VZCZCXRO5881
RR RUEHAST RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD RUEHTM
DE RUEHBR #1665/01 3641040
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 291040Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3177
INFO RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO 3257
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 7030
RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE 8846
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BRASILIA 001665 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR OES/ENRC, OES/STC, 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TSPL NSF KSCA SENV ENRG EAGR KIPR BR
SUBJECT: NSF DIRECTOR'S VISIT HIGHLIGHTS US-BRAZIL SCIENTIFIC 
COOPERATION AND THE IMPORTANCE OF INNOVATION. 
 
REF:  A) BRASILIA 1523, B) BRASILIA 1603 
 
BRASILIA 00001665  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
THIS CABLE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED AND NOT FOR INTERNET 
DISTRIBUTION. 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY.  The visit to Brasilia and Sao Paulo by National 
Science Foundation (NSF) Director, Dr. Arden Bement and Brazil 
Program Manager from the NSF Office of International Science and 
Engineering (OISE),Dr. Carmina Londono, included several very 
productive meetings with GOB agencies and Brazilian academic 
institutions.  NSF's visit highlighted the continued USG interest in 
spurring scientific collaboration with Brazil, promoting investment 
in R&D and education that encourages innovation and 
entrepreneurship, and emphasizing IPR awareness as an integral 
component for turning knowledge into technology. 
END SUMMARY 
 
BACKGROUND 
 
¶2.  (U) NSF Director Dr. Arden Bement and NSF OISE's Brazil Program 
Manager Dr. Carmina Londono visited Brazil from December first 
through December fifth, 2008.  The impetus for the visit was an 
invitation to Dr. Bement to speak on "Engineers as Strategic 
Visionaries" at the World Engineering Conference, held in Brasilia 
during the same week.  The NSF representatives, accompanied by 
Science Officers, visited various government agencies and academic 
institutions involved in funding or conducting scientific research. 
Dr. Bement and Dr. Londono stayed in Brasilia December first through 
the fourth and then traveled to Sao Paulo for a full day of meetings 
on December fifth. 
 
¶3.  (U) Meetings in Brasilia included the National Council for 
Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq); the Brazilian 
Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA); the Brazilian Federal 
Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES); the 
Ministry of Science and Technology; the Ministry of External 
Relations; and the University of Brasilia.  In Sao Paulo, Dr. Bement 
met with Dr. Jose Goldemberg, former Secretary for the Environment 
for the State of Sao Paulo, Dr. Hans Viertler, Director of the 
Chemistry Department of the University of Sao Paulo; the Butantan 
Institute; the Foundation for the Promotion of Research of the State 
of Sao Paulo (FAPESP); and the Institute for Technological Research 
(IPT). 
 
CURRENT NSF ACTIVITIES IN BRAZIL 
 
¶4.  (U) The NSF has approximately 350 active awards that fund U.S. 
academic institutions involved in activities with Brazil.  Dr. 
Bement pointed out that this places Brazil in the top 8 countries in 
terms of NSF-funded research and represents over 11 million dollars 
in grants.  Brazil and the U.S. share scientific research interests 
in key areas such as biofuels, cyber-infrastructure, sustainable 
energy research, bio-diversity, and mathematics among others. 
 
¶5.  (U) NSF collaborative work with CNPq is the most active of all 
countries in Latin America and it is highly competitive especially 
in the areas of biology and the mathematical and physical sciences. 
Dr. Bement urged CNPq to participate in a unique NSF international 
Chemistry program which calls for a single chemistry proposal 
developed jointly by the U.S. investigator and counterparts in 
Brazil.  Presently the NSF Chemistry Division is interested in 
expanding the Program to Latin America and in particular to Brazil. 
 
 
INNOVATION 
 
¶6.  (U) Innovation was a recurring theme during the visit. Several 
Brazilian agencies and organizations mentioned to Dr. Bement that 
innovation is a priority for the GOB and the academic community.  In 
each case the principal indicated that they were eager to work with 
the NSF on promoting increased innovation in Brazil.  During the 
meetings, Brazilian contacts emphasized their high-level interest in 
promoting innovation.  The Minister of Science and Technology, 
Sergio Rezende, told Dr. Bement that innovation is one of his top 
four priorities, a fact that he has shared with Embassy Officers 
before. 
 
