Germany the only international exhibitor at SBPC in Brazil

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With 24 representatives from 12 German institutions, Germany's presence at the SBPC, the biggest scientific conference in South America, made quite an impression on the around 75,000 conference visitors. The 62nd annual conference of the SBPC (Sociedade Brasileira para o Progresso da Ciência) took place from 25 to 30 July 2010 in Natal/Brazil. Supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the German-Brazilian Year of Science, Technology and Innovation 2010/11, Germany was the only international partner to participate in the accompanying exhibition. Alongside lecturers and professors working in every possible discipline, visitors to the conference also included representatives from government ministries, public authorities, sponsoring and non-governmental organisations as well as many students and young scholars from Brazil.

The conference was held on the campus of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN). The "most impressive presence at the whole exhibition" - as the "Research in Germany" presentation was experienced by many visitors - proved a magnet for the Brazilian media. The German delegates provided information about current research projects as well as about ways of engaging in study and research in Germany, established contacts with Brazilian institutions and made the most of the opportunity to talk shop with their Brazilian counterparts. Collaborative projects were successfully initiated, such as with the UFRN in Natal. During the courses of the exhibition participants from Germany were also able to visit the CLBI (Centro de Lançamento da Barreira do Inferno) rocket launch base for which Natal is famous.

The German delegation included the German Aerospace Center, three Fraunhofer Institutes (Building Physics, Chemical Technology and Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology), the University of Kiel, the Freie Universität Berlin, the Baden-Württembergisches Brasilien-Zentrum der Universität Tübingen, the Universities of Applied Sciences Biberach and Ingolstadt, the German Academic Exchange Service and the German House of Science and Innovation São Paulo. The "Research in Germany" presentation and supporting programme were organised by Baden-Württemberg International.