image: From left to right: Odile Rauzy, Dean of Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier University; Pierre Cordelier, Director of the Toulouse Cancer Research Center (CRCT); Marco Antonio Zago, President of FAPESP; Vahan Agopyan, Secretary of Science, Technology, and Innovation of São Paulo; and Marie-Hélène Baroux, President of the Higher Institute of Aeronautics and Space (ISAE-SUPAERO)
Credit: Elton Alisson/Agência FAPESP
Scientific collaboration between researchers from France and the state of São Paulo in various fields has intensified and expanded in recent years, contributing to the increased impact of research in both regions.
This assessment was made by participants in the opening session of FAPESP Week France, which takes place from June 10th to 12th in Toulouse, the capital of the Occitanie region in southern France.
“France, along with the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, is one of the most important long-term partners of the scientific community in São Paulo. Scientific and technological cooperation between the two regions has been strong and growing. Over the past six years, researchers from France and São Paulo have published 9,800 scientific articles together, representing 52% of all articles published in international collaborations during this period,” said Marco Antonio Zago, President of FAPESP.
According to data presented by the Foundation’s director, the average citation impact of all articles published by French scientists who do not collaborate with São Paulo colleagues is 1.37. The average for São Paulo researchers is 1.02, which is above the world average. However, articles published last year by researchers from both regions in partnership had an average impact of 5.2.
“Collaboration is very good for both regions. That’s why we’re here today – to expand and strengthen this collaboration, which can take many different forms,” he emphasized.
The FAPESP Week France program features lectures by researchers affiliated with universities and research institutions, as well as science and technology-based companies and startups in the fields of health and aeronautics from the state of São Paulo and France.
The aeronautics session will take place at the Higher Institute of Aeronautics and Space (ISAE-SUPAERO). The health session will take place simultaneously with the aeronautics session at the Hôtel-Dieu Saint-Jacques. It was organized in partnership with the Cancer Research Center of the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), and the University of Toulouse.
The scientific relationship between French and Brazilian researchers began in the mid-19th century, recalled Vahan Agopyan, Secretary of Science, Technology, and Innovation for the State of São Paulo.
“We have a very long relationship, which was strengthened during the 1930s and resumed with greater force at the beginning of this century,” he said.
The secretary emphasized that events such as FAPESP Weeks are crucial for fostering these historical relationships and promoting the globalization of research in São Paulo. “This type of activity not only provides an opportunity for São Paulo researchers to interact with colleagues from other countries but also helps train better scientists and exposes them to an international research environment,” he said.
Opportunities for collaboration
According to Marie-Hélène Baroux, President of ISAE-SUPAERO, one of the areas with great potential for expanding scientific collaboration between Brazil and France is aeronautics.
“France and São Paulo have common interests in strategic sectors such as aviation, which include topics such as artificial intelligence, drone development, and sustainability in aviation. On both sides of the Atlantic, we’re united by the common goal of making aviation more sustainable by reducing greenhouse gas emissions in this sector by 2030,” she said.
“This meeting between the two regions at FAPESP Week France is important and natural because the state of São Paulo has the highest concentration of aerospace activities in Brazil, and Toulouse is the European capital of aeronautics and space, where more than 100,000 people work in the sector,” she emphasized.
During the opening of the event, the institution renewed its cooperation agreements with the Technological Institute of Aeronautics (ITA) and the São Carlos School of Engineering at the University of São Paulo (EESC-USP).
“FAPESP Week gives us an opportunity to renew cooperation agreements with these institutions, building on the existing collaboration with USP and UNICAMP [State University of Campinas]. And the vitality of our knowledge exchange with the state of São Paulo certainly paves the way for new opportunities for collaboration in the future,” said Baroux.
The opening ceremony was also attended by the President of Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier University, Odile Rauzy.
“This meeting in Toulouse seeks excellence in research and higher education to address social and environmental challenges. Together, moving in the same direction, we’ll be stronger at a crucial moment for science,” she said.
For more information about FAPESP Week France, visit fapesp.br/week/2025/france.