12th EU-Brazil Joint Steering Committee Meeting on Research and Innovation

On 3 June 2025, the 12th EU–Brazil Joint Steering Committee Meeting (JSCM) was held in Brussels, under the framework of the Agreement for Scientific and Technological Cooperation between the European Community and the Federative Republic of Brazil.

Hosted by the European Union in a hybrid format, the meeting was co-chaired by Ms. Signe Ratso, Deputy Director-General at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, and Ambassador Laudemar Gonçalves de Aguiar Neto, Secretary for Trade Promotion, Science, Technology, Innovation and Culture at Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The EU and Brazil reaffirmed their alignment on key priorities, emphasising their status as strategic and reliable partners united by shared values, particularly significant in today’s complex global geopolitical context.

Brazil presented a range of activities, including the Innovation Diplomacy Programme, its New Industry Brazil Plan, and its Growth Acceleration Programme, among other policy initiatives. The Delegation announced the ongoing preparation of a new national Science Technology Innovation (STI) strategy for the next decade that will be finalised by the end of 2025. 

The EU highlighted key initiatives such as the Competitiveness Compass, the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy, the Choose Europe Initiative, highlighting the opportunities available to Brazil, and the newly launched 2025 Horizon Europe Work Programme.

Both sides reaffirmed the central role of research and innovation in the overall EU-Brazil relations, recalling the substantial participation of Brazil in Horizon Europe, where Brazil ranks first among Latin America countries and 6th among all non-EU and non-Associated countries.

Proposals for new collaborative actions ,  inter alia: 

• Brazil was invited to join the Clean Hydrogen Mission and enhance its engagement in the Urban Transitions Mission under Mission Innovation, as well as to join Horizon Europe Clean Energy Transition European Partnership.
• In raw materials, Brazil will be  exceptionally eligible for EU funding in  the Co-Funded Partnership on Raw Materials for the Green and Digital Transition.
• Brazil was also invited to engage in a new multilateral initiative on climate change and health.
• Participation in several calls under the  2025 Work Program of Horizon Europe, flagging LAC/Mercosur/Brazil

Further discussions covered cooperation  such as Ocean research/All Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance (AAORIA),  Biomes monitoring/wildfires,  earth observation in the frames of the Group on Earth Observation (GEO), biodiversity and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), bioeconomy, science diplomacy, the latest relevant developments at the G20, innovation further to the association of Brazil to EUREKA in 2024

The meeting served to review the current state of EU–Brazil science, technology, and innovation (STI) cooperation, marking a renewed phase in a longstanding partnership. Research and innovation continue to be a cornerstone of the EU–Brazil Strategic Partnership, launched in 2007.

Background

The Brazilian delegation included representatives from the:

•  Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty),
• Ministry of  Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI),
• National Institute for Space Research (INPE),
• National Institute for Ocean Research (INPO),
• t National Centre for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM),
• Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME),
• Brazilian Company of Research and Industrial Innovation (EMBRAPII),
• representatives from the three Brazilian funding bodies  participating in the Complementary Funding Mechanism: the National Council for Research and Technological Development (CNPq), the Funding Agency for Studies and Projects (FINEP), and the National Council of State Funding Agencies (CONFAP). 

On the EU side, several Directorates-General of the European Commission, along with the European External Action Service and the EU Delegation in Brazil contributed to the discussions.

More information

International cooperation with Brazil