Cooperation with Brazil receives a new impetus
On Friday, April 10, 2026, the President of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Martin Venhart, received the Ambassador of the Federative Republic of Brazil, H.E. Gabriel Boffo Moreira, accompanied by two young Brazilian scientists – Gilberto Ferrero Borneo Júnior and Natália Salomé Móller – at the Academy. Both work at the Research Center for Quantum Information under the leadership of the Director of the Institute of Physics of the SAS in Bratislava, Mário Ziman, who also attended the reception.
In his opening speech, the Brazilian Ambassador recalled past activities and emphasised that the time has come to translate the intentions of both countries into concrete steps to establish cooperation in areas of common interest. The President of the SAS, M. Venhart, provided an overview of the current state and prospects for developing nuclear technologies and nuclear energy in Slovakia. This creates a growing demand for those interested in studying nuclear physics, which may also be an interesting opportunity for applicants from Brazil in the future, said M. Venhart.
Z. Panczová recalled the intention to establish cooperation between the Slovak Academy of Sciences and the University of Sao Paolo, which, however, has not been completed in the past. In response to this, the Brazilian Ambassador supported the idea of negotiating and concluding a memorandum of understanding between the Slovak Academy of Sciences and the University of Sao Paolo, focusing on physics, astronomy, and other areas on which both parties agree. The Brazilian Embassy will provide the Slovak Academy of Sciences with maximum cooperation in this regard.
The Brazilian side also came up with its own proposal for establishing cooperation: two universities operating in Recife, in the northwestern part of Brazil – Recife Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE) and Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE)- are interested in establishing cooperation with Slovakia. The Brazilian Ambassador promised assistance and cooperation in establishing contacts between the SAS and both universities, and in agreeing to and signing a memorandum of understanding covering a wider spectrum of scientific areas.
Member of the SAS Presidium, Dana Jurkovičová, suggested creating joint programs for those interested in doctoral studies. She emphasised that the SAS would welcome those interested from Brazil with open arms and create suitable conditions for their further scientific growth.
At the end of the meeting, the Brazilian Ambassador informed about the intention of the Brazilian Embassy to organise a workshop in Bratislava at the end of June 2026 with the participation of the scientific community from Brazil and Slovakia in the field of quantum
physics with the involvement of the private sector, entrepreneurs and academia, the aim of which is to exchange experiences and the possibility of establishing cooperation. He stated that they would be happy to welcome representatives of the SAS at this event.
Prepared by: František Fundárek, International Cooperation Department of the SAS Office
Photo: Katarína Gáliková