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Educational institutions across Brazil are hosting a tour by seven Scottish universities designed to develop new partnerships and gain access to fresh funding streams.

The Brazilian government is investing heavily in its higher education sector and has also been identified by the British government as a partner country for research collaborations on development topics eligible to receive support from its Newton Fund.

Scotland already has strong research links with Brazil and expertise in highly relevant fields such as environmental management, air and water pollution, agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries and geology. The current week-long mission, which began on 21 September, should help the two nations to forge stronger long-term collaborations.

Workshops took place at more than 20 universities, research institutes, government ministries and funding bodies in the three Brazilian cities of Sao Paulo, Recife and Belo Horizonte. The institutions involved in the visit are the universities of Dundee, Glasgow, Strathclyde, Stirling, St Andrews as well as Abertay and Edinburgh Napier universities.

It is hoped that the initiative will lead not only to further research programmes but a framework agreement between funding councils, creating opportunities for Brazilian students to study in Scotland and for Scottish PhD students to carry out fieldwork in Brazil.

matthew.reisz@tesglobal.com