The University delegation is on a mission abroad to strengthen interaction and discuss partnership opportunities with institutions in Germany and France.

(Original in https://jornal.usp.br/?p=688642 – Published 1 month ago Updated: 10/10/2023 at 10:07 By Erika Yamamoto)

Photo: Nicole Tiget/CNRS Images

In an overseas mission, the rector Carlos Gilberto Carlotti Junior and officials from USP are visiting universities and research centers in Germany and France to sign agreements and discuss new partnership opportunities.

The highlight of the agenda is the signing, next Tuesday, of an agreement with the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS, in French), the primary public research institution in France, for the creation of an International Research Center based at USP.

USP and the French government plan to create a joint research center in São Paulo. “I believe this marks a new period of internationalization for USP. Opportunities are opening up, for example, the possibility of offering joint undergraduate courses, implementing dual degrees in postgraduate studies without the obligation for students to leave Brazil, the arrival of European professors, and finally, the creation of jointly funded laboratories with European scientists developing part of their careers in Brazil,” explained Rector Carlos Gilberto Carlotti Junior.

The Center is expected to promote collaboration between the two institutions in high-quality research and academic training, involving both institutional governance and the scientific community. This will be the fifth CNRS center in partnership with a university. Similar partnerships have already been established with the University of Arizona and the University of Chicago (United States), Imperial College London (United Kingdom), and the University of Tokyo (Japan).

A memorandum of understanding between the two institutions was signed in March of this year during the visit of CNRS Executive Director, Antoine Petit, to USP.

At the beginning of next week, the rector will also sign a dual degree agreement involving the University of Lyon and the Faculty of Law (FD), with the possibility of extending the program to the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism (FAU), the Faculty of Economics, Administration, Accounting, and Actuarial Sciences (FEA), and the Faculty of Economics, Administration, and Accounting of Ribeirão Preto (FEA-RP).

Partnership with German institutions

The first part of USP’s mission in Europe is dedicated to visits to German universities and research institutions.

On Monday, September 25, the rector met with the Brazilian ambassador to Germany, Roberto Jaguaribe Gomes de Mattos, and with the Head of Science, Technology & Innovation and Technical Cooperation at the Embassy, Pedro Ivo Ferraz da Silva.

  The Rector of USP, Carlos Gilberto Carlotti Junior (left), and the Rector of Freie University, Günter Matthias Ziegler – Photo: Disclosure

“The reception in Europe has been excellent, and USP is now recognized as a major international player. I would like to thank the ambassador and his team, especially Pedro Ivo, our former student, for all the support they have provided,” said Carlotti.

The program also included visits to various German universities with the aim of strengthening interaction and discussing partnership opportunities in undergraduate, postgraduate, and research activities. Among the universities visited were the Technical University of Munich, the University of Münster, and Humboldt University.

With Freie University, the rector signed the renewal of the cooperation agreement between the two institutions. The document envisions the execution of academic cooperation activities and the promotion of exchanges of faculty, researchers, students, and technical-administrative staff.

At the University of Münster, the USP delegation was received by Rector Johannes Wessels and Vice-Rector Michael Quanto to discuss the future development of their strategic partnership. USP already has an academic agreement with Münster to promote joint doctoral cooperation. The agreement was signed in March of last year.

Next Friday, September 29, a meeting will be held with the leaders of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. Among the topics to be discussed is the establishment of an institute laboratory at USP.

The USP delegation was received by the leaders of the University of Münster – Photo: Michael Moeller.