On a trip to Portugal, president of Fiocruz signs Memorandum of Understanding with 3 ministries

On Saturday, April 22nd, the president of Fiocruz, Mario Moreira, signed a Memorandum of Understanding for international cooperation with the Portuguese ministries of Science, Technology and Higher Education, of Health, and of Economy and Maritime Affairs. The signing took place during the XIII Luso-Brazilian Summit, in Lisbon. Moreira is part of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's entourage on a trip to Portugal, where he is accompanying the agendas of the Brazilian president and the Minister of health, Nísia Trindade Lima.

The president of Fiocruz, Mario Moreira, and the Minister of Health, Nísia Trindade Lima, with the Secretary of State for Health Promotion in Portugal, Margarida Tavares (photo: Disclosure)

“Fiocruz has a solid and comprehensive historical cooperation with Portuguese institutions, including most universities and research institutes, such as Insa, IHMT and the National School of Public Health of Portugal (ENSP Portugal), whether through collaborative research or the exchange of researchers and students, but we need to go further. It is necessary to advance in infrastructures and new collaborative arrangements for the production of scientific and technological knowledge in health that aim at the economic and social development of the two countries, which have universal health systems. With this agenda, we seek a cooperative action to reduce the asymmetries of domain and access to technologies”, said Moreira.

Besides consolidating the already existing cooperation, the memorandum aims, in a coordinated way, to strengthen the institutional partnership with Portugal, implementing long-term structuring actions in the ST&I field. In addition to S&T promotion actions focused on innovation and prospecting partnerships with the public and private sectors in health, the initiative opens mutual perspectives for technological agreements that attract Portuguese biotechnology-based companies in Brazil, and Brazilian biotechnology-based companies in Portugal.

The agreement also lays the groundwork for the possibility of, in the future, installing a representative office in science, technology and global health of Fiocruz in Portugal.

The Memorandum of Understanding also aims to promote biomedical research with the participation in shared projects, to lay the groundwork for cooperation in the development of an Innovation, Research and Development (II&D) strategy so as to develop innovative products and services in healthcare. It also aims to implement a cooperation agenda in the areas of science, technology and innovation, with a focus on new translational and clinical research models to improve healthcare, and on capacity building to address emerging health challenges.

The MoU was signed by the President of Fiocruz and the Ministers of Economy and Maritime Affairs, Antônio Costa Silva; of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Elvira Fortunato; and Manuel Pizarro, of Health. The Minister of Health, Nísia Trindade Lima, signed as a witness. A working group is to present an implementation plan for the agreement within six months.

Extensive agenda

The President of Fiocruz maintained an intense agenda throughout the week, in meetings with the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP); the National Authority of Medicines and Health Products (Infarmed); the National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge (Insa); the Center for Engineering and Development (CEIIA); and the Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (IHMT).