On Wednesday, February 28th, the USP and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation of Angola signed the contract for the Science and Technology Development Project, which aims to offer scholarships for the postgraduate education of Angolan teachers and researchers.

The project will grant scholarships covering students’ expenses during the course and airfare. The values and durations vary for each type of scholarship granted: master’s, doctoral, or postdoctoral. The initiative also seeks to reduce gender disparity in the academic field by allocating 55% of scholarships to Angolan women.

The contract will enable USP to host 128 Angolan students for master’s or doctoral courses in areas such as agribusiness, environment, biotechnology, energy, mechatronic engineering, petroleum, nanotechnology, fisheries, water resources, mineral resources, health, telecommunications, and information technology.

“This partnership is of great importance to USP as it brings together two Portuguese-speaking countries with cultural and historical ties. The project should be celebrated for its scientific and strategic nature as well as for the connection between Brazil and Angola, a fundamental sister nation, as well as other African countries, for the formation of our country and society,” said Vice-Rector Maria Arminda do Nascimento Arruda.

Angola’s Minister of Higher Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Maria do Rosário Bragança, expressed her joy regarding the program: “We hope that each of the graduates will integrate a strategic pillar in Angola’s economy and development. Through this partnership, we can combine USP’s academic excellence with the studies and interests of Angolan researchers and teachers.”

The ceremony was attended by representatives from the Angolan government and officials from USP – Photo: Michel Sitnik/USP Images.

For the Provost for Graduate Studies, Rodrigo Calado, this is a great opportunity to strengthen ties between the countries, committed to improving their Higher Education. “There is a strong interest from Brazil, and especially from the University of São Paulo, in collaborating to provide quality education, especially in postgraduate studies. We want to host excellent researchers who can return to Angola with greater academic experience,” he said.

The project coordinator, Ricardo Queirós, emphasized the choice of the University to participate in the program. “USP is a global reference, and this was one of the main reasons that led us to seek a partnership agreement between the Angolan government and the institution. I believe we will have many positive outcomes from this program.”

The contract continues the agreement signed last year between the University and the National Center for Scientific Research of Angola.

Investment in Research

(From left to right) The Executive Director of the USP Support Foundation (Fusp), Marcilio Alves; the coordinator of the Science and Technology Development Project, Ricardo Queirós; the Vice-Rector Maria Arminda do Nascimento Arruda; and the Provost for Graduate Studies, Rodrigo Calado – Photo: Michel Sitnik/USP Images

The initiative is part of the Science and Technology Development Project, being implemented by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation of the Angolan government – financed by a $90 million loan from the African Development Bank – aiming to invest in actions aimed at diversifying the economy through scientific and technological innovation. In addition to USP, the project has also partnered with the University of Lisbon (Portugal), which already has 33 Angolan teachers and researchers.

Also present at the event were the Executive Director of the USP Support Foundation (Fusp), Marcilio Alves; the Provost for International Cooperation, Sergio Proença; the Director-General of the Foundation for Scientific and Technological Development (Fundecit), Mário Jorge Cartaxo Fresta; and representatives from the government of Angola.