In the context of the programme New Partnerships/Novas Parcerias (NoPa), the DAAD supports German-Brazilian research collaborations in the areas of renewable energies and energy efficiency, as well as protection and sustainable use of tropical forests.

Background

The German-Brazilian cooperation for sustainable development is an important component of the strategic partnership between the two countries. They work together on global challenges such as climate protection and the conservation of biodiversity. In order to meet these challenges successfully without endangering economic growth or social justice, Brazil relies on innovative and practice-oriented solutions.

This is why the DAAD, the Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and the Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES) have cooperated in the New Partnerships/Novas Parcerias (NoPa) programme since 2010. The aim is to exchange ideas and expertise in order to generate innovation. The organisations work together to intensify important issues in German-Brazilian research collaboration, with a special focus on energy efficiency and the protection of tropical forests.

Funding is provided from GIZ funds as commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

Programme objectives

The aim of the programme is for German and Brazilian academics to conduct research together on the above-mentioned topics and to come up with concrete project results which are essential to achieve national and global climate protection and biodiversity conservation goals. In addition to high-quality scientific results, the practical orientation of the research is also considered to be crucial here.

Funded projects and partners involved

In the 2015–2017 funding phase, the following projects are being supported:

• Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) – Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), “Sedimentation in Water Reservoirs in Brazil (SeWeMa)”
• Free University of Berlin – Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA) – Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), “Agrarian and Environmental Law on the Ground”
• Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg – Embrapa Amazônia Oriental (Embrapa), “Eco Respira Amazon”
• Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz University Hanover – Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), “Optimization of short-term solar energy variability (OSTSEV)”
• HafenCity University Hamburg (HCU) – Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), “Energy efficient retrofitting of buildings in Brazil"

Results

Since 2010 NoPa has become very well established in Germany and Brazil; its visibility is very high among the partners. NoPa is a pioneering initiative enabling new structures of technical and academic cooperation. By 2015, fifteen projects in the areas of renewable energies, energy efficiency, solar energy, and biogas technology had been successfully carried out with high visibility for all participating partners in research, industry, development organisations, government authorities, and technical cooperation.

Implementing agencies:

Supported by: