The presidents of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, and France, François Hollande, strengthened bilateral cooperation between countries on Thursday (12). The Presidential Palace, the governments signed agreements that involve the installation of an infrastructure of high performance computing, technology transfer to geostationary satellite defense and strategic communications and new shares of the Science without Borders program.

"France and Brazil maintain cooperation with the contents, breadth and depth make it unique. This is true especially in defense and high technology goods industries", said President Dilma.

The executive secretary of the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), Luiz Antonio Elias, and the French Minister of Higher Education and Research, Geneviève Fioraso, signed a declaration of intent in order to create an infrastructure of high performance computing in Brazil, capable placing the country among the world leaders in the area until the end of 2016.

Rousseff said the work plan established for the acquisition of a French company Bull supercomputer and the installation of two research centers, one in Petrópolis (Rio de Janeiro state) , in partnership with the National Laboratory for Scientific Computing (LNCC/ MCTI) , and another the Alberto Luiz Coimbra Institute for Graduate Studies and Research in Engineering (COPPE), in the state capital.

Under the agreement , the Brazilian government is committed to promote in its territory supercomputing products and services. "Currently , only ten countries hold capacity in this field", said Rousseff. "With the implementation of this work plan , Brazil will join this select group and will develop research activities in strategic areas".

Academic Exchange

The Brazilian Education Minister Mercadante, closed two new partnerships for the Science without Borders (CsF). The first agreement promotes the learning of the French language for students and future program participants. Have another bilateral settlement provides for the receipt by the European country of students in the professional master cycle with 500 bags in 2014 and 500 in 2015. There were also signatures event at the National Museum in the afternoon.

"I expressed to President Hollande my gratitude for the support they have received from their government in the program", said Dilma Rousseff. "France is today the third main destination for Brazilian fellows CsF and has hosted 4800 students, of which 2,226 are still there. Are mostly engineering students, and deserves the effort expressed in the agreement between the two governments so that our students complement their technical training with internships in French companies".

Hollande recalled that the initial commitment of the European country for the program was to welcome 10,000 students in five years. "I can say that it's almost 6000 [insured] , but we want to go further", he warned. "We will also launch the online French course without Borders. It is widely known language, remotely or locally. And this morning inaugurated in Brasilia the future Lycée François Mitterrand, an example of what we can do".

*In the photo: The presidents of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff; and France, François Hollande.