By Andrea Hargraves 
Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Luciana Santos, defended that Latin American and Caribbean countries are strengthening joint actions in research and innovation to overcome economic, social and environmental challenges. Today, Wednesday (13), the Minister participated in the opening ceremony of the Regional Conference on Higher Education for Latin America and the Caribbean (CRES+5) in Brasilia.
“We need to give new impetus to regional programs and projects to be a technological powerhouse in the next 30 years. Problems do not recognize borders and will only be solved through joint efforts,” said Luciana Santos. Among the priority topics and cooperation, she highlighted tackling climate change and loss of diversity. Biotechnology, energy transition, digital transformation, and overcoming hunger, poverty and inequality.
Luciana Santos called for compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda, set by the United Nations. “We are still far from achieving our commitments, as the technological progress achieved in recent years has not led to a reduction in inequality between countries,” he warned. According to her, a United Nations report indicates that countries in Latin America, the Caribbean and Sub-Saharan Africa are the least prepared to use, adopt or adapt cutting-edge technologies, and are at risk of missing out on technological opportunities.
The Minister stressed the central role of science and innovation in achieving comprehensive and sustainable development. She noted that Brazil has a strong system of research and graduate studies, which has allowed important progress in training human resources and expanding national scientific production. He stressed that our universities and higher education institutions are true citadels for defending truth, knowledge, and true national interest.
Programming
Education Minister Camilo Santana also stressed the need for cooperative action between countries to confront crises. “The only possible solution to the problems of the contemporary world is to deepen our regional integration. For Brazil, this understanding has already been expressed in our Federal Constitution.
At the ceremony, Camilo Santana announced the launch of two programs that will be implemented through Capes. The first includes the six Southern Cone countries and expects to invest 102 million Brazilian reals, over eight years, in research and academic mobility projects. The other program will offer 500 scholarships to master's and doctoral students from Latin America and the Caribbean interested in doing internships in Brazilian institutions.
conference
CRES+5 discusses and evaluates progress in higher education in Latin America and the Caribbean five years after the Third Regional Conference on Higher Education (CRES 2018), held in Cordoba, Argentina. The event program continues until Friday (15) with several conferences and seminars related to higher education. One of the thematic themes will be “Scientific and technological research and innovation as drivers of human, social and economic development in Latin America and the Caribbean”.
The opening ceremony of CRES+5 was attended by many authorities, including the Cuban Minister of Higher Education, Walter Baluga; Deputy Director-General for Education at UNESCO, Stefania Giannini, virtually; The head of the Education Space in Latin America and the Caribbean (Enlaces), Oscar Domínguez, and the Director of UNESCO in Brazil, Marlova Nolito.