MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Minister Swire visit confirms close UK links with Sao Paulo university and research centers

University of Sao Paulo is Brazil’s main research hub and leads Latam in many fields

Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for Latin America, Hugo Swire is in Sao Paulo the last leg of this latest South American tour that had him in Asuncion, Paraguay and the Brazilian cities of Porto Alegre and Brasília in the beginning of the week.

Minister Swire is scheduled to meet the Chief-secretary of Staff for São Paulo State Government, Edson Aparecido, and sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in the areas of education, prison administration, trade and investment, transparency and corruption control, environmental public policies and the efficient use of natural resources.

The documents mark the official launch of a working group between the British Consulate-General in São Paulo and the State Government of São Paulo for the exchange of experiences in projects related to infrastructure, English language classes for public servers, best practices in the management of foreign prisoners and the development of ideas to increase transparency when giving public access the government information.

“These areas of collaboration provide an excellent opportunity for the UK and São Paulo to share experiences and expertise, and to find sustainable solutions to some of the challenges we both face. Although today is the official launch of this initiative, I know the work has already started”, the Minister said.

Swire is also scheduled to meet with the Dean of the University of São Paulo, João Grandino Rodas, and the president of São Paulo Research Foundation (Fapesp), Celso Lafer. The objective is to increase the collaboration with British universities for the exchange of knowledge, students and scientific research.

Fapesp has also chosen London as the location for the first European edition of Fapesp Week, which took place in the end of September. The event had the support of the Royal Society, the British Council and the British Science and Innovation Network. Fapesp’s choice prioritized the strong relationship in the field of science between Brazil and the UK.