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In Interview Broadcast by Uruguayan Public Television, Researchers and Presenters Highlighted Enthusiastically the Scientific Agreement with Brazil, Affirming That the Partnership Guarantees Access to Advanced Technologies, Unprecedented Infrastructure and New Conditions for National and Regional Science.
Brazil and Uruguay formalized, in Montevideo, the creation of the Brazil-Uruguay Center for Research and Innovation in Life Sciences, through the signing of a memorandum of understanding that establishes structured cooperation in the areas of scientific research, technological innovation, human resources training, and sharing of advanced infrastructure, focusing on health, biotechnology and sustainable development.
The memorandum was signed on Wednesday, January 28, during the official visit of the Brazilian Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Luciana Santos, to Uruguay. On the Brazilian side, the agreement involves the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) and the National Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM). On the Uruguayan side, the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Clemente Estable Biological Research Institute (IIBCE) participate. The ceremony took place in the Auditorium of the Executive Tower, with the presence of the Uruguayan President, Yamandú Orsi.
According to the Brazilian government, the binational center creates a permanent cooperation structure, with joint governance, definition of priority areas, and execution of research, development, and innovation projects.
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The agreement also provides for training actions, exchange of researchers and students, organization of scientific events, and shared use of large research facilities.
According to Minister Luciana Santos, the initiative marks a new moment in the bilateral relationship by transforming political alignment and historical cooperation between the two countries into practical actions in the field of science and innovation.
For the minister, scientific research and technological development will be treated as central instruments for joint development.
Agreement Structure and Implementation
The Brazil-Uruguay Center for Research and Innovation in Life Sciences will be implemented simultaneously in Brazil and Uruguay, with the CNPEM and the IIBCE acting as anchor institutions. The memorandum establishes a binational governance responsible for strategic guidance, decision-making, and monitoring of the planned actions.
Among the formal guidelines of the agreement are the definition of priority research lines, execution of joint projects, training and capacity building of human resources, and encouragement of academic mobility. The text also provides for the shared use of scientific infrastructure, an element considered central to expanding the scale and complexity of the research conducted in both countries.
The Brazilian government emphasizes that cooperation covers strategic areas of life sciences, with direct impacts on health, biotechnology, agro-sciences, and interfaces with materials science and energy. The declared objective is to generate scientific, technological, and social benefits for Brazil and Uruguay, with the potential for regional reach.
Diplomatic Context and New Agreements
The signing of the memorandum occurred in the context of a broader agenda of bilateral cooperation. During the official visit, Luciana Santos participated in meetings with Uruguayan authorities in the areas of education, culture, industry, energy, and mining, focusing on expanding cooperation in science, technology, innovation, and productive development.
In addition to the binational center in Life Sciences, the Brazilian mission also included negotiations for the signing of a second memorandum of understanding aimed at cooperation between technology parks in Brazil and the Industrial Technological Park of Cerro, in Montevideo.
This agreement involves the MCTI and the Intendancy of Montevideo and integrates the National Policy for Promoting Innovation Environments.
For the Brazilian government, the agreements reinforce a strategy of regional scientific and technological integration, promoting innovation, productive development, and the formation of cooperative research environments.
Uruguayan Reaction Highlights Access to Technology, Scientific Autonomy, and Regional Impact of Cooperation with Brazil
The creation of the Brazil-Uruguay Center for Research and Innovation in Life Sciences was received in Uruguay as a strategic milestone for national and regional science, according to an assessment presented in an interview on Channel 5. Researchers from the Clemente Estable Institute classified the agreement as a concrete opportunity to strengthen scientific autonomy and gain access to cutting-edge technological infrastructure.
In the scientists’ assessment, research in life sciences should not be treated as an academic luxury, but as part of a strategic process of generating knowledge, with direct impacts on health, technology, and the ability of countries to set their own priorities. According to them, the binational center represents progress in this regard by institutionalizing cooperation with Brazil.
