Selected candidates will be able to conduct research in laboratories at USP and CNPEM
The Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) and the University of São Paulo (USP) signed an agreement on June 24 to expand scientific and technological cooperation between the two institutions. The initiative, made official in a decree signed by Chancellor Carlos Gilberto Carlotti Júnior and published in the Official São Paulo State Gazette, establishes a total of 40 fellowships for PhD students at USP and 20 for post-doctoral researchers to carry out projects in laboratories at USP and CNPEM.
The program is aimed at USP students, and the official call for applications containing details about the opportunities and the application process is available here. This first call for applicants will select the recipients of 20 doctoral and 10 post-doc fellowships, while the remaining 20 doctoral and 10 post-doc opportunities will be offered in a second call during the latter half of the year. The doctoral fellowships will pay R$ 5,520 per month for students currently enrolled in good standing in USP graduate programs over a period of up to 24 months, and may be renewed for an additional 24 months. The post-doctoral fellowships in the amount of R$ 12,000 per month will also be offered to researchers currently enrolled in good standing in USP’s post-doctoral program for up to 24 months, also renewable for the same period.
(Photos: Cecília Bastos/USP Imagens)
The official ceremony in USP’s University Council room was attended by directors, researchers and professors from USP and CNPEM, and included CNPEM Director General Antonio José Roque da Silva, USP Chancellor Carlos Gilberto Carlotti Júnior, Secretary of Information and Digital Health at the Brazilian Ministry of Health Ana Estela Haddad, USP Dean of Graduate Studies Rodrigo Tocantins Calado, and USP Dean of Research and Innovation Paulo Alberto Nussenzveig.
The partnership is the result of talks that began after a delegation from USP visited CNPEM in January. This delegation included the university’s chancellor and its deans of undergraduate studies and research and innovation, as well as directors of various units, heads of CNPEM laboratories and researchers.
The group was welcomed by CNPEM Director General Antonio José Roque da Silva, and visited the facilities in the four national laboratories at the Center (LNNano, LNLS, LNBio and LNBR), as well as Sirius, one of the most advanced synchrotron light sources in the world. During the visit, concrete possibilities were discussed for expanding the shared use of scientific infrastructure, researcher exchanges, joint innovation projects and involving undergraduate and postgraduate students in research applied to emerging challenges like energy transition, biotechnology, environmental sustainability, semiconductors, artificial intelligence and precision medicine.
These closer ties between USP and CNPEM combine efforts at Latin America’s largest university center and one of the most sophisticated research and innovation centers in the Southern Hemisphere.
According to Antonio José Roque da Silva, “this partnership will address the challenge of having good projects, above all of seeing young people dreaming of solving problems that no one else in the world can solve. We believe that Brazil can resolve things that no one else can. We have the ability to compete with any country. That’s why we’re here today signing this important agreement between two important Brazilian institutions.”
University Chancellor Carlotti Júnior recalled that the idea began with the visit to CNPEM. “I was really captivated by Sirius. Because at no time in history has Brazil ever been likely to have a research tool as powerful as the one we have at CNPEM. You can see things with Sirius that you cannot see with the other methodologies we have. So I think that Brazil and Brazilian research stand to gain a lot from this association between USP and CNPEM. Certainly, the project is going to be much more challenging than if it pertained to only USP or only CNPEM.”
CNPEM Director da Silva recalled that Sirius is one of CNPEM’s facilities and that the center has much to offer in all its laboratories. “This is why, in this partnership with USP, with these doctors and researchers, we should develop ideas that are different and in different knowledge areas.”
USP Chancellor Carlos Gilberto Carlotti Júnior (left) and CNPEM Director General Antonio José Roque (right)
The Ministry of Health’s Secretary for Information and Digital Health, Ana Estela Haddad, also spoke at the event. “It’s a pleasure to see this rapprochement between USP and CNPEM, and to say that there are already discussions with the Ministry of Health about investments to support the studies that will result from this partnership.”
About CNPEM
The Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) is home to a state-of-the-art, multi-user and multidisciplinary scientific environment and works on different fronts within the Brazilian National System for Science, Technology and Innovation. A social organization overseen by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), CNPEM is driven by research that impacts the areas of health, energy, renewable materials, and sustainability. It is responsible for Sirius, the largest assembly of scientific equipment constructed in the country, and is currently constructing Project Orion, a laboratory complex for advanced pathogen research. Highly specialized science and engineering teams, sophisticated infrastructure open to the scientific community, strategic lines of investigation, innovative projects involving the productive sector, and training for researchers and students are the pillars of this institution that is unique in Brazil and able to serve as a bridge between knowledge and innovation. CNPEM’s research and development activities are carried out through its four National Laboratories: Synchrotron Light (LNLS), Biosciences (LNBio), Nanotechnology (LNNano), Biorenewables (LNBR), as well as its Technology Unit (DAT) and the Ilum School of Science — an undergraduate program in Science and Technology supported by the Ministry of Education (MEC).
