At the Embassy of Canada to Germany in Berlin on 2 December 2024, Eureka welcomed a 48th country to its network: Brazil. This was formalised in a signing ceremony between Brazilian Vice Minister for Technological Development and Innovation at the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology Innovation, Daniel Gomes Almeida Filho, and German Secretary of State, Stephan Ertner, under the auspices of Eureka’s Canadian and German Co-Chair team from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and National Research Council Canada. Eureka’s collaboration with Brazil gained traction during the Portuguese Chair from 2021-2022 (with the signature of a declaration of intent) with formal proceedings for accession starting in 2023.
Brazil follows Chile and Argentina as the third South American country in Eureka’s network and will be represented by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation and its federal-level innovation agency, Finep. Brazil’s unique research funding structure means Brazilian organisations will be able to access funding for Eureka projects at both national and state-level depending on how budget is allocated.