Successful First Research in Germany Science Lunch in Brazil

At the formal opening ceremony, from left to right: Prof. Dr. Ana Flávia Nogueira (Unicamp), Prof. Dr. Osvaldo Novais De Oliveira Jr. (SBPMat President), Prof. Roberto Faria (IFSC-USP) and Prof. Dr. Mônica A. Cotta (Unicamp)

(19.10.16) During the 25th annual meeting of the Brazilian Materials Research Society (SBPMat), which took place from 25 to 29 September in Campinas near São Paulo, the DFG Office Latin America invited representatives from the Research in Germany initiative to attend and organised the first Science Lunch.

With international participation and symposia in nanomaterials and synthesis, characterisation and modelling, energy and sustainability, electronics and photonics, and biomaterials and soft matter, the conference addressed current developments and perspectives in materials science and technology. The international guest speakers included speakers from Germany, the USA, Portugal, China and the UK. Charles James Kirkpatrick, Emeritus Professor of Pathology at the University Medical Center in Mainz, who conducts research in the field of biomaterials, was invited by the DFG. During the symposium, he gave a talk on the topic of biomaterials entitled “Developing Human Cell Models to Study Interface Reactions with Biomaterials”.

During this event, Research in Germany invited attendees to its first Science Lunch in Brazil. More than 65 people attended and the room was filled to capacity. Talks by researcher Professor Charles James Kirkpatrick (University of Mainz), Professor Norbert Koch (Humboldt University of Berlin) and Professor Hubertus Marbach (University of Erlangen-Nuremberg) gave the audience an interesting insight into the research institutions and conditions in Germany. The presentations by the research funding organisations – the DAAD, DFG and AvH – complemented these talks with information on fellowship and cooperation programmes. Afterwards, attendees were given the opportunity to network more closely with the speakers at various tables over light refreshments. They were also able to learn more about the speakers’ work and receive answers to their questions in a relaxed setting. Delegates from the DFG and DAAD were also on hand throughout the rest of the event to give interested conference attendees one-to-one advice at the Research in Germany stand. Just under 20% of the attendees made excellent use of this opportunity throughout the conference.