Synergy of Brazilian and EU collaboration
Brazil has one of the largest economies in the world and certainly the strongest in Latin America. Europe has begun benefitting from exchanges with this formidable economy in many areas, thanks to the efforts of the EU-funded project 'Brazilian bureau for enhancing international cooperation with Europe' (B_BICE). The Bureau was created in 2005 through European funding, with the aim of improving Brazilian participation in European projects under the EU's Sixth Framework Programme (FP6). It particularly upgraded collaboration in science, technology and innovation (ST&I) with the EU for two years, promoting opportunities for joint projects and attracting interest from Brazilian stakeholders. This also involved working with Brazilian research institutions and businesses for preparing and submitting proposals to join EU projects. B_BICE grew significantly over the three years since it was launched, furthering its aims through its website and through an e-newsletter distributed both in English and Portuguese. The project also developed new mechanisms and instruments to disseminate information about Brazil's capabilities in research and development. In addition, B_BICE maintained ongoing communication with Argentina, Chile and Mexico to integrate these countries in EU-funded projects that include Brazil, helping to form a firm EU-Latin America network. The project's management support was undertaken by the University of Brasilia and the Brazilian Institute of Information in Science and Technology. Thanks to these efforts, the future of EU collaboration with Latin America looks brighter than ever.