Secretaria de Relações Internacionais | Office of International Relations

On 19 June, the Univesidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) welcomed a delegation from Nankai University, China, for the signing ceremony of a new cooperation agreement between the two institutions.

The event was attended by UFSC’s Director of International Relations, Fernanda Leal; the Prorector for Research and Innovation, Prof. Jacques Mick, the Coordinator of the Institute for Studies on China at UFSC (ICHIN), Prof. Raúl Burgos; the Deputy Coordinator of ICHIN, Prof. Daniel Martins; undergraduate students Letícia Renata de Carvalho (Mechanical Engineering) and Tobias Barcellos (Social Sciences, and Student Affairs Coordinator at ICHIN); and doctoral student Rita Coitinho (Sociology and Political Science). Representing Nankai University were the Dean of the School of Foreign Languages, Prof. Yan Guodong, and the Head of the Department of Portuguese Language, Prof. Hu Jing (Helena).

According to Fernanda Leal, Director of International Relations, strengthening ties with BRICS countries—particularly China—diversifies and reinforces UFSC’s internationalization process, which has, as one of its priorities, the strengthening of relations with the Global South. “The agreement signed with Nankai University is part of a series of initiatives developed in recent years by SINTER, in partnership with ICHIN. UFSC and Nankai University are committed to building strong cooperation in various fields, including in the area of Portuguese as a Foreign Language.”

With the formalization of this agreement, UFSC expands its network of partnerships in Asia, now totaling 15 cooperation agreements with Chinese higher education institutions. The goal is to foster academic, scientific and cultural collaboration, promote student and faculty exchanges, and support the development of joint projects.

The Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina has been pre-qualified for membership in the BRICS  Network University (BRICS-NU), in accordance with CAPES Call for Accession No. 8/2025. The application process involved the participation of the Office of International Relations (SINTER/UFSC), which supported the university’s candidacy by mapping its existing cooperation with BRICS countries.

Following the signing of the Term of Accession by the Prorector for Graduate Studies, Professor Werner Kraus Junior, UFSC is now eligible to receive a pre-qualification certificate. This will enable the institution to submit proposals in funding calls to be published at a later time.

The BRICS-NU mission is to foster academic, scientific and cultural cooperation among higher education institutions from BRICS member countries. In addition, the network encourages joint projects in the areas of teaching, research and outreach. As part of the pre-qualification process, participating universities were assigned to specific thematic areas. UFSC was pre-qualified in the thematic area of Energy. The full list of Brazilian universities pre-qualified for each area is available here.

With this confirmation, UFSC commits to actively participating in the network’s meetings and activities; contributing to the development of joint projects, knowledge exchange and holding of academic events; ensuring that student, faculty and research mobility programs are in line with the network’s rules and regulations; and meeting the deadlines and goals established in the collaborative projects.

This news articles is based on information provided by CGCOM/CAPES.

CAPES is the Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education, under the Ministry of Education (MEC).

The BRICS+ University Rectors Forum is taking place from 5 to 7 June 2025, at the Museu do Amanhã, in Rio de Janeiro. UFSC is being represented at the event by Professor Luiz Carlos Pinheiro Machado Filho, Secretary for International Relations.

The Forum brings together leaders from the main universities of BRICS+ member states (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Iran), as well as representatives from governments, the private sector, and civil society. The meeting focuses on promoting academic and scientific cooperation, with discussions on strategic topics such as artificial intelligence, sustainability, poverty alleviation, inclusion, diversity, energy transition and standardization in the BRICS+ space.

The program features thematic panels addressing everything from language policies to global challenges such as health, quality of life, and sustainable development. The event also includes the signing of cooperation agreements between universities and the preparation of a joint statement to be presented during the closing ceremony.

UFSC’s participation in the Forum underscores its commitment to internationalization, the pursuit of strategic partnerships, and the development of joint solutions to challenges faced by emerging market countries.
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Secretary for International Relations, Prof. Luiz Carlos Pinheiro Machado Filho, presenting UFSC to the audience.

On 5 June, the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) took part in the second edition of the Forum of the League of Universities of Brazil, Russia and Belarus, held at the School of Technology (CT2) at the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), in Rio de Janeiro.

The League of Universities was established in 2024, in Moscow, with the signing of its founding minutes by representatives of higher education institutions from the three countries, including UFSC. This year’s meeting resulted in the adhesion of 27 Brazilian universities to the League and the signing of six Memoranda of Understanding, as announced by the Brazilian Ministry of Education’s Higher Education Secretariat (Sesu/MEC).

The initiative aims to foster education, research and international academic collaboration among member countries, with a focus on strengthening cooperation between universities and research centers.

Representing UFSC, the Secretary for International Relations, Professor Luiz Carlos Pinheiro Machado Filho, attended the event on behalf of the university’s Rector. In his presentation, he introduced UFSC to the audience, highlighting its geographic location and campus distribution, as well as data on its student body, faculty, and staff. He also emphasized the university’s laboratory infrastructure, outreach projects, and over 400 active international agreements.

Professor Machado Filho also underscored UFSC’s strong performance in international rankings and its graduate programs rated as excellent by CAPES (the Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education). He outlined the institution’s key areas of expertise, including engineering (solar energy, innovation and infrastructure), medicine (health and well-being), agricultural and biological sciences (agroecology), computer science, and humanities, with a focus on reducing inequalities.

Leaders at the 2nd Forum of the League of Universities of Brazil, Russia and Belarus.

In recent years, UFSC has published 541 joint scientific papers with institutions from BRICS countries, including around 70 in collaboration with Russian partners. Currently, the university maintains six international agreements with Russia and hosts the Russia Studies Group (Prorus). During the forum, Professor Machado Filho also expressed UFSC’s interest in developing partnerships and agreements with institutions in Belarus.

The second edition of the Forum of the League of Universities of Brazil, Russia and Belarus preceded the BRICS+ University Rectors Forum, scheduled for 6 and 7 June.