2024 marked three important milestones between Ohio State and Brazil: 200 years of diplomatic relations between Brazil and the United States, 60 years of partnership with the University of São Paulo (USP) and 10 years since the opening of Ohio State's Brazil Gateway in São Paulo.
These momentous occasions led a delegation of Ohio State faculty and staff from the Office of International Affairs, Fisher College of Business and Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Engineering and Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences to São Paulo and Brasília. During the week-long visit, the delegation reconnected with leadership at USP and USP's Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ), met with Embraer, an aerospace company and manufacturer headquartered in Brazil, as well as Pecege, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing higher education and the Aeronautics Institute of Technology to discuss potential partnerships. The group also spent time with representatives of FAPESP, a research foundation, Fermentec, a bio system engineering and machine company, EducationUSA and Embrapa, one of the largest agricultural research corporations in the world, among others. The group also met with many Ohio State alumni living in Brazil.
Ohio State has a long-standing history with universities and organizations throughout Brazil. These partnerships have also connected Ohio State to students throughout the country, and today over 600 alumni call Brazil home.
Ohio State's partnership with USP began in 1964 with ESALQ when the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) contracted with Ohio State's Office of International Programs in Agriculture to conduct an institutional development project in Brazil. The goal was to focus on integrating teaching, research and extension activities and developing graduate-level courses and graduate degree programs like those in the United States.
Sixteen faculty members from the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences undertook long-term assignments at ESALQ, and over 75 ESALQ faculty members studied graduate degree programs at Ohio State. Over the course of this 60-year strategic relationship, 90 Ohio State faculty members have worked with ESALQ, and more than 10 Brazilian faculty members have received advanced degrees or special training at Ohio State.
“Visiting key areas of the world is important to sustain engagement with our international partners, identify new academic and research innovations as well as reconnect with alumni,” said Kaya Sahin, vice provost for global strategies and international affairs. “We are always seeking new ways to collaborate on a global scale, and Brazil as the eighth largest economy in the world – and the home of our Brazil Gateway – provides us with many possibilities to expand our research capacity and enhance learning opportunities for students.”
From sending students on exchange programs with Brazilian universities to faculty participating in collaborative research projects, Ohio State's strong relationships in Brazil will continue to enhance academic and research innovations for years to come.