Cooperation with Institut Pasteur strengthens internationalization at Fiocruz Paraná

In August, the Graduate Program in Biosciences and Biotechnology at the Carlos Chagas Institute (ICC/Fiocruz Paraná) made significant progress in consolidating its internationalization process. A scientific cooperation agreement was signed between Fiocruz Paraná and Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, in Uruguay. The objectives are to enrich the educational experience of both institutes, promote research of excellence and strengthen academic prestige. 

For the director of Fiocruz Paraná, Stenio Fragoso, this achievement represents growth and evolution not only in the institute's educational area. “The signing of this agreement confirms our efforts to internationalize not only the graduate program, but also the work of Fiocruz Paraná as a unit. This is a great achievement in this year in which we are celebrating our 25th anniversary," says Stenio. 

"The internationalization of the PPGBB is a desire and constant pursuit of the ICC," says Maria das Graças Rojas Soto, deputy director of Education, Information and Communication at Fiocruz Paraná. “We have strengthened the program's role on the global stage, encouraging students and teachers to travel to other countries to increase their knowledge and partnerships, receiving others, promoting courses with lecturers and students from foreign institutions, and seeking to formalize inter-institutional partnerships which were already occurring individually. This formalization with the Institut Pasteur is a great achievement and looks very promising, since occasional exchanges between the two institutes have already been taking place. Now it is time to shine a light on them and open up new possibilities for cooperation that will make both institutes more robust and the students more integrated into the international scene. This cooperation has particular merit as it is part of the model of structuring cooperation between countries in the Southern Cone, which is the focus of Fiocruz's institutional policy," concludes the deputy director of the area.  

"We are excited about this partnership, which will open doors for student and teacher exchanges, providing a broader and more enriching education. This cooperation will allow for integrating various specializations, strengthening the quality of teaching and research at both institutions,” summarizes the coordinator of the PPGBB at Fiocruz Paraná, Tatiana Brasil.  The scientific and social relevance of the collaboration between Fiocruz Paraná and Institut Pasteur de Montevideo will have a very positive impact on the advancement of knowledge in various academic areas. "The interdisciplinary research that will emerge from this cooperation will allow experts to pool their knowledge to tackle complex challenges that require multidisciplinary approaches," recognizes Tatiana Brasil. "Now our efforts will be focused on getting Uruguayan students to join the PPGBB in the next selection process," says the coordinator. 
  
The Institut Pasteur de Montevideo (IP Montevideo) is one of the most recent affiliates of the Institut Pasteur's International Network (RIIP). Dedicated to scientific research in biomedicine, it is made up of high-tech scientific platforms in the areas of genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics, molecular and cellular biology. It has become an international educational center with courses on the latest biological knowledge and cutting-edge technologies, as well as promoting startups for the development of biotechnological applications.  

“The signing of this agreement with Fiocruz Paraná represents the first possibility of sharing an international graduate course in science and, on the other hand, a strategic alliance with one of the most prestigious scientific institutions in South America,” summarizes the director of IP Montevideo, Carlos Bathhyany. "This new alliance opens up an important opportunity for us to exchange researchers and students. It is a great opportunity for our institution, which we have been working to consolidate for over four years. We are very happy to have reached this milestone," says the director.

The relationship between Fiocruz Paraná and the Uruguayan institution already exists through partnerships in research projects, which were the seeds for drawing up this broader agreement that will promote the sharing of knowledge and infrastructure to tackle global health challenges. "The idea for this cooperation came up during my stay at Pasteur Montevideo, when I was trying to make a co-supervision project feasible for Amanda Camilo, a doctoral student," says Paulo Carvalho, researcher at Fiocruz Paraná, the initial mentor of this initiative. "There have already been several collaborations between the two institutions and several courses. In my case, I teach an international course with them every two years. Additionally, from our group, the Structural and Computational Proteomics Laboratory, we currently have Marlon Dias Mariano dos Santos carrying out collaborative activities at the IP developing methodologies for diagnosing resistant microorganisms by mass spectrometry, as well as Amanda Camillo, who is doing a sandwich doctorate at the Uruguayan institution," Paulo concludes.  

The team from Fiocruz Paraná's New Business and Innovation Advisory Service (Anni) led the process of formalizing the cooperation agreement. "Anni worked to formalize the cooperation, seeking to expand the possibilities for joint activities. It is always gratifying to sign an agreement with an institution from the southern hemisphere and we hope that we will have many more from this successful partnership. We are working to expand our partnerships in South America," says Anni's coordinator, Fabrícia Pimenta.