Brazil's president suggests more collaboration with KTH during visit

KTH President Peter Gudmundson greeted Rousseff and told an enthusiastic crowd assembled at the administration building that Brazil is a very important partner for KTH.

"Brazil has enormous potential as a partner country for us in terms of both students and research," Gudmundson says.

Brazil is one of KTH's priority regions, and a variety of collaborations and exchanges have been done at various levels for both researchers and students, concerning areas such as smart cities and aerospace. KTH has a number of partner universities in Brazil; and Semida Silveira, Professor of Energy, is responsible for relations between KTH and Brazil. Mostly the relations consist of student exchanges, but also various research projects, such as sustainable urban development in the city of Curitiba.

Gudmundson gave the floor to the Rousseff to address the question of how cooperation can be further developed.

"I'm very happy to be here. KTH is a highly relevant partner for us," the president said.

She pointed to the success of the scholarship program, Science Without Borders, and she thanked KTH for its involvement.

"Here, KTH has had an invaluable role and I hope for even stronger ties between us. I see many opportunities for even more collaboration in the future."

The scholarship program means that the Brazilian government encourages research and study abroad, by sending students, graduate students and researchers to universities around the world. During the last three years, KTH has received about 90 students and 20 graduate students. About 40 Brazilian students are currently studying at KTH.

The president also pointed out the importance of cooperation with Sweden, including its academic and industrial sectors.

Rousseff went through a poster exhibition offering insight into current and Brazil-relevant research. Silviera showed the President around and summarized the visit:

"It marks the beginning of the next step in our cooperation."

Helene Hellmark Knutsson, Sweden's Minister of Higher Education and Research, was also on hand during the presidential visit.

During her visit to Sweden, Rousseff also met separately with King Carl XVI Gustaf and Prime Minister Stefan Löfven. Company visits at SAAB and Ericsson were also on the schedule.

Jill Klackenberg