a huge team effort, which involves a chain of industries ranging from gyms to markets.

Each year, FORTECs National Meeting takes place, which aims to consolidate the actions to promote technological innovation in the country and raise the level of competence of their agents.

Among the benefits of these events, we can highlight the intense exchange of knowledge and experiences among managers, training, formulation of proposals that maximize actions, in addition to legitimate and represent the interests of the institutions involved.

Read more

Featured Events //

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Cloudscape Brazil Conference

October 20 to 21st, 2014

Guaruj SP, Brazil

This workshop aims at fostering the collaboration between European and Brazilian institutions to advance on the provisioning and usage of cloud resources and infrastructures to support scientific activities in both academy and industry. The workshop will aim for scientific success stories, use cases, innovative business models, federation schemas, etc. with joint interest for Brazilian and European centres.

The deadline for submitting a paper for Cloudscape Brazil is June 16, 2014.

Read more

For questions or comments, contact B.BICE+ at [email protected]

Subscribe to the Newsletter on the homepage of our website to automatically receive quarterly updates from the B.BICE+ team.

B.BICE+ Newsletter - N°1 April/May 2014

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