VZCZCXRO1518
PP RUEHRG
DE RUEHBR #0420/01 0681953
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 091953Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8308
INFO RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 3976
RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO 9369
RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE 6331

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BRASILIA 000420 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE TO OES/STAS FOR GATKINSON, AREYNOLDS, AND CMCCAIN 
STATE TO OES/STC FOR JMIOTKE, EHOWARD AND LBLANCAS 
STATE TO WHA/BSC FOR WPOPP 
STATE TO WHA/EPSC KBOYER 
STATE TO WHA/EPSC JBANDO 
STATE PLEASE PASS TO NSF FOR HSTOLBERG 
STATE PLS PASS TO US OFFICE OF NAVAL RESEARCH 
STATE PASS TO US AIR FORCE OFFICE OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH 
AMCONSUL SAO PAULO FOR HHIGGINS 
AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO FOR LMARTINEZ 
AMCONSUL RECIFE FOR DPAGE 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: TBIO KSCA SENV TBIO TNGD BR
SUBJECT: STAS TEAM VISIT - U.S.-BRAZIL BIOINFORMATICS CONFERENCE AND 
S&T SURVEY 
 
REF:  (A) 06 BRASILIA 002207, (B) 06 STATE 174677 
 
¶1. SUMMARY: Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary of State 
(STAS) Dr. George Atkinson led a team of scientists and engineers to 
Rio, Sao Paulo, Campinas and Petropolis, Brazil, November 10-17, 
2006, to co-host a regional Global Dialogue on Emerging Science & 
Technology (GDEST) Conference on the topic of "Bioinformatics" and 
to conduct a brief survey of major Brazilian S&T organizations.  The 
conference, cosponsored by Brazil's Ministry of Science and 
Technology, attracted over 100 scientists and graduate students from 
six countries. The STAS team surveyed Brazilian science, technology 
(S&T) and engineering research and education capabilities through 
visits to a cross section of universities and other S&T 
organizations, as arranged by post. Through the GDEST and science 
and technology survey, the STAS team affirmed Brazilian Southern 
Cone leadership in bioinformatics and other science and engineering 
fields.  During the trip the Adviser also introduced a proposal for 
a new modality of collaboration with U.S. universities - "Global 
Science Partnerships for the 21st Century" 
(GSP21).  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. STAS Atkinson's delegation included Deputy S&T Adviser Andrew 
Reynolds, WHA/EPSC Jefferson Science Fellow Dr. Kim Boyer, DOS 
Geographer Dr. Lee Schwartz, former Jefferson Science Fellow Dr. Ed 
Samulski, AAAS Fellow Dr. Christina McCain (STAS Office), cancer 
researcher Nathan Singh (University of Pennsylvania), former State 
Department AAAS Fellow Dr. Matthew Schmolesky and Dr. Cung Vu from 
the DOD's Defense Warning Office. 
 
GLOBAL DIALOGUE ON EMERGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (GDEST) ON 
BIOINFORMATICS_ 
 
¶3. The GDEST conference and agenda was conceived by the STAS and 
organized in collaboration with the U.S. Brazil Mission team 
(including the ESTH office in Embassy Brasilia, Consulate Rio and 
Consulate Sao Paulo) and Brazil's Ministry for Science and 
Technology. Costs were shared through financial support from STAS, 
the U.S. Office of Naval Research, the U.S. Air Force Office of 
Scientific Research and the Brazilian National Laboratory for 
Scientific Computation in Petropolis, part of the Government of 
Brazil's Ministry of Science and Technology (MCT). 
 
¶4. This conference was one of a series organized and executed 
worldwide by Dr. Atkinson and the STAS office during 2005-2006, with 
the support of the National Academy of Sciences.  The previous 
GDESTs consisted of bilateral scientific dialogues designed to 
contribute to global security, meeting human needs, and the 
advancement of knowledge by facilitating interactions among leading 
U.S. scientists and their foreign counterparts and peers.  In 
addition, GDESTS place particular emphasis on bringing young 
investigators (graduate, doctoral-level) into the dialogues. 
 
¶5. The GDEST on Bioinformatics, held at the Brazilian National 
Laboratory for Scientific Computation (LNCC) at its headquarters in 
Petropolis November 12-15, featured a regional approach whereby 
scientists and students from Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay and 
Argentina participated.  Twelve bioinformatics experts from these 
countries and twelve American counterparts assembled with over 75 
South American doctoral students to present their research on a 
diverse array of topics in the field of bioinformatics.  The meeting 
facilitated not only bilateral dialogues between Brazil and the 
U.S., but forged regional collaborations and partnerships in the 
field that had not previously been established.  According to STAS 
Atkinson, this GDEST was held in Brazil in recognition of it's 
rapidly advancing capabilities in science and bioinformatics 
leadership in region and the world.  It also provided all 
participants with an opportunity to become more familiar with the 
research priorities, potential colleagues, and facilities in the 
United States.  All participants praised the event for the new 
networks that it fostered within the Southern Cone and between the 
Cone and the U.S.  Formal proceedings from the GDEST are 
forthcoming. 
 
