The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) is a highly respected public foundation in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Among its international collaborations are those with the National Science Foundation in the United States, Agence Nationale de Recherche in France, and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) in Germany, and more than 90 prestigious international universities -- including the University of Cambridge and Peking University. This September, Emory joined that impressive group with the signing of a research collaboration agreement with FAPESP.
According to a recent survey by Emory's Office of Global Strategy and Initiatives, 48 faculty have current collaborations with Brazil, and an additional 38 have expressed interest in working there in the future. For example, Associate Professor of Global Health Juan Leon, whose specialty is parasitic diseases and enteric viruses, is evaluating the Brazilian health system. Assistant Professor of Global Health Dabney Evans has ongoing projects related to the rollout and implementation of the HPV vaccine in Brazil. History Chair Jeffrey Lesser and Environmental Studies Chair Uriel Kitron are working on a study of the history of dengue and yellow fever in São Paulo. This new agreement paves the way for funding for joint research projects between Emory and FAPESP, with a call for proposals coming soon.
Emory also signed an agreement with Fulbright Brazil that establishes a Fulbright Professorship Award for Brazilian Visiting Scholars at Emory. These scholars will engage with Emory faculty and students, contributing to university-wide momentum around Portuguese and Brazil-related studies. The first scholars most likely will arrive in the 2016-2017 academic year. Emory is one of only a few U.S. institutions that will host these senior scholars.
"These agreements show Emory's intellectual commitment to Brazil, and it gives us a chance to showcase our research interests and academic strengths," says Philip Wainwright, vice provost for Global Strategy and Initiatives and director of the Halle Institute for Global Learning. Brazil is one of five countries that Emory has identified as strategic gateways to international engagement, along with China, Ethiopia, India, and South Korea.
The two new agreements "form a strong pillar of our Brazil initiative," Wainwright says, "and highlight the commitment of the Halle Institute to broaden opportunities for Emory faculty around international engagement."