Switzerland–Brazil Joint Committee on Science and Technology meets to discuss bilateral cooperation in research and innovation
Bern, 15.04.2024 - In 2009, Switzerland and Brazil signed a bilateral agreement on cooperation in science and technology. On this occasion, the Switzerland–Brazil Joint Committee on Science and Technology was established to oversee these activities. On 15 April 2024, the committee members met in Brasilia for the sixth time to take stock of progress and set future priorities for Swiss-Brazilian research and innovation cooperation. The seventh committee meeting is scheduled to take place in Switzerland in 2026.
Led by Ambassador Jacques Ducrest, Head of International Relations at the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), Ricardo Galvão, President of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development as well as Vânia Gomes da Silva, Deputy Head of International Relations at the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology (MCTI), the delegations of both countries met in Brasília to assess their strategic priorities in the areas of science, technology and innovation. The two delegations also discussed cooperation mechanisms and ways to further boost bilateral research and innovation cooperation. During the meeting, the planned activities and priorities to be pursued between now and the seventh committee meeting, which is scheduled to take place in Switzerland in 2026, were adopted. The thematic priorities for cooperation include entrepreneurship and innovation, biodiversity and sustainability, health, digitalisation and technologies as well as humanities and social sciences.
Brazil is Switzerland's main partner in Latin America in the areas of education, research and innovation. A bilateral agreement on cooperation in science and technology has been in place since 2009. Cooperation between the two countries' research and innovation funding organisations has also been very productive. Between 2018 and 2023, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) awarded funding for around 190 projects by Swiss researchers that included a direct cooperation component with Brazil. In addition, the Swiss Innovation Agency (Innosuisse) teamed up with its Brazilian counterpart, Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa e Inovação Industrial (EMBRAPII), and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) to launch the 5th edition of the TechMakers Brazil-Switzerland joint call for innovation proposals in February 2024. This thematically open call focuses on research and development in areas such as biotechnology, medical technology, health technology, climate technology and sustainability. The University of Saint Gallen's Leading House for the Latin America region also has a number of cooperation instruments at its disposal. Finally, Swissnex in Brazil has a branch office in Rio de Janeiro and another in São Paulo as well a science councillor in Brasília. This presence helps to intensify bilateral cooperation even further.
Address for enquiries
State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI
Communication
medien@sbfi.admin.ch
+41 58 485 67 74
Publisher
State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation
http://www.sbfi.admin.ch