During the program, it was highlighted that the agreement complements another recent initiative: the launch of the Latin American and Caribbean Science and Technology Cooperation Program, called the Pepe Mujica Program. Together, the two initiatives were presented as instruments capable of expanding financial and technological support for research, talent development, and access to scientific infrastructure.
Emphasis on the Clemente Estable Institute
The researchers highlighted the central role of the Clemente Estable Biological Research Institute, which is nearing its 100th anniversary. According to them, the institution has built, over decades, a trajectory of continuous research, human resources training, and openness to international cooperation.
In the assessment presented on Channel 5, the inclusion of the institute in a binational center represents recognition of this trajectory and the capacity of Uruguayan science to operate in large-scale projects. One scientist stated that the agreement generates an “injection of enthusiasm and motivation” for the national scientific community, allowing systematic access to technologies that do not exist in the country.
According to the researchers, access to CNPEM’s infrastructure will allow Uruguayan scientists to use devices of high technological complexity without direct costs, based on academic merit criteria. For them, this represents a qualitative change in research conditions.
Access to Large Infrastructures and Impact on Research
During the interview, the scientists explained that one of the main advantages of the agreement is access to large scientific infrastructures operated by the CNPEM, used for research in materials science, energy, and life sciences. According to them, these infrastructures allow analyses that cannot currently be conducted in Uruguay.
One cited example was the possibility of studying, with high resolution, the structure of molecules and proteins associated with pathogens, which is fundamental for health research and drug development. The researchers explained that this type of analysis requires large and highly complex equipment that are unavailable in the country.
In the assessment presented, access to these technologies allows acceleration of ongoing projects and enhances new lines of research. According to the scientists, it is not just about starting new studies, but about giving greater speed and depth to research that is already underway in Uruguay.
Cooperation Built Over Time
The researchers emphasized that the agreement is the result of a scientific cooperation process that has been built over decades, stemming from academic, university, and regional relations. According to them, the formalization of the binational center is the institutional consolidation of an already existing collaboration network.
In the interview, it was highlighted that scientific cooperation has its own timeline, different from the immediate pace of politics or the economy.
According to the scientists, the signing of the memorandum is the visible result of long-term work, involving universities, researchers, and regional articulations.
Training, Exchange, and People at the Center of the Agreement
Another point highlighted by the Uruguayan reaction was the focus on training people. According to the researchers, the agreement provides for reciprocal technical visits, complementary training courses, and participation of young scientists in schools and training programs.
For them, scientific cooperation starts with human exchange, with the interaction among researchers, and direct knowledge of the work of peers.
The planned visits, they stated, will not have a ceremonial character but a technical one, focusing on joint project building.
Intellectual Property and Scientific Sovereignty
When asked about the applied results of research, the scientists stated that the agreement provides for case-by-case treatment of intellectual property issues.
According to them, rights will be defined according to the roles and contributions of each party, without compromising the sovereignty or scientific identity of the involved countries.
In the assessment presented, cooperation does not mean a loss of autonomy, but a strengthening of the regional capacity to produce knowledge and develop solutions tailored to local realities.
Regional Integration and Latin American Perspective
Commenting on the Pepe Mujica Program, the researchers highlighted that the funding, estimated at around 50 million reais, is entirely provided by Brazil and is open to institutions throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. For them, the program reinforces the idea of regional science and Latin American integration.
According to the scientists, both the binational center and the funding program expand the region’s capacity to produce its own science, set priorities, and respond to global challenges, such as those in public health.
In the assessment presented, recent experience has demonstrated the importance of local scientific capabilities to generate accessible solutions for the region’s societies.
Expectation of Next Steps
The researchers stated that the coming months will be dedicated to defining programmatic lines, coordinating with universities and academic institutions, and executing the first joint activities.
For them, the effects of cooperation begin even before scientific results, through institutional integration and the building of trust among partners.
According to an assessment presented on Channel 5, the binational center represents not only a new agreement but a concrete step towards consolidating a more integrated Latin American science, with greater autonomy and capacity for social impact.
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