DFG President Visits Partner Organisations in Brazil

(22.05.19) During his visit to Brazil at the end of April, DFG President Prof. Dr. Peter Strohschneider met with the new presidents of Brazil’s federal-level funding organisations, CAPES and CNPq, and expressed his support for a continuation of cooperation.

Prof. Dr. Correia in conversation with Prof. Dr. Strohschneider during the meeting in Brasília

Prof. Dr. Correia in conversation with Prof. Dr. Strohschneider during the meeting in Brasília

© DFG

On 29 April, CAPES President Prof. Dr. Anderson Ribeiro Correia received Prof. Dr. Strohschneider and the DFG delegation in Brasília. During the discussion, Correia emphasised the importance of diverse and varied cooperation with partner institutions in Germany, including the DFG, and diversity in funding programmes and structures.

Established in 1995, the cooperation between CAPES and the DFG is of tremendous importance and has enabled the implementation of a wide range of bilateral projects. One prominent example is BRAGECRIM, an initiative in the field of manufacturing technology launched in 2008. So far, more than 300 researchers from various institutions in Germany and Brazil have been involved in the research network. “The cooperation with our long-term partner CAPES has developed into such a strong link over the years that it now has a special relevance for the DFG in Brazil,” Strohschneider said to Correia.

Current joint activities include the DFG-CAPES Collaborative Research Initiative, which, following the example of BRAGECRIM, supports the formation of research networks in other fields. So far the initiative has resulted in calls for proposals in chemistry, engineering and law, and the extent to which it can be expanded to other areas of research is currently being evaluated. Both funding organisations are also considering the possibility of enlarging the joint funding portfolio – one option discussed during the meeting being the bilateral funding of International Research Training Groups, for example.

Correia also emphasised the fact that in spite of budget cuts, international cooperation is still very important to CAPES, as shown by the example of the PrInt call issued in 2017: “It’s very clear that this is the approach our universities need to take to be competitive in the international research landscape.” He went on to note that Germany is one of the most important partners of the universities funded through the PrInt programme. “In view of this positive scenario, the programme may be expected to facilitate new German-Brazilian projects which could potentially be funded through joint initiatives between CAPES and the DFG,” the president said.

The presidents of the DFG and CNPq sign the extended cooperation agreement

The presidents of the DFG and CNPq sign the extended cooperation agreement

© DFG

Following this, Strohschneider travelled to São Paulo for the annual meeting of the Global Research Council, during which he met with CNPq president Prof. Dr. João Luiz Filgueiras de Azevedo. The two presidents took advantage of the occasion to sign an extension to the cooperation agreement between the two organisations, first established in 2007 – an indication of good future prospects for the cooperation and a sign of the mutual interest in continuing and deepening the partnership.

Also in São Paulo, Strohschneider met with the president of FAPESP, the funding organisation for the state of São Paulo and a DFG partner organisation, which was hosting the GRC annual meeting. Together with president Prof. Dr. Marco Antônio Zago and scientific director Prof. Dr. Carlos Henrique de Brito Cruz, they evaluated the results of the cooperation so far and discussed future prospects.

Meeting at FAPESP in São Paulo. Centre: Presidents Peter Strohschneider (DFG) and Marco Antônio Zago (FAPESP). Left: Dietrich Halm and Kathrin Winkler (DFG). Right: Carlos Henrique de Brito Cruz and Euclides de Mesquita Neto (FAPESP)

Meeting at FAPESP in São Paulo. Centre: Presidents Peter Strohschneider (DFG) and Marco Antônio Zago (FAPESP). Left: Dietrich Halm and Kathrin Winkler (DFG). Right: Carlos Henrique de Brito Cruz and Euclides de Mesquita Neto (FAPESP)

© DFG

The presidents agreed on the success of the cooperation begun in 2006, which has become visibly established over the years. Owing to the similar organisational structures of the two institutions, FAPESP is also currently the only partner institution in Brazil with which the DFG offers a continuous proposal process and a wide variety of funding opportunities, including the funding of International Research Training Groups. Since in a continuous process there are no calls for proposals providing information to the scientific community, strategies were also discussed to raise awareness of this range of options more efficiently.

Another topic of discussion was the potential expansion of the joint programme offering. Since the support of early career researchers is especially important to both the DFG and FAPESP, possible steps in this direction were discussed.

Visit by the German Foreign Minister

Foreign minister Heiko Maas speaking at the German embassy in Brasília

Foreign minister Heiko Maas speaking at the German embassy in Brasília

© DFG

Strohschneider’s trip to Brazil also coincided with the visit of German foreign minister Heiko Maas to the country. In honour of the two German guests, German ambassador Dr. Georg Witschel held a reception on the evening of 29 April at the German embassy in Brasília. In an address to the guests, Maas spoke about the importance of German-Brazilian relations in research.

“In particular, I'd like to benefit from Prof. Strohschneider being here to emphasise the importance of scientific cooperation. Researching together and teaching together, free from external intervention, has always been an essential aspect of German-Brazilian relations. As examples of this, there are 614 university partnerships and nearly 4,000 Brazilian students currently studying in Germany – almost twice the number that there were ten years ago. This is the right approach and one that we intend to continue,” the minister said.