In a meeting with Portugal’s Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, Luciana Santos highlights partnerships in science and technology

The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Luciana Santos, met on Thursday (27) with the Minister of Education, Science and Innovation of Portugal, Fernando Alexandre, and the President of the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), Maria Madalena dos Santos. The visit is part of a series of agendas that MCTI holds in the country until Saturday (29).

On the agenda of the session, various topics were discussed in which the two countries maintain partnerships in science and technology. In April last year, the minister was part of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s delegation that visited Portugal.

“During the Brazil-Portugal Summit, I signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Brazilian and Portuguese Space Agencies to cooperate in the peaceful use of space, space science, technology and applications. We also reviewed on this occasion the agreements we have signed and the ongoing cooperation.

Other topics mentioned by the Minister that include partnerships or dialogue between countries include: nuclear physics, nanoscience and nanotechnology, and the promotion of science and technology and semiconductors. Luciana Santos also invited Minister Fernando Alexandre to visit Brazil during the 21st National Science and Technology Week (SNCT), from October 14 to 20, under the theme “Biomes in Brazil: Diversity, Knowledge and Social Technologies”.

Sensia Viva Agency

The Minister also visited Agência Ciência Viva, a Portuguese organization with a network of 20 centers spread across the country that works to promote scientific culture in the Portuguese state. In a conversation with the agency’s president, Rosalía Vargas, policies for the popularization of science were discussed. “We have a memorandum of understanding that we signed last November, in which we foresee a series of efforts to expand our collaboration. Some of the MCTI programs, such as POP Ciência and Mais Ciência na Escola, are compatible with those of this agency, such as Escola Ciência Viva. We can create opportunities to exchange and share information and good practices and enrich the experiences of both countries,” said Luciana Santos.

On that occasion, the MCTI Minister also invited the Agency Head to participate in the SNCT in October. “In last year’s edition, 578 Brazilian municipalities recorded activities within the scope of the week, with a total of 21,772 activities carried out from north to south and from east to west of Brazil. In Brasilia alone, SNCT received an audience of more than 100,000 people. We hope to achieve a new record of activities this year and to be able to communicate science to a larger audience.

Visit Viva Civilization Agency

Meeting with Brazilian students

At the end of the day, the MCTI Minister participated in a meeting with Brazilian students from the University of Lisbon. The invitation came from two student entities, the Portuguese-Brazilian Studies Center of the Faculty of Law, and the Brazilian Student Center of the Higher Institute of Social and Political Sciences. The students invited Luciana Santos for a conversation in which they talked about the situation of Brazilian students in the country.

At the time, some difficulties were reported, such as the revalidation of credits in Brazil and the amounts paid by Brazilians for monthly fees in Portugal, which, according to them, can be up to five times what European students pay. The authorities also pointed out the difficulty of obtaining information on the number of Brazilians studying and researching in Portuguese universities. Among the requests, the university students suggested creating a platform so that all Brazilians in the diaspora could be registered.

After listening to the demands, the Minister directed the students to prepare a document that includes all the points raised so that they can talk and search for solutions with the Portuguese authorities.

Minister speaks with Brazilian students studying in Portugal