The Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" (UNESP) is one of the most prestigious universities in Brazil. Since 2022, TUM and UNESP have had a strategic partnership with a focus on bioeconomy. Further key areas are global health, renewable energies, and environmental sciences. The partnership is based on the close ties formed within the Global Bioeconomy Alliance, which was founded jointly by TUM, UNESP, and the University of Queensland in Australia in 2018.
In June 2018, the Memorandum of Understanding for the formation of the Global Bioeconomy Alliance (GBA) was signed during a Bioeconomy Symposium. The three founding members of this alliance were represented at the signing ceremony by Prof. Juliane Winkelmann, TUM Vice President for International Alliances and Alumni, Prof. Volker Sieber, Rector of the TUM Campus Straubing, Prof. Paul Young, Head of the UQ School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, and Prof. Carlos Vergani, Head of the Rectorate of the Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP, Brazil).
The aim of the GBA is to discuss the most pressing issues of a bio-based industry in research and education on a global level and to develop and implement joint initiatives to promote bioeconomy. Since the signing, regular symposia and workshops have been held for this purpose.
At the Global Bioeconomy Alliance Conference at UQ in Brisbane, the Global Bioeconomy Alliance Association was founded on September 27, 2023. In addition to the original founding members of the GBA (UQ, UNESP and TUM), the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) is now also a founding member of the association. We are delighted to welcome this new member, with whom we have already enjoyed a close partnership for many years.
The next Global Bioeconomy Alliance Conference will take place at UNESP in fall 2024. For more information, please visit the GBA website.
In 2023, TUM launched the TUM Global South Initiative. With this initiative, TUM aims to further expand its strategic international commitment and tackle global challenges by pooling and developing innovative approaches and competencies with selected partners from the Global South. Intensive interaction with talents from the Global South is of great importance. Moreover, the initiative promotes the diversity of knowledge and skills at TUM and the selected partner institutions.
With the TUM Global South Initiative, TUM thus strengthens its existing close institutional relationships with partners in the Global South and promotes new collaborations with selected focus regions through specific programs and instruments. Brazil is the country that is the focus of the initiative, with UNESP as a strategic local partner.
UNESP has long been one of TUM's most important strategic partners in Latin America - both in bilateral exchanges and the multilateral Global Bioeconomy Alliance. This close connection was significantly strengthened in 2022 by a partnership agreement as part of the TUM Global Strategic Alliances. It is the first agreement of its kind in Latin America.
In 2022, TUM and FAPESP, the research funding organization of the state of São Paulo, launched a co-funding opportunity for research projects between TUM and Brazilian partners from the state of São Paulo. This funding opportunity also includes collaborations with the UNESP. TUM members apply for funding through the TUM Global Incentive Fund, partners in São Paulo apply for funding from FAPESP.
Students
TUM students can receive scholarships for semesters abroad at UNESP as part of the TUMexchange program. The UNESP Foreign Student Guide is a helpful tool for planning your stay in Brazil.
UNESP students can obtain information about funding opportunities directly from AREX, the International Relations Office of UNESP.
Staff
UNESP employees can come to TUM for short-term training and teaching stays through the Erasmus program. Please get in touch with the TUM Global & Alumni Office for further information.
Employees of the TUM administration can visit the UNESP via the Montgelas program and thus contribute to the internationalization of TUM.
Doctoral candidates
The promotion of joint research work is a central theme of the partnership between TUM and UNESP.
Two lighthouse projects for doctoral candidates of the partners are the TUM-UNESP Doctoral Summer and Winter Schools and the TUM-UNESP Research Exchange Program.
Both programs are coordinated by the TUM Graduate School.
Online tandem with UNESP
The TUM Language Center and the UNESP jointly offer the TUMtandem program in an online format. This collaboration enables students from both universities to participate in the bilingual hybrid and/or online Portuguese-German and Portuguese-Spanish courses.