Professor Oliva and Professor Holloway sign the agreement
A new agreement between the University of Liverpool and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) in Brazil has been signed to create new opportunities for international collaboration in research.
The agreement, which will strengthen links in the field of scientific and technological research, was signed this week while the President of CNPq, Professor Glaucius Oliva, was visiting the University of Liverpool, accompanied by Counsellor Davino Sena from the Embassy of Brazil.
It will provide 60 scholarships annually for Brazilian students to come to Liverpool at Undergraduate and Postgraduate level, as well as 40 scholarships every year for University of Liverpool students to study in Brazil.
Annual scholarships
It will also provide 12 annual scholarships to support senior researchers in Brazil and Liverpool to spend periods of time in each location.
Welcoming the agreement, Executive Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Science and Engineering Professor Stephen Holloway, said: “We are delighted with this new agreement and look forward to working with CNPq. This is a fantastic opportunity for the University to increase its engagement with Brazil.
“We have developed some excellent relationships with Brazilian universities and industry over the past two years and this agreement will enable us to further increase student and researcher mobility between the UK and Brazil. The University of Liverpool is dedicated to promoting international collaboration with the best minds around the world and this agreement will further support that commitment.”
Commenting at the event, which took place in the University’s Victoria Gallery & Museum, Professor Glaucius Oliva said: “The relationship between Brazil and the University of Liverpool brings a tremendous number of new opportunities for both of us, especially in the context of the 21st Century. The collaboration between academia, industry and society is good for the welfare of both countries and the universities.”
Professor Michael Hoey, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Internationalisation, Professor Oliva, Professor Holloway, Professor Samar Hasnain and Professor Jim Keaton MBA
As part of the University’s aim to strengthen global links, a number of international partnerships have been developed with institutions worldwide including the Universities of Sao Paulo and Campinas, and Federal University of Rio de Janerio, all in Brazil.
There are already more than 30 students at Liverpool as part of Science without Borders – a programme which enables Brazilian students to receive scholarships for Undergraduate programmes, research PhDs and exchange at postdoctoral research level.
Barkla Lecture
Professor Glaucius Oliva also delivered the Barkla lecture ‘From Structural Biology to Brazilian Science’ to students and staff during his visit.
Professor Samar Hasnain described Professor Oliva as “a visionary leader who has not only transformed Structural Biology in Brazil but in the whole of South America over the last 25 years.”
He added: “The vision he has shown in his own discipline is now being shown with the international partnership programme which will work together to make it an exemplar of success for the Science without Borders initiative.”
