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Fiocruz and a German institute strengthen ties to stimulate research


24/03/2022

Ana Paula Blower (Fiocruz News Agency)

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At a meeting that took place last Friday (March 19), representatives of Fiocruz and of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), a German non-profit organization that stimulates research, got together to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the institutions and to discuss possible foment partnerships. As a first step in this direction, a workshop was suggested to evaluate the opportunities, identifying possibilities among ongoing projects and analyzing future lines of research.

Representatives met to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the institutions (Photo: Pedro Paulo Gonçalves)

After a presentation of Assistant Coordinator of International Education of the Vice-Presidency of Education, Information and Communication (VPEIC/Fiocruz), Vinicius Cotta de Almeida, on the current situation of the relations between Germany and the Foundation, the director of the DFG Office for Latin America, Christina Peters, mentioned the need to organize the cooperations that already take place on an individual basis and future cooperations between Fiocruz and the German institute. In such a context, organizing a seminar proved to be a good tool.

According to the data brought by Almeida, obtained from a questionnaire, there are at least 52 projects, either ongoing or already finalized, at Fiocruz with some intersection with Germany. In addition, 97 researchers responded they do not yet have projects established with the European country, but are interested in strengthening this relationship.

“Research cooperation between Brazil and Germany, so well established over many years, is very important for the science of both countries. It is crucial to promote mechanisms of continuity for this cooperation”, Peters emphasized.

In this context, Cristina Guilam, Education Pro-Rector of VPEIC/Fiocruz, emphasized that the work of the Foundation is national and it is important that this view is maintained for all the institution’s initiatives in the country. “We are working to promote the integration between the units and to strengthen a country with as much inequality as Brazil. We are also keeping an eye on opportunities of cooperation with institutions all over the country”, said Guilam.

In his presentation, Rodrigo Corrêa de Oliveira, vice-president of Biological Research and Collections (VPPCB/Fiocruz), reinforced the work of the Foundation throughout the country and highlighted Fiocruz initiatives in Brazilian territory. Among them he mentioned the "Inova Fiocruz Program", launched in 2018, with the goal of fomenting research and innovation, resulting in the delivery of products, knowledge and services for the society. One of the recent results of the program was the development of two diagnostic kits and of a vaccine against COVID-19. The intention now, according to Oliveira, is to lanch new public calls to “potentiate what has already been financed, disseminate the results and contribute to scientific agenda”.

International cooperation

Germany is among Fiocruz’s main historical international partners. According to Marcelo Pelajo, coordinator of Fiocruz’s work group for cooperation with German institutions, the Foundation has many individual initiatives and also structuring initiatives with the European country. “With the structuring of programs, foment and awareness-raising in the communities, we will have the possibility of turning today’s individual projects into larger-scale ones. We have a very wide avenue of growth with a community that acknowledges Germany as an excellence in research”, said Pelajo.

During the meeting, Guilam explained that Fiocruz works with two different forms of international collaboration: North-South, with partnerships with countries more traditionally established from the point of view of research, and a structuring cooperation established to strengthen existing institutions.

Peters highlighted that DFG does not focus on specific areas of research, but it covers all areas, from human sciences to biological sciences, focusing on scientific excellence. International cooperation, according to the director, is one of the main focuses of the institution, in order to establish international partnerships with other financing institutions. DFG already has partnerships in Brazil with Capes and CNPq, for instance.

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