Researchers and funding agencies meet at one of Brazil’s biggest innovation events
With the aim of structuring networks of researchers in different areas of knowledge, Fundação Getulio Vargas is holding the 7th FGV Research Symposium on September 12, 13 and 14 in the institution’s main building in Rio de Janeiro. During the symposium, which is supported by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) and Euraxess, researchers, public officials and private sector representatives will debate topics that pose key challenges for Brazil’s socioeconomic development.
In this edition, as well as interacting with scientific institutions, research agencies and foundations, companies and government bodies, the participants will also be able to present their projects in search of partners and funding during a “Flash Presentations” session. Researchers will have up to 10 minutes to set out their objectives, methodology and next steps needed to develop a multidisciplinary research project. The presentation template can be found at this link and the presentations must be submitted by September 1 to research.net@fgv.br.
According to Professor Jerson Lima, president of the Rio de Janeiro State Research Foundation (FAPERJ), promoting research in basic and applied sciences, combined with the development of new technologies, is a fundamental way to build the societies of the present and the future, which face increasingly complex challenges and problems.
“If we don’t promote the development of human knowledge and push it to its limits, the decisions made will always fall short of the contemporary world’s needs. Science and technology are therefore the main vectors for finding the most effective and sustainable solutions to the thorniest problems,” he says.
The president of the Sao Paulo State Research Foundation (FAPESP), Professor Carlos Américo Pacheco, points out that practically every country is striving to intensify research focused on great global challenges.
“In some cases, these studies are associated with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and in other cases they are considered moonshots or they involve strategic areas and critical technologies. The fact is that all countries have a science and innovation policy that is a mix between research driven by curiosity and research driven by applications. All this research involves new knowledge, but many recent initiatives are based on priorities that are preferably defined by society as a whole,” says Pacheco, who will be present at the symposium’s opening panel, titled “The Impact of Science on Society and the Advancement of Knowledge: New Challenges for Research, Technology and Innovation.”
Partnerships for multidisciplinary research projects
Faced with the need for different fields of knowledge to work together to promote the advancement of science, the president of the Funding Agency for Studies and Projects (FINEP), Celso Pansera, reiterates the need to foster science and innovation through partnerships between government, academia and the private sector. According to him, the aim of this collaboration should be to reduce inequalities and poverty in order to improve access to education and health in the country.
“We will use the state’s purchasing power to induce innovation in the private sector and make the public sector more efficient. Considering the opportunities of the new economy, we will act to stimulate the development of research and innovation, with a policy aimed at supporting and including young entrepreneurs in science, technology and innovation, generating new and better jobs,” he says.
According to the president of the National Council of State Research Foundations (CONFAP), Professor Odir Dellagostin, this collaboration between multidisciplinary teams makes it possible to integrate different knowledge, methodologies and perspectives, resulting in more comprehensive research projects. “This approach fosters innovation and the creation of holistic solutions with the potential to generate a positive and sustainable impact for a better future,” he says.
International collaboration
In order to expand this multidisciplinary approach, there is also a need to promote collaboration with international institutions so as to boost investments and the impact of research carried out in Brazil, as Professor Mercedes Bustamante, the president of the Brazilian Education Ministry’s graduate education support agency, CAPES, points out. She stresses that international collaboration leverages investment and research results, helping overcome society’s current challenges.
“International cooperation in science, technology and innovation is extremely important in the 21st century. At different levels and in various forms, these partnerships contribute to providing solutions to overcome the most urgent obstacles to world development, such as poverty reduction, global warming and the energy transition. The benefits of research collaboration include the sharing and transfer of knowledge, skills, techniques and the formation of broader networks of researchers that can increase the visibility of the science produced in all parts of the planet,” she says.
The president of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), Ricardo Galvão, also believes that encouraging this cooperation with groups and researchers from all over the world is very important for the development of science in Brazil. He also highlights a call for proposals that was recently launched with a focus on the internationalization of scientific research.
“The exchange of knowledge contributes significantly to research. With this in mind, CNPq recently launched a call for proposals to support international projects, which features some significant innovations. For example, it will support not just cooperation between established groups, but also young doctoral researchers, as well as cooperation with Latin American, Caribbean and African countries. In order to combat regional inequalities in Brazil, the call for proposals encourages projects from Brazil’s underrepresented North, Northeast and Midwest regions,” Galvão says.
During the symposium, researchers from various institutions will be able to establish connections with potential partners and funders of research projects, as well as interact with representatives of these development agencies and research foundations. In addition, many senior representatives of the public and private sectors will also take part in the debates over the course of the three-day event.