¶7.  (U) In meetings with CNPq, the Ministry of Foreign Relations 
(MRE), the Ministry of Science and Technology (MCT), FAPESP, and 
CAPES, the Brazilian principals mentioned that they see the U.S. as 
the leader in innovation and asked Dr. Bement to comment.  Dr. 
Bement indicated that the NSF has a variety of activities focused on 
supporting the key elements for encouraging innovation.  These 
elements include strong investment in science education, IPR 
protection, and encouraging broader participation.  Another 
 
BRASILIA 00001665  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
important mechanism to stimulate innovation in different fields is 
through workshops.  For instance NSF has been collaborating with 
CNPq and FAPESP to organize a workshop on "Water and Land Use 
Implications of Biofuel Production" and looks forward to carrying it 
out in 2009.  Each country will select a scientist to serve as the 
country organizer and approximately 40 to 50 scientists will be 
invited to participate in the workshop.  Dr. Bement envisioned other 
similar workshops to address different aspects of innovation for 
other fields.  This idea was enthusiastically received by his 
Brazilian counterparts.  (NOTE.  Innovation has been a recurring 
theme in many meetings with GOB contacts.  The topic was discussed 
in the Economic Partnership Dialogue (REFTEL A) and the preparatory 
meeting for the Joint Commission Meeting on Science and Technology 
(REFTEL B).  END NOTE.) 
 
RECONNECTING THE BRAZILIAN DIASPORA 
 
¶8.  (U) Ambassador Amado of the MRE spoke with Dr. Bement about the 
importance of connecting Brazilian expatriate researchers with their 
counterparts in Brazil to enhance and increase cooperative research. 
 Dr. Bement pointed out that there is no one U.S. agency charged 
with tracking Brazilian researchers in the U.S. due to U.S. privacy 
laws. In this regard, letters to professional societies and journals 
from the MRE inviting expatriates to re-connect with their 
counterparts might be an appropriate mechanism. 
 
NEW IDEAS FOR COOPERATIVE RESEARCH 
 
¶9.  (U) Dr. Bement consistently promoted the use of emerging 
information technologies as a powerful tool to increase 
international scientific collaboration in a knowledge economy. 
Developing information networks will allow the conduct of science to 
become a 24/7 business that will easily and rapidly cross borders 
and allow for research at remote locations. 
 
¶10.  (U) An example of NSF's bottoms-up concept of encouraging 
collaborative research is the idea of joint PhD programs to be 
supervised or sponsored by a university in the U.S. and a university 
in Brazil.  Dr. Bement endorsed this idea as a way of exposing the 
next generation of researchers to the idea of international 
cooperation in research and the benefits that it brings.  These 
programs are frequently initiated by university to university 
contacts. 
 
RESEARCH FACILITY VISITS 
 
¶11.  (U) Dr. Bement and Dr. Londono visited research facilities in 
both Brasilia and Sao Paulo.  In Brasilia they saw two award winning 
laboratories at the University of Brasilia, one focused on biology 
and the other on geochronology; and an EMBRAPA facility, including a 
laboratory that is developing biological agents to be used against 
disease vectors.  In Sao Paulo, they visited Instituto Butantan, a 
biotech facility that focuses on vaccines against animal toxins, 
parasites, and other micro-organisms; and the IPT, where Dr. Bement 
was particularly interested in the proposed nano-manufacturing 
research center that is under construction. 
 
COMMENT 
 
¶12.  (U) COMMENT.  The NSF Director's visit to Brazil was very 
productive, both for the NSF and Mission Brazil.  Dr. Bement was 
able to find many areas of mutual interest between the NSF and 
various Brazilian agencies.  Embassy Brasilia and Consulate General 
Sao Paulo look forward to following up on the developed ideas for 
increasing scientific and technical cooperation .  Science Officers 
will take an active role in coordinating between the NSF and 
interested GOB agencies to promote more joint activities, including 
the "Water and Land Use Implications of Biofuel Production" workshop 
and workshops that look at different aspects of innovation.  New 
joint activities will strengthen the U.S. commitment to helping 
Brazil address its need for increased innovation. 
 
¶13.  (SBU) COMMENT CONTINUED.  The success of these meetings is 
further evidence of the increasing ties between Brazil and the U.S. 
within the scientific and technological communities, as well as the 
increasing similarity in science and technology interests of our two 
countries.  These ties, and the Brazilians' eagerness to encourage 
innovation, also provide the USG with the opportunity to use 
existing ties to tackle contentious issues, such as IPR, in a 
context of building a larger group of Brazilian stakeholders who 
grasp the importance of these policies to Brazil's future 
development.  END COMMENT. 
 
¶14. This cable was coordinated with Consulate General Sao Paulo and 
the National Science Foundation. 
 
BRASILIA 00001665  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
 
KUBISKE