Brazil has signed a strategic partnership deal with the EU to improve the way the partners work together on projects to support economic growth and science.
Brazil’s president, Dilma Roussef, signed the deal with Herman van Rompuy, president of the European Council, and José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, in Brussels on 4 October. The agreement includes a promise to improve cooperation in science, education and innovation.
This will primarily happen through two programmes—the Brazilian “Science without Borders” programme to foster research collaboration and the European Erasmus programme for researcher and student exchanges.
The agreement foresees the launch of a special programme to support mobility of scientists between Europe and Brazil.
A separate agreement was signed to increase cooperation on renewable energy development. Brazil said it was keen on regular knowledge exchanges with Europe, particularly in bioenergy.