On Thursday, April 3rd, USP hosted a delegation of 14 members from the School of Advanced Studies of the French Academy of Diplomacy (CHEAD, in the French acronym), composed of French professionals from various fields, such as the Senate, companies, and trade unions, all involved in international issues within their organizations.
The group, accompanied by representatives of the French government, such as the Deputy Consul General of France, Prisca Ramesh, and the Scientific Attaché, Marion Magnan, is following an agenda of visits to various relevant entities located in Brasília and São Paulo. The purpose is to learn more details about the cooperation between Brazil and France and discuss the diplomatic actions between the two countries. USP was included in the itinerary due to its importance for research in Brazil and Latin America, its strong history of cooperation with France, and the relevance of its research.
Kicking off the commission’s schedule, the President of USP, Carlos Gilberto Carlotti Junior, welcomed the participants for a presentation about the University, its role in global and regional research, and the importance of the cooperation agreements signed with French institutions. During the meeting, the academic priorities of USP and the recent innovations developed by the institution were also discussed.
“The ties between USP and France are very strong and have existed since the formation of the University. This relationship has been strengthened in recent years, with significant events such as the visit of President Macron to the inauguration of the Institut Pasteur of São Paulo and the major academic agreement we established with the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS, in the French acronym), which also has a branch on our campus. We have a former French Minister of Justice, Christiane Taubira, as the holder of the José Bonifácio Chair, studying Amazonian societies Several French companies participate in our research in various fields. This year, we have already been to Paris on an academic mission, and in June, we will return to participate in Vivatech, one of the largest technology fairs in Europe. For the future, we are working on a partnership project with the France’s National Research Institute for Agricultural, Food, and Environment (Inrae, in the French acronym),” emphasized the President.
In responding to questions from the attendees, Carlotti discussed the funding model of public universities in São Paulo, explaining that most of the resources come from a percentage of taxes, but that USP has been increasing its fundraising through alternative sources, such as funding agencies and partnerships with companies. He also commented on the focus of the presidential administration on innovation and entrepreneurship and expressed his concern about the situation of academic research in the United States, stating that there are projects in partnership with the São Paulo Research Foundation (Fapesp) to host researchers interested in working in Brazil.
The President of the USP Agency of National and International Academic Cooperation (Aucani), Sergio Proença, presented data on USP’s representativeness in the regional and global research landscape. Regarding France, he highlighted recent figures: “In the last five years, we had 65 delegation visits and the establishment of 366 agreements. In the field of mobility, we sent 1,003 students to France and received 292 French students in our colleges. We host programs such as the Franco-Brazilian Chairs and Cofecub and organize annual events, such as the Franco-Uspiana Week.” Proença also emphasized that key figures in the establishment of USP, in its early years, came from France specifically for this mission. Among them, names such as Claude Lévi-Strauss, Gérard Lebrun, Roger Bastide, and André Weil.
The visit of the group also included the participation of the Fapesp advisor and faculty member of the Faculty of Law (FD) at USP, Fernando Menezes.
After the meeting at the President’s office, the delegation visited the USP Innovation Center (InovaUSP) and the Artificial Intelligence Center (C4IA), where projects focused on innovation and technology were presented. The schedule continued with a visit to the facilities of the Institut Pasteur of São Paulo, with discussions regarding scientific collaborations between Institut Pasteur, CNRS, and Fapesp.
English version: Nexus Traduções
