From June 2 to June 4, the Science Museum in London will serve as the distinguished venue for FAPESP Week London, a significant scientific symposium showcasing cutting-edge research and collaborative efforts between the state of São Paulo, Brazil, and the United Kingdom. This event illuminates advancements in pivotal domains such as artificial intelligence, energy transition, and healthcare innovation. The Science Museum, revered for its rich history since its establishment in 1857, will provide a prestigious backdrop that underscores the importance of this international scientific exchange.
FAPESP Week London emerges as a collaborative initiative orchestrated in partnership with notable institutions, including the Science Museum itself, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the Royal Society, the British Academy, and the UK Science and Technology Network (STN) based in Brazil. This extraordinary alliance also benefits from the diplomatic support of the Brazilian Embassy in London. Together, these entities aim to fortify and expand scientific partnerships, delineating strategic domains that resonate deeply with shared research interests between São Paulo researchers and their British counterparts.
Marking its third iteration in the United Kingdom since previous editions in 2013 and 2019, the FAPESP Week series demonstrates the enduring relevance and strength of UK-São Paulo research ties. The United Kingdom stands as São Paulo’s second most significant scientific collaborator on a global scale, second only to the United States. This enduring partnership reflects vibrant, cross-border knowledge exchange and joint scientific production that propels innovative growth within both regions.
Raul Machado, FAPESP’s manager of institutional relations, emphasizes that the continuity in hosting this event within the UK is a testament to the robust capacity for joint research output between the São Paulo scientific community and British researchers. The symposium serves not only as a platform for showcasing established scientific work but also as a dynamic forum for unveiling new collaborative possibilities, particularly in emerging research areas aligned with FAPESP’s strategic priorities.
The program promises to convene leading experts from São Paulo and the UK to engage deeply with cutting-edge topics such as the global energy transition, breakthroughs in health and precision medicine, advances in artificial intelligence applied to societal challenges, and sustainable approaches to biodiversity, bioeconomy, and circular resource management. This diverse agenda is tailored to address some of the world’s most pressing and interdisciplinary scientific challenges, synergizing expertise from both regions to accelerate impactful discoveries.
A standout feature of this edition of FAPESP Week is the deliberate inclusion of dialogues centered on the role of science museums in science communication and education. This thematic strand connects the Science Museum’s long-standing mission with the São Paulo experience, particularly highlighting the Butantan Institute’s participation. Renowned for its robust technological research, the Butantan Institute will present an innovative joint exhibition in London as part of the event, symbolizing the fusion of scientific research and public engagement.
Machado clarifies that integrating museums into the symposium is a strategic decision, ensuring that the dissemination of scientific knowledge receives due prominence. The event’s program will underscore artificial intelligence as a pervasive theme interwoven throughout discussions. AI’s transformative potential pervades crucial sectors from healthcare diagnostics and treatments to pioneering technological innovations, making it a focal point that connects diverse research themes within the symposium.
Simultaneously, the Brazilian delegation will embark on a series of immersive visits to prominent British innovation hubs. These include the Data Science Institute at the London School of Economics, a nexus for data science and AI research, Genomics England, a governmental enterprise spearheading the integration of genomic medicine within the National Health Service, and the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, a government-supported non-profit center dedicated to advancing cell and gene therapy development and manufacturing. These visits aim to deepen collaborative ties and knowledge exchange between São Paulo and leading UK scientific environments.
Adding another dimension to the event, five deep-tech startups backed by FAPESP’s Innovative Research in Small Businesses Program (PIPE)—namely SleepUp, Inovia, Fubá Educação Ambiental, @Tech, and Ciclou—will actively participate in the symposium. These startups exemplify the innovative entrepreneurial ecosystem in São Paulo, bringing the latest scientific and technological innovations to the discussion and highlighting pathways from research to practical applications that solve real-world problems.
Since its inception in 2011, the FAPESP Week symposium series has been a catalyst for international scientific collaboration, successfully fostering partnerships between São Paulo researchers and global scientific communities. The direct result of these interactions is evident in the robust increase in jointly submitted research proposals following each symposium, underscoring the event’s tangible impact on scientific productivity and cross-border cooperation.
For instance, following the March 2025 FAPESP Week in Germany, the number of collaborative research proposals nearly doubled, rising from 294 to 582, reflecting a striking 98% increase. Similarly, the November 2024 symposium in Spain saw a 66.4% surge in submissions, and the June 2025 meeting in France generated a 51.3% uplift. Even in smaller scientific communities, such as Uruguay, the event spurred a significant increase in collaboration proposals, tripling submissions post-symposium from 18 to 51.
These powerful statistics validate FAPESP’s strategic emphasis on in-person scientific forums as instrumental in converting institutional dialogues into measurable research collaborations. Machado articulates that despite the natural occurrence of collaboration among international partners, dedicated and focused events create a unique environment that intensively channels attention toward cooperative endeavors, unlocking new levels of engagement and project generation.
The anticipation surrounding FAPESP Week London is that this milestone event will emulate previous successes, translating three days of rigorous debates and networking into a wave of joint research funding initiatives. This, in turn, will further amplify the internationalization of scientific work emerging from São Paulo, strengthening its global scientific footprint and reinforcing the dynamic partnership with the United Kingdom.
By bridging academia, innovation hubs, industry, and cultural institutions, FAPESP Week London exemplifies a model for multi-dimensional scientific collaboration that harnesses technological innovation and knowledge dissemination. This aligns with broader global trends emphasizing the integration of advanced scientific research, translational applications, and public engagement to address complex global challenges.
As artificial intelligence continues to evolve as a transformative element across disciplines, shaping fields from precision health to resource sustainability, events like FAPESP Week become crucial platforms for aligning efforts, sharing expertise, and creating future-ready solutions. The convergence of scientific dialogue, technological innovation, and public science outreach at this symposium underscores the multifaceted approach necessary for advancing the frontiers of 21st-century science and technology.
Subject of Research:
Scientific collaboration and innovation in artificial intelligence, energy transition, precision medicine, biodiversity, and science dissemination.
Article Title:
FAPESP Week London: A Landmark Symposium Strengthening UK-São Paulo Scientific Collaboration at the Science Museum
News Publication Date:
Upcoming (June 2–4, event scheduled)
Web References:
https://fapesp.br/en/press/13742/
References:
Not provided in the original text.
Image Credits:
Not provided in the original text.
Keywords
Artificial intelligence, Energy transition, Precision medicine, Biodiversity, Scientific collaboration, Science museums, Innovation hubs, Genomics England, Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, Deep-tech startups, Data science, International research partnerships