S&T TEAM SURVEY - RIO DE JANEIRO 
 
¶6.  The STAS team conducted their survey of general science and 
technology and engineering capabilities in Brazil through post 
arranged visits at prominent Brazilian institutions. In Rio de 
 
BRASILIA 00000420  002 OF 003 
 
 
Janeiro, the STAS team visited the Federal University of Rio de 
Janeiro's School of Engineering and the Engineering School at the 
Pontificia Universidade Catolica. 
 
¶7.  U.S. Consulate Rio also arranged for the STAS team to visit the 
Oswaldo Cruz Institution, FIOCRUZ, for an overview of the research, 
education, production, and public health projects carried out by the 
Institute. FIOCRUZ is considered the premier health research 
institute in Brazil and has long had close relations with the U.S. 
Mission, the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Centers 
for Disease Control. 
 
S&T TEAM SURVEY - SAO PAULO & CAMPINAS 
 
¶8.  In Sao Paulo and Campinas, Brazil, U.S. Consulate Sao Paulo 
arranged for the STAS team to visit the Brazilian Synchrotron Light 
Laboratory, as well as Brazil's National Agricultural Research 
Corporation's (EMBRAPA) section on Agricultural Informatics, both 
located in Campinas. Dr. Atkinson presented a talk on Globalization 
of Science & Technology at the University of Sao Paulo, hosted by 
USP's Institute of Mathematics and Statistics.  The entire 
delegation also toured the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and 
associated cancer research hospital (Hospital do Cancer). 
 
¶9. Engineers from the U.S. team visited the Pan American Federation 
of Engineering Societies (UPADI) where they were told that Sao Paulo 
has always been the center of engineering excellence in Brazil.  The 
Federation hosts said Brazil is at a crossroads today, facing two 
major engineering crises: (1) long-delayed repair and/or 
construction of new national infrastructure for watershed 
management, power, transport, and other major areas of need, and (2) 
insufficient numbers of qualified engineers being educated and 
(paradoxically) a lack of engineering career opportunities for those 
who do graduate with engineering degrees. There are pressing social 
needs - poverty, health, basic services - combined with the 
political populism of Brazil and much of Latin America that dominate 
decision-making for short-term results.  After graduation, many 
engineers go to work in the banking and finance fields where their 
mathematical skills can prove highly profitable.  These trained 
engineers are then lost forever to work productively in their 
disciplines.  To address these issues, the Brazilian engineering 
community constantly advocates reform and increased funding for 
education and research.  Chronic lack of investment in material and 
engineering science research is hampering innovation in Brazilian 
applied technology and products, as well as stifling the creation of 
S&T and engineering jobs in the greater workforce. 
 
¶10. On a brighter note, and with UPADI support, the Polytech 
Engineering faculty at the University of Sao Paulo is launching 
"Engineer 2015," a new initiative to organize curricula and research 
programs to better prepare Brazilian engineers for the global 
environment where sustainable economic development of natural 
resources is increasingly at a premium.  As such, Engineer 2015 is a 
direct complement to, and will reinforce the objectives of, the OAS 
Engineering for the Americas initiative organized and launched by 
the U.S. in 2005. 
 
¶11.  The STAS team is preparing a report on the science and 
technology survey of Brazil that will provide additional detail on 
the visits, policies of and interactions with Brazil's science 
community. 
 
¶12.  EMBASSY COMMENT: The U.S. Mission was honored that Dr. Atkinson 
and his team chose Brazil for one of their Global Dialogue on 
Emerging Science & Technology Conferences.  Their visit created an 
excellent foundation on which to expand bilateral science and 
technology collaborations. The Brazilian Ministry of Science and 
Technology (MCT) was extremely pleased to act as cosponsor for the 
regional conference which attracted over 100 scientists and grad 
students from Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, the United States 
and Brazil. 
 
¶13.  In a meeting with Dr. Atkinson in Rio, Ambassador Sobel 
expressed his interest in using science and technology as a vehicle 
to support the Brazilian economy and to enhance U.S.- Brazil 
relationships. Ambassador Sobel also expressed his strong support 
for the GSP21 initiative and advocated strongly for Brazil to be 
given a priority if such an initiative was forthcoming in South 
 
BRASILIA 00000420  003 OF 003 
 
 
America. 
 
¶14.  STAS and U.S. Embassy Brasilia would like to acknowledge with 
gratitude the financial support from the U.S. Office of Naval 
Research and the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research.  This 
pooling of agency resources demonstrates exemplary interagency 
cooperation to serve common collaborative objectives in the region. 
END COMMENT. 
 
SOBEL