On the fifth and final day of the FGV Research Symposium, there were panel discussions about Fundação Getulio Vargas’ Doce River Project – the result of a contract with the Federal Public Prosecutors’ Office and Minas Gerais State Public Prosecutors’ Office, aimed at identifying and measuring the socioeconomic impact on communities of the failure of Fundão Tailings Dam in Mariana, Minas Gerais.

“This is an example of an interdisciplinarity project, involving five FGV schools and more than 100 researchers. The project has had a very positive impact on society. FGV’s support areas were very active and collaborative. It represents FGV’s vision of a research model,” explained the director of the FGV Research Network, Professor Goret Pereira Paulo.

The symposium took place from August 22 to 26 in FGV’s auditorium in Sao Paulo. The goal was to strengthen national and international networks of researchers and promote the development of multidisciplinary research projects with real impacts on national socioeconomic progress, in line with FGV’s mission.

The opening remarks on the last day were made by FGV’s president, Professor Carlos Ivan Simonsen Leal. He noted that the institution’s mission is to stimulate Brazil’s socioeconomic development. A video was then shown, giving an overview of the Doce River Project. Professor Flávia Scabin of the FGV Sao Paulo Law School then spoke about the project’s context and FGV’s role in it.

After that, Carlos Bruno of the Federal Public Prosecutors’ Office and Professor Oscar Vilhena, the dean of the FGV Sao Paulo Law School, spoke about the legal and institutional challenges of the Samarco incident and the Doce River Project.

Later that morning, FGV’s president handed over a certificate to Professor Oscar Vilhena, the project’s executive director, and Professor Leandro Patah, its executive coordinator.

Over the course of the day, there were other talks about the project. In the morning, Leandro Patah of FGV EAESP spoke about the challenges of managing a multidisciplinary applied research project. Mário Manzoni, also of FGV EAESP, spoke about the disaster from the perspective of people affected by it.

In the afternoon, Professor Flávia Scabin of the FGV Sao Paulo Law School discussed the use of data and technology to build legal parameters and monitor reparation work. Professor André Portela of FGV EESP then spoke about the Samarco disaster’s socioeconomic impacts. In turn, Professor Eduardo Massad discussed the incident’s impact on people’s health.

At the end of the day, FGV’s president, Professor Carlos Ivan Simonsen Leal, formally wrapped up the 2022 FGV Research Symposium. “This symposium fulfilled the mission of showcasing the effects of applied research, which is FGV’s main engine and makes all the difference at our institution,” he said in his closing speech.