FAPESP Week in Berlin: University of Münster successfully represented

The 24th FAPESP Week took place on 25 and 26 March at Freie Universität Berlin. The event was organised by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) in cooperation with the German Research Foundation (DFG). The University of Münster was successfully represented at the event. The Brazil Centre took part in the two-day event under the leadership of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Bernd Hellingrath, Scientific Director, and Anja Grecko Lorenz, Managing Director.

A special scientific contribution from the University of Münster provided by the panel discussion ‘The future of food research and nutrition’, which was moderated by Prof. Dr Hans-Ulrich Humpf, Professor of Food Chemistry, and in which Prof. Dr Ulrich Dobrindt, Professor at the Institute of Hygiene, also spoke about his many years of joint research with São Paulo. Participants discussed current challenges and future perspectives in food research and nutrition. The University of Münster was also represented by several Brazilian scientists who are currently conducting research in Münster or are involved in collaborative research projects with Münster in Brazil, which are funded by FAPESP and the University of Münster within the SPRINT programme. Among them were Dr. Carolina Victoria Junho, Prof. Dr. Ivaldo Silva, Dr. Aline Camargo Ramos, Dr. Valéria de Almeida and Victor Garcia Figueirôa-Ferreira.

The programme of the FAPESP week covered a wide range of topics such as scientific freedom and diplomacy, Amazonia +10, social inequality, medicine, nutrition, quantum technology, collaboration between industry and universities in research and research funding opportunities.

The FAPESP Week also provided an excellent platform for strengthening relations between German and Brazilian researchers: it not only provided insights into exciting projects from various disciplines, but it also created the opportunities to exchange ideas with partners and colleagues, to meet new people and to experience the strengthening of German-Brazilian academic networks. Despite the current global challenges and uncertainties, there was a clear sense of optimism for future cooperation between Germany and Brazil at the FAPESP Week. In his opening speech, the President of Freie Universität Berlin emphasised that the doors for expanding academic cooperation between Germany and Brazil are currently wide open. The Brazil Centre looks forward to further successful cooperation with its partners in Brazil and Germany.