Brazil creates Chico Mendes chair for environmental studies – 06/05/2023 – Environment

Capes (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel) signed, last week, a chair between Brazil and the University of Birmingham to support studies in the area of ​​environmental sciences.

Named after Chico Mendes, in honor of the rubber tapper and environmentalist from Acriano (1944-1988), a symbol of the struggle for environmental and human rights in the Amazon region, the chair aims to integrate research and teaching activities from Brazilian universities with those of the British institution. .

The agreement provides for international cooperation for five years, with public notices of R$ 3.3 million per year by Capes. The amounts invested will be used to cover expenses with research grants at the University of Birmingham, health insurance assistance, installation assistance and travel assistance.

Scholarship holders will be chosen through annual public notices, with the aim of allocating one teaching fellow (chair), one postdoctoral fellow and one sandwich PhD fellow per year from 2023 onwards. of proven experience in the area and holder of a doctorate for at least 15 years.

According to Capes, in a note, the University of Birmingham and the Ministry of Education, to which the body is linked, also recently signed a protocol of intentions to promote the Instituto Brasil at the British university. The Chico Mendes Chair should contribute to consolidating this commitment.

At the meeting that signed the agreement, the president of Capes, Mercedes Bustamante, said that the document is in tune with a global demand for environmental studies.

“Postgraduate studies and science need to be means of producing knowledge so that we can solve local, regional, national and even global issues, as is the case with this announcement”, he said. “And the fact that it is named after Chico Mendes enhances this partnership, as it associates environmental conservation with social justice.”

Rob Mackenzie, director of the Institute for Research on Forests at the University of Birmingham, said that the institution has a “strong presence in Brazil” and is always looking to establish partnerships.

The dean of Internationalization at the University of Birmingham, Robin Mason, said that there are currently 20 students at the university in Brazil, and the chair should expand the institution’s presence in the country.

“Social and sustainable justice is one of the great challenges facing the world today, which needs to be solved with international collaboration,” he said. “We look forward to working with Capes and all Brazilian partners to advance our knowledge and develop solutions for both countries and, hopefully, the rest of the world.”

The Chair’s cooperation areas are: environmental sciences, climate change, ecosystems, sustainability, societies and the environment.

The duration of the postdoctoral and sandwich doctoral fellowships ranges from six months to one year. The agreement provides only for the mobility of Brazilian researchers to the United Kingdom.

Registration for the summer semesters, starting activities in March, will take place between July and August of each year. For the winter ones, which start in September, applications must be submitted in January and February.

The results of the notices will come out in December, for the summer, and June, for the winter.

_{The Planeta em Transe project is supported by the Open Society Foundations.}