Embrapa and ARS renew historic scientific cooperation partnership

Embrapa and the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) signed a cooperation agreement that represents the continuity of the historic partnership. Since the implementation of the first Labex in the USA, in 1998, the Company has developed several projects in different areas with ARS, one of the most important and strategic North American research institutions. The agreement provides for technical, financial and material cooperation to carry out Labex USA actions and the possibility of cooperative projects with other federal agencies and universities.

From now on, the two institutions will be partners in research in the areas of natural resources, climate change, including soil microbiology, effects of nitrogen application, carbon and water footprint, monitoring, management and use of natural resources and land use of sustainable way.

Projects are also planned in emerging areas such as biotechnology, big data, artificial intelligence and digital agriculture, precision and automation, microbiome and synthetic biology. Furthermore, the topic of biodiversity and environmental protection, through innovative and sustainable solutions, is in the agreement between Embrapa and ARS, particularly to improve the multifunctionality of agriculture and the sustainable production of food, fiber and energy. The exchange of researchers in the joint execution of research of mutual interest is part of the clauses of the new agreement.

With around 2 scientists, the ARS works on almost 700 research projects in 15 national programs. It has 90 units throughout the United States, in addition to laboratories based abroad. “Embrapa and ARS have similar missions and strategic objectives, which facilitates the strengthening of this cooperation”, comments the coordinator of Labex USA, Alexandre Varella.

According to him, there are several opportunities for collaborative research that cut across the programs and portfolios of both institutions and have potential impact, such as:

Regarding cooperation, Varella highlighted the importance of exchanging knowledge also in corporate management, especially in R&D, technology transfer and business. “With the renewal of the agreement, we intend to improve the ways of collaborating with ARS-USDA, providing mechanisms for long-distance cooperation, exchange of scientists from both parties also in the short term and joint fundraising in international agencies."

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For Embrapa's R&D director, Guy de Capdeville, the partnership with ARS is strategic. “Following the signing of the new agreement with the ARS, we will organize a joint workshop to discuss a different format for the two institutions to operate”, he anticipated. “We want to design a new model of integration of research with exchange of researchers and design of projects aimed at current and future challenges for agriculture in both countries”, he added.

The intention is to coordinate the Visiting Scientist program to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the ARS. “It is time to have a new relationship with American partners, taking advantage of the network of private institutions that have a relationship with ARS to form partnerships focused on innovation with Embrapa”, explained the director.

The Secretary of Intelligence and Strategic Relations (Sire), Rita Milagres, commented on the formalization of the agreement. “All the effort dedicated by Sire’s International Strategic Relations Management (Grei) to renew cooperation is part of maintaining the full activities of Labex, one of Embrapa’s most consolidated international operating strategies,” she said. “Virtual Laboratories Abroad strengthen relations between Embrapa and reference institutions and the articulation of projects and strategic cooperation, in addition to being the local representation of the Company in forums, universities, research institutes and events related to the development and innovation of agriculture”, he assesses.

For Grei manager, Eliana Covolan, the coordination that resulted in the agreement between Embrapa and ARS is a victory. “This reinforces the importance of Labex at this time of uncertainty due to the pandemic,” she commented. “The program articulated new arrangements, projects and cooperation that continue the proposal to place Embrapa at the frontier of knowledge,” she said. She highlighted the work that involved the Company's senior management and technicians from Grei and the Secretariat for Innovation and Business (SIN), through the Legal Support Coordination (CSJ).

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The former president of Embrapa and first coordinator of Labex USA, Sílvio Crestana, was one of those responsible for the Company's pioneering role in implementing the program, in 1998, in Maryland, and for the beginning of the partnership with ARS. “There was a need for a new model of international cooperation, which would project Brazilian science and carry out technological prospecting at the highest level, putting Brazil in the spotlight”, recalled the Embrapa Instrumentation researcher. 

In the first period of Labex, strategic research was developed in the areas of intellectual property and biotechnology, precision agriculture, management of soil and water resources, animal health and insect-plant interaction.

Crestana said that, as it was an unprecedented initiative by Embrapa and Brazil in the international context of cooperation, a lot of negotiation was necessary. “There was a process of convincing and articulating with the ARS and the Brazilian government to start the Labex project, which ended up being carried out at the ARS 'house'”.

In addition to the intention, the researcher explained that, due to different legislation, fiscal years, standards and other differences of an administrative nature between the institutions, it took a great deal of management and creativity effort to make Labex operational. “The virtual concept was still being born”, commented Crestana. “The laboratory based not on the construction of buildings, but on sharing the research network in strategic areas between the two institutions was something new that was difficult to imagine and implement.”

Although Brazil and the United States were competitors in agribusiness, Labex began and achieved success. “Thanks to the joining of the Embrapa network, leader in tropical technology, with ARS, leader in temperate climate technology, the largest agricultural research network in the world was created, with more than 4 thousand researchers”, said the former president.

In his opinion, training and consultancy at universities consolidated cooperation with ARS. “There was a mutual interest in common benefit, a win-win and a new milestone in technological and institutional innovation between Brazil and the United States,” he concluded. Throughout its history in the North American territory, Labex had 8 coordinators and 28 expatriate Brazilian researchers.