Countries, and consequently states such as Paraná, which have an interest in investing in science, technology and innovation, invest their main resources in improvements of health, housing, transportation and education sectors, among others. That is why the Araucária Foundation for Scientific and Technological Development of Paraná State (FA) launched 153 public calls and 12 processes of unreasonableness totaling the amount of BRL 407,812,999.95 in invested funds from 2011 until July 2018. This shows our prioritization of the areas mentioned above. Furthermore, the internationalization process of Paraná´s universities has been another big priority of FA. The international recognition of research developed in higher education institutions contributed to this process, resulting in the consolidation of agreements with several countries: the cooperation with CONFAP: Newton Fund (UK); Horizon2020 (European Community); Italy (University of Bologna); Ministry of Industry, Foreign Trade and Services (MDIC) and Germany; France (INRIA – Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et Automatique; CNRS – Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; INS2i – Institut des Sciences de l’Information et de leur Interactions) and European Research Council (ERC). FA has also issued a cooperation in conjunction with Victoria University (Australia) and has signed a cooperation agreement with the Netherlands. Through FA, the partnership between the Government of Paraná and Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (THI) has direct repercussions on the quality and evaluation of the Postgraduate Programs
Stricto Sensu of the universities of Paraná. In addition, the exchange of experiences and information with higher education institutions in strategic areas, such as THI, also means that students from the programs of the universities of Paraná have the possibility to accomplish the qualification within their own institution. This partnership already has results: In 2016, several public calls between FA and THI were launched, which provided a total amount of BRL 300,000.00. The main objective of this cooperation agreement is to promote the professional qualification in automotive and mechatronics engineering, which is partnered with the AWARE network developed in Germany. The promotion of scientific and technological cooperation between THI and the State of Paraná strengthens the existing links between the scientific communities of both countries. It is therefore fundamental to create new forms of collaboration between these research institutions.
Prof. Dr. Paulo Roberto Brofman
President