TU Delft and UNICAMP continue strong education and research collaboration
TU Delft and UNICAMP have hosted over 15 joint courses together and this tradition continues. The latest edition of “Strategic Communication, Stakeholder Engagement and Policy for a Circular Bioeconomy” was held from January 5 to February 2, 2024. The course was given by Prof. José Maria Ferreira Jardim da Silveira (UNICAMP) and Prof. Patricia Osseweijer (TU Delft University Ambassador Brazil) and it brought together 16 students from Latin America and Europe. It aimed to give students an understanding of the role and nature of public perceptions and policies in innovation (and tech transfer) for a circular and sustainable biobased economy and acquiring skills to be actively engaged in (public and stakeholder) communication, regulatory committees and policy making.
In addition to lecturers from Prof. Ferreira Jardim da Silveira and Prof. Osseweijer, invited international experts from industry, academia (Marcus Rheder of UNICAMP/Getulio Vargas Foundation; Dr. Marcelo Marques de Magalhães of UNESP; Dr. Laurens Landeweerd of Radboud University; Dr. John Posada of TU Delft) and other organizations (Greenpeace, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation) provided insights in their work in dealing with regulation, policy-making, sustainability assessment or communication. Student groups also developed a strategic communication plan for a (small) company in novel technology and presented their plan to an expert jury.
The visit also included meetings with the TU Delft Brazil office based at UNICAMP, the International Office at UNICAMP and UNICAMP’s Rector Prof. Antonio Jose de Almeida Meirelles. The Rector approved the establishment of a novel Executive International Academic Leadership Program, about which we will report later.
In December 2023 Dr. Ludovic Jourdin and Dr. John Posada (department of Biotechnology, TU Delft) joined a Dutch delegation on a 1-week ‘Biorefinery Innovation’ mission to Brazil to identify opportunities for joint collaborations and to strengthen existing connections. As noted by delegation leader and Chair of the Top Team ChemistryNL, Jacqueline Vaessen, “Brazil and the Netherlands have been at the forefront of biobased innovations for decades…both countries are well positioned to become leading in the solutions that are needed for a circular biobased economy. Therefore, the topsector chemistry has earmarked Brazil as a key partner for international cooperation on this topic. “
This mission was a great success, with visits to world-leading companies (Braskem, Petrobras, Raizen, Oxiteno), research institutes (SENAI, CNPEM) and universities (Unicamp, ESALQ), which were insightful and will promote further cooperations. Prof. Gustavo Paim Valença (Unicamp), Prof. Osseweijer, Dr. Jourdin, and Dr. Posada also organized a workshop on “Circular & Sustainable value chain for materials and energy” which was attended by many scientists and company representatives (e.g. Indorama, Braskem, SENAI, Royal HaskoningDHV, Unicamp, Cargill, BASF, Oxiteno, Sao Paulo University, etc.). The brainstorm and fruitful discussions led to identifying key knowledge gaps and opportunities for research and development, including potential collaborations within the (still-to-be-opened) NWO-FAPESP Call “Integrated biorefineries of the future”.
More information
Contact: Professor Patricia Osseweijer, P.Osseweijer@tudelft.nl; +31-6-51033916 and Marie Kummerlowe, a.m.kummerlowe@tudelft.nl; 31 0634188353