FAPESP Week Netherlands: São Paulo and Dutch researchers meet in Leiden to build joint science partnerships

Researchers, academic leaders and entrepreneurs from the Brazilian state of São Paulo and the Netherlands will gather at Leiden University from October 27 through October 29 for the 28th edition of FAPESP Week, an international symposium designed to expand scientific and technological cooperation between the two regions. Leiden, home to the Netherlands’ oldest university and located roughly 40 kilometers from Amsterdam, will serve as the hub for discussions on joint funding opportunities in strategic areas including health, energy and sustainable agriculture.

The event is organized by FAPESP, the São Paulo Research Foundation, together with the Dutch Research Council (NWO), with support from the Brazilian Embassy and the diplomatic services of both countries. According to the organizers, the program is the result of more than a year of coordination intended to align the collaborative research priorities of the two communities.

“We held about 29 meetings between the participating institutions and the diplomatic services of Brazil and the Netherlands over more than a year of preparation to define the topics for discussion by mutual agreement,” says Raul Machado, manager of FAPESP’s Institutional Relations Office.

Unlike traditional conference formats, the academic sessions have been designed in an integrated way to address global challenges across three interconnected areas. In the health field, scientists will discuss studies on aging, mental health and sports, linking these topics with the impacts of climate change on the development of livable cities. The sustainable agriculture track will cover challenges of primary production through the sector’s social and economic impacts, with an emphasis on the application of precision agriculture. In the energy sector, the focus will be on technological and scientific solutions to accelerate the energy transition and achieve carbon neutrality, or net zero.

A distinctive feature of this edition is its decentralized structure, which extends the discussions beyond Leiden. On Friday, October 30, the program will expand to regional hubs in Groningen and Wageningen, offering engagement with centers of research excellence in other parts of the country. The University of Groningen, located in the northern Netherlands approximately 180 kilometers from Amsterdam, will host debates on health and the energy transition, while the University of Wageningen, about 85 kilometers from the capital in the central region, will offer tours of its agricultural science research facilities.

São Paulo’s innovation ecosystem will also be prominently represented in the Brazilian delegation. Seven deep-tech companies — science- and technology-based startups supported by FAPESP’s Innovative Research in Small Businesses Program, known as PIPE — will take part in activities during the event.

The entrepreneurs will deliver quick pitches of five minutes each and present solutions developed with PIPE support in poster sessions. They will also participate in one-on-one business and collaboration meetings with local startups and companies during program breaks. “This reflects a joint effort on the Dutch side as well to generate real opportunities for interaction and technology-based business,” Machado notes.

FAPESP Week Netherlands continues a tradition begun in 2011 of promoting scientific diplomacy on the international stage. For the foundation, in-person interaction and direct dialogue among researchers are considered essential for transforming agreements into effective research projects with international impact.

“It isn’t just a presentation of research. It’s an opportunity to expand and consolidate what already exists, including new partnerships,” Machado emphasizes. “FAPESP’s leadership considers that initiative highly productive. It involves a great deal of complexity and is labor-intensive, but it’s been yielding concrete results for science in São Paulo.”

More information and the complete schedule for FAPESP Week Netherlands are available at fapesp.br/week/2026/netherlands. The meeting announcement was released through EurekAlert!, which notes that AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted by contributing institutions.

Subject of Research: International scientific cooperation between São Paulo research institutions and the Netherlands

Article Title: FAPESP Week brings together researchers in the Netherlands to expand scientific cooperation

Article References: FAPESP Week brings together researchers in the Netherlands to expand scientific cooperation. Original publication (Bibliographic details unavailable.)

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Keywords: FAPESP, Netherlands, Leiden University, scientific cooperation, sustainable agriculture, energy transition, health research, deep tech startups, PIPE program, NWO, São Paulo, research funding