Among the institutions that make up the so-called 6 + 5 research network, which brings together scientists from France and Brazil, including the Polytechnic School (Poli) of USP, was born the Laboratoire International Associé Franco Brésilien - Energie & Environnement (LIA), which starts operating officially this month.

L.I.A. is a 'laboratory without walls' created by the French government to structure collaborations between research teams and laboratories in France with partners from other countries with whom it already carries out some kind of joint work. The network will work for four years, extendable for four more years, in renewable energy research, observing all its facets: production, consumption, environmental impacts, integration and interaction with other forms of energy, and networks of distribution.

It is expected that the laboratory will strengthen cooperation, stimulate more collaboration in research and practical applications, and consequently expand scientific production and international visibility. Poli's research group within L.I.A. Is coordinated by Professor Song Won Park of the Department of Chemical Engineering.

The ceremony of installation of the laboratory occurred last Wednesday (3), in the University City. The event had the participation and presence of leaders of USP, authorities and researchers.

"The network opens an important space for Brazilian researchers to work in international cooperation. This will increase the chances of participating, even in projects financed by European institutions and will give us more international visibility, increasing the impact of our research, since research is published under a co-authoring scheme, "said Unicamp professor José Pissolato, Brazilian scientific director of the initiative.

Researchers who have projects in the areas of work of the laboratory can contact Professor Pissolato (pissolato@gmail.com) to discuss the possibilities of cooperation and insertion in L.I.A. The main lines of research are: energy transformation (focusing on research on combustion, formation of pollutants, energy efficiency, for example); Distribution networks (integration, storage, distributed generation, protection and quality of services and others); And environment (reduction of emissions, renewable sources, optimization of the energy network, management of water resources and waste).

Importance of network

Professor Emeritus of USP and president of the Foundation for Research Support of the State of São Paulo (FAPESP), José Goldemberg, said that the São Paulo development agency supported between January 1992 and April 2017 a total of 1,132 research projects In environment and 1,545 projects in energy. He added that in terms of international cooperation projects, France has a prominent position in the financing of the foundation: 132 projects were supported in cooperation with the French, behind only the United Kingdom (308) and Germany (136). "The establishment of this network is of major importance because it can stimulate new international cooperation, something that significantly increases the impact of our research and brings our science closer to the forefront of knowledge," he said.

Professor José Roberto Castilho Piqueira, director of Poli, pointed out that Brazil has high-level engineering schools, but it is not strong in all areas. "The union of our schools is fundamental to promote the country's engineering progress and to turn engineering into something that is useful to the population and not just a business desk, as we have seen so far," he noted.

Piqueira also highlighted the partnership between Poli and the French institutions, recalling the good results obtained with the double diploma program and the discussions for the creation of the Poly-Santos Complexity Engineering course. "France is an important partner in improving teaching, research and extension within our school," he said.

The ceremony was closed by Vice-rector and professor of Poli, Vahan Agopyan. He thanked the French colleagues for their confidence and recalled that the collaboration with France is in the genesis of the USP's constitution. "Internationalization, for us, is an essential tool for achieving higher quality levels. Therefore, this laboratory is being a consequence of this internationalization, "he concluded.