ESEG – Faculdade do Grupo Etapa strengthens partnership with the University of Coimbra.

Representatives from the two higher education institutions met to outline new academic initiatives.

Last Thursday, March 10, 2022, ESEG – Faculdade do Grupo Etapa – held a working meeting with representatives from the University of Coimbra, a renowned Portuguese educational institution considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Representing the University of Coimbra were the Vice-Rector, Professor Cristina Albuquerque, the Vice-Director of the Faculty of Science and Technology, Professor Paulo Carvalho, the Student Ombudsman and Professor of Sociology, Dr. Paulo Peixoto, as well as Isabel Mouta, Adriana Afonso, and Cris Yin, who are responsible for International Relations.

The general coordinator of Undergraduate Studies, Professor Marcelo Dias, the academic director, Ricardo Hess, the coordinator of the Sustainability Center, Professor Carlos Cerqueira, the head of ESEG International, Cris Tavares, and the administrative director, Vitor Passoni, were among the representatives of ESEG – Faculdade do Grupo Etapa.

Edmilson Motta, general coordinator of Colégio Etapa, Thomas Wisiak, history teacher at Colégio Etapa, and Vítor Marconi and Fernanda Cossa, from Etapa Internacional, were invited to speak on behalf of Colégio Etapa.

The general coordinator, Marcelo Dias, began the meeting by presenting the topics to be discussed. Next, educator Carlos Cerqueira recounted his academic journey, which began with his training in Chemistry and led to his career in Engineering. The professor explained how his concern with sulfur compounds gave rise to the Faculty's Sustainability Center, which he coordinates, and also proposed a research project on Green Chemistry.

Professor Marcelo Dias continued the presentation by talking about the Endless Forest project, whose mission is to raise awareness in society about the importance of Brazilian forests for the planet and to point out ways of preserving and sustainably using natural resources based on a multidisciplinary approach and human and artificial intelligence.

The professor also emphasized the importance of ESEG's Research Centers, highlighting the studies of the Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Center in the area of blockchain; the Entrepreneurship Center, which seeks to create an indicator of best practices to preserve our forests; the Applied Creativity Center, which aims to create fundamental concepts and tools to generate aesthetic value from a forest; the Economics and Finance Center, which aims to understand how much a forest is worth today and in the future; and the Legal Research Center, focusing on Environmental Law and how Brazilian laws address piracy.

Finally, Dias spoke about the documentary "Zero Forest," which will show what the Earth would be like if there were no more forests. The video will be in the format of a short film and is currently in the research and bibliographic review phase.

“It would be a great honor if we could see the documentary presented at the University of Coimbra, as the documentary demonstrates the impact of our actions, how we live, and how we relate to each other, and this is very important to us,” stated the Vice-Rector, Professor Cristina Albuquerque.

‘"I see in the proposals presented a way to stimulate research. These are extraordinarily important topics for us to draw upon in disciplinary areas," noted Professor Paulo Carvalho.

According to Professor Marcelo Dias, the meeting reinforces an important international partnership for ESEG: 'Throughout their undergraduate studies, it is important for students to develop both practical and scientific knowledge. This partnership with the University of Coimbra, however, goes beyond practical and scientific knowledge, as it allows students to experience an international environment at a globally recognized institution.'.

Soon, students at ESEG – Faculdade do Grupo Etapa will receive more information about the activities and research conducted in partnership with the University of Coimbra.