On Wednesday a delegation from the Brazilian University of São Paulo (USP) visited the University of Münster. Prof. Johannes Wessels (2nd from right) welcomed the guests, who included USP Rector Prof. Carlos Gilberto Carlotti Júnior (4th from right) © Uni Münster/Michael Moeller

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On 27 September a delegation from the Brazilian University of São Paulo (USP) visited the University of Münster. The guests informed themselves on collaborations currently being undertaken and took a look at a selection of teaching and research facilities, including the award-winning “Limette” at the Faculty of Medicine, the Center for Soft Nanoscience (SoN) and the recently opened Multiscale Imaging Centre (MIC). In discussions with Rector Prof. Johannes Wessels, Vice-Rector Prof. Michael Quante and members of the University of Münster’s Brazil Centre, agreement was also reached on the further development of the strategic partnership.

“USP and Münster University are really quite similar,” said Prof. Rodrigo do Tocantins Calado De Saloma Rodrigues, the Vice-Rector for Postgraduation at USP. “This means that there is a great deal of potential for greater consolidation of our cooperation.”

There is also a high level of agreement between the two universities as regards knowledge transfer. Prof. Paulo Nussenzveig, USP Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation, presented the concept of ‘responsible science and innovation’: “Researchers must share their knowledge,” he said, “because science has not only to do something for society but also incorporate it. Anything else would be failing our social responsibility.”

Members of the high-level delegation from Brazil were Rector Prof. Carlos Gilberto Carlotti Júnior, Prof. Paulo Nussenzveig (Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation), Prof. Rodrigo do Tocantins Calado De Saloma Rodrigues (Vice-Rector for Postgraduation) and Prof. Sergio Persival Baroncini Proença (Vice-Rector for International Cooperation). There was a special reason why the focus of their visit was on the Faculty of Medicine: a new agreement between the Faculties of Medicine at Münster and USP is due to be signed this year, enabling student exchanges to take place and intensifying research cooperation in the field of medicine.

Background

USP was founded in 1934 and, with around 97,000 students – including more than 15,000 doctoral students – it is the largest establishment for university education and research in Brazil. According to Clarivate Analytics, USP is responsible for 22 percent of research output in Brazil. The university – which offers the full range of academic subjects – has five hospitals, 70 libraries and 24 museums. Graduates of USP can be found at the highest levels in economic and social life in the country. USP is the university with which the University of Münster maintains the most wide-ranging and intensive scientific and academic relations in Brazil. The agreement between the two universities was first signed in 2007, and a cotutelle framework agreement followed at the beginning of 2022, from which numerous students aiming at completing a binational PhD have already benefited at a variety of faculties. Since 2016 it has been possible to take a joint master’s degree in Biology as a double degree; since 2017 there has been an agreement in existence coverings dual PhDs in jurisprudence.