(23.07.13) On 21 June, at the invitation of the state government of Minas Gerais, the German House for Research and Innovation in São Paulo (DWIH-SP) and several of its members introduced themselves in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The event was attended by leading academic, political and business figures from the host state. The meeting was opened by the Deputy State Minister of Science, Technology and University Education, Evaldo Vilela, and the Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany, Victor Sterzik. It provided an opportunity to widen and strengthen cooperation between the two countries in research and innovation.

Among the DWIH members who participated, apart from the DFG's own Latin America office, were representatives of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the Fraunhofer Society, the Free University of Berlin, the Technical University of Munich (TUM), the university consortium UAS7 and the Ruhr Metropolitan Area University Alliance (UAMR). Representing Brazil were the federal, state and private universities, senior managers from industry and the president of Fapemig (the funding organisation of the state of Minas Gerais), Prof. Mario Neto Borges. Prof. Borges spoke about the collaboration with the DFG and projects that have already been jointly funded.

In the afternoon, representatives of the universities and research institutions held bilateral meetings with their counterparts. Meanwhile, business and political representatives attended an event with the Fraunhofer Society to find out more about the Fraunhofer model of research, development and innovation.