Between 25 and 27 August, Prof. Gustavo Curcio, Executive Coordinator of the Rector’s Office at the University of Săo Paulo (USP), Brazil, visited UP. The visit represents a strengthening of cooperation and engagement in global partnerships, as the university in question is one of the global partners of the Transform4Europe (T4EU) alliance – Prof. Curcio was thus among the signatories of the memorandum of understanding between T4EU and the University of São Paulo, which took place during the T4EU Week in Lisbon in May. By extending this invitation, UP is not only following its strategy of deepening cooperation with global partners, but is also strengthening the ties of the entire alliance.

On Tuesday, the guest was first welcomed by members of the university management – rector Prof. Klavdija Kutnar, Vice-Rector Prof. Michaël Mrissa and the Senior Advisor to the Rector Aleš Oven. After mutual presentations of both universities, focusing on institutional priorities and strategic development, they discussed opportunities for strengthening cooperation through a university-level agreement between the insitutions, research and industry-based mobility opportunities for students, faculty members, researchers and administrative staff. They also discussed the possible collaboration within study programmes in wood science and arts as well as the New European Bauhaus. After the meeting, Prof. Gustavo Curcio, signed the UP Memorial Book.

On Wednesday Prof. Curcio met with Prof. Tomaž Grušovnik, Dean of the Faculty of Education, and Assoc. Prof. Polonca Lovšin, Chair of the Department of Visual Arts and Design, who introduced the programmes and research carried out at the faculty. They focused on interdisciplinary approaches linking education, design, creativity, sustainability and innovation, as well as international academic cooperation and mobility opportunities. Both parties emphasised the interest in exchanging best practices in artistic education, research and academic career development.

On Thursday he visited UP IAM InnoRenew CoE, one of Europe’s leading research centres dedicated to renewable materials, sustainable construction and healthy built environment. He met with its chair, Prof. Andreja Kutnar, and visited the building, laboratories and research infrastructure alongside the researchers – focusing on a possible collaboration in renewable materials, wood science and sustainable construction, with special emphasis on the building as an example of sustainable architecture, renewable materials and New European Bauhaus principles in practice. The visit was also an opportunity to discuss possible collaborative research projects and researcher mobility.

The visit was significant both in terms of the integration of UP and T4EU into a global partnership, and in terms of continuing the successful and strengthened cooperation between UP and Brazil, which will build on previous collaboration projects that have taken place both within exchanges under four agreements and through research projects (STARBIOS 2, Structural Transformation to Attain Responsible BIOSciences, UP FAMNIT; EATMOT, Psycho-social motivations associated with food, choices and eating practices, UP FVZ; and ModWoodLife, Understanding wood modification through an integrated scientific and environmental impact approach, UP IAM).

The University of São Paulo is a public research university in the Brazilian state of São Paulo and the largest public university in Brazil. Since its foundation in 1934, the university has retained its status as the country’s most prestigious educational institution.