Secretaria de Relações Internacionais | Office of International Relations

On 16 October 2024, the Forum of Rectors of Brazil, Russia and Belarus was held at Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU), the oldest and most prestigious Russian university, founded in 1755. The event was attended by delegations from various universities in the three countries, including UFSC, represented by the Secretary for International Relations, Prof. Luiz Carlos Pinheiro Machado Filho, UDESC, represented by its Rector José Fernando Fragalli and its secretary for international cooperation, Júlia Vieira Rodrigues, and many other federal and state universities from São Paulo.

BRazilian delegation in front of Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU).

The opening ceremony was conducted by Viktor Sadovnichy, rector of MSU and president of the Russian Union of Rectors, which consists of 693 higher education institutions. Konstantin Mogilevsky, deputy minister of Education and Science for the Russian Federation, was present as well as Vadim Bogush, Rector of the Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, who represented the Belarusian universities. Sandra Regina Goulart Almeida, rector of UFMG, represented the Brazilian institutions.

The highlight of the Forum was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the creation of the League of Universities of Russia, Brazil and Belarus. Prof. José Daniel Diniz Melo, president of ANDIFES, symbolically signed on behalf of the universities. Afterwards, each institution signed the MoU, including UFSC. The MoU defines the League as “a non-profit, informal and voluntary association of academic and scientific institutions from Belarus, Brazil and Russia”.

The League has a rotating presidency with annual meetings, which will be hosted consecutively by an institution from Russia, Brazil and Belarus. In 2025, Brazil will chair the League and host the meeting. Prof. Daniel, president of ANDIFES, invited the institutions for the next meeting to be held in Brazil, in 2025, with public universities (federal, state and municipal). It is important to highlight that the Russian and Belarusian universities are public and free of charge.

The League´s main body for discussion, planning and decision-making is the Forum, which is held annually, either in person or online. The rules for conducting the Forum will be decided on the basis of consensus between all parties. The League will initially operate through 12 thematic cooperation groups (sectorial clusters) detailed in the list below. The number of clusters may be expanded at the discretion of the institutions.

Preliminary list of thematic cooperation groups (sectorial clusters)

1. Exact Sciences;
2. Environment;

III. Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Economy;

1. Future Technologies and Digital Life;
2. Earth Sciences, Energy and Geology;
3. Language, Culture and Literature;

VII. Life and biological sciences;

VIII. Space and aerospace technologies and their applications:

1. Portuguese/ Russian as a Foreign Language;
2. International Relations and International Law;
3. Nuclear Sciences and Technologies and their applications;

XII. Education and Pedagogical Sciences.

Professors and researchers interested in collaborating with institutions in Russia and Belarus should register their interest in the following spreadsheet, indicating name, department, email address, preferred thematic cluster and, if possible, the institution and contact person.

On 15 October 2024, the Brazilian delegation, made up of representatives from several universities and led by Brazilian Ambassador to Russia, Rodrigo Baena Soares, embassy attaché, Marcelo Böhlke and deputy minister of Education, Alexandre Brasil Carvalho da Fonseca, took part in strategic meetings in Moscow in order to strengthen academic partnerships. The mission was organized by the Brazilian Embassy in Moscow and was attended by the following Brazilian universities: UFSC; UDESC; UNESP; UNICAMP; UFRGS; UFRJ; UFMG; UFABC; UFES; UFJF; UFNT; UFOB; UFOP; UFPA; UFRN; FURG; UFSB; UFSB; UNB; UNIFEI, and CNEN (Centro Nacional de Energia Nuclear) [National Center for Nuclear Energy] of the Ministry of Technology and Innovation. The Secretary for International Relations, Prof. Luiz Carlos Pinheiro Machado Filho represented UFSC in the mission.

Secretary for International Relations, Prof. Luiz Carlos Pinheiro and RSUH Vice-rector, Prof. Vera Zabotkina, signing the cooperation agreement UFSC-RSUH.

On the morning of 15 October, the delegation met with the Russian State University for the Humanities (RSUH), which currently has an agreement underway with UFSC. The meeting featured speeches by the Russian authorities such as rector Audrey Loginov and Dr. Ksenia Trinchenko, director of International Cooperation Department at the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Russian Academy of Sciences. They emphasized the importance of cooperation between both countries. Brazilian representatives, in addition to the ambassador and the deputy minister of Education, the president of ANDIFES and rector of UFRN, José Daniel Diniz Melo, also reinforced the opportunities for academic cooperation.

UFSC stood out at the meeting when RSUH vice-rector, Prof. Vera Zabotkina, mentioned the role of the university in the UNESCO Chair, coordinated by Prof. Gilvan Müller. She also praised the student Gustavo Scalabrin Hübner, who was an exchange student at RSUH in 2023. Prof. Lyudmila Baturina, director of the International Russian-Brazilian Center, highlighted the work of UFSC professors Fred Campos and Beatriz Azevedo in the study group PRORUS, strengthening partnerships between the institutions.

Message from the student Gustavo Scalabrin Hübner, who was an exchange student at RSUH in 2023.

During the meeting, the universities discussed possibilities for scientific cooperation, joint research and mobility. RSUH demonstrated interest in co-supervision and funding for undergraduate and graduate students. RSUH is an institution of excellence, among the best in the world and very willing to work together with Brazil. For UFSC, this is a great opportunity. Some of the knowledge areas that RSUH stands out in are anthropology, through the Institute of Social Anthropology, International Relations and Political Science, the Institute of Psychology, with emphasis on L. S. Vygotsky studies, and language studies, including Portuguese. And other areas within the field of Humanities. An interesting observation is that there were RSUH students attending the whole event.

In the afternoon, the delagation visited the Skoltech Institute of Science and Technology, a cutting edge institute focused on innovation and partnerships with companies.

The mission was characterized by productive exchanges and celebrations, including a toast to the renewal of the cooperation agreement with RSUH, signaling a new phase of academic cooperation between Brazil and Russia.

A lecture was delivered at UFSC last Wednesday (23 November) by Ms Priscila Trevisan, a representative from Swinburne University. Her talk was about the University and its academic programs, as well as about going onexchange and living in Australia. The lecture was attended by nearly 50 students who could get to know a little more about the dynamics of the Australian university and clarify doubts about entering universities in Australia and how to develop international research.

Next Wednesday (23 November), an informative lecture about Swinburne University – an Australian university located in Melbourne, with which UFSC has an agreement – will be held on campus. The lecture is co-organized by SINTER and Priscila Trevisan, a representative of Swinburne University, and will draw on exchange possibilities, forms of admission and the Australian university system. The event will take place in Room 101, at the Building B of the School of Technology (CTC), at 11 am.

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