From Pécs to São Paulo: the Emergence of Science, Networks, and a New Form of Diplomacy

In recent years, a new direction has become increasingly visible in international higher education and research cooperation. This direction goes beyond traditional partnership agreements, opening toward a global space in which science serves not only as the basis for joint research, but also as a force for building connections, a strategic instrument, and a language of diplomacy in its own right.

The University of Pécs has been taking an increasingly active role in this process, particularly in relation to Brazil.

São Paulo: A Gateway to Latin America

The University of São Paulo is not only one of Brazil's leading scientific centers, but also one of the most important in all of Latin America. The relationships established there therefore represent more than cooperation between two institutions, they provide entry into a multi-actor, dynamically developing scientific ecosystem.

One of the key driving forces behind these collaborations is the European Union's coordinated presence in Brazil. The EU's science diplomacy activities, conducted through the Euraxess network and EU delegations, have intensified significantly over the past two years. The objective is clear: to increase the visibility of European research and mobility opportunities in Latin America and to build direct relationships with local academic and innovation actors.

Within this environment, São Paulo plays a particularly prominent role.

When Science Builds Bridges

The EDUC-WIDE global mission, carried out between 5 and 24 March 2026, provides a strong example of this new approach. The EDUC – European Digital UniverCity alliance, which brings together universities from several countries, was present in Brazil not as a single institution, but as a coordinated European university partnership.

In practice, this meant that researchers and experts from the participating universities appeared jointly, shared their research priorities, and presented cooperation opportunities to Brazilian partners within a unified framework. During the meetings, the focus was not on isolated institutional relationships, but on the emergence of multilateral cooperation opportunities linking European and Brazilian higher education and research actors simultaneously.

The mission included joint seminars and professional consultations, while the foundations for new research collaborations were also established and direct dialogue began with Brazilian universities, including the University of São Paulo. The meetings did not remain at a formal level: genuine professional connections were formed, already defining the direction of future cooperation.

Pécs at the Forefront of Virology

One of the most dynamically developing areas of Hungarian-Brazilian scientific cooperation, and one with particularly significant potential, is connected to biosciences and life science innovation. In the context of cutting-edge infrastructure, high-level research expertise, and an international environment, science diplomacy functions as part of innovation management: it is capable of catalyzing partnerships, reducing risks arising from institutional and geographical distance, and facilitating effective knowledge and technology transfer.

The development of partnerships between the University of Pécs and leading Brazilian research institutions, including the Federal University of Minas Gerais, CT Vacinas, and the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, illustrates this process well. The following two case studies present, respectively, the creation of an mRNA vaccine development partnership and the establishment of a globally pioneering biosafety cooperation.

The First Brazilian mRNA Competence Center to Be Established with the Contribution of Pécs

In May 2023, consultations began between experts from the University of Pécs (PTE), the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), and CT Vacinas, the biotechnology research center operating within the university. The process was coordinated by Hungary's science and technology diplomat in Brazil, highlighting the catalytic role of science diplomacy in establishing international research and development partnerships. The strategic objective of the partnership was to advance vaccine development against Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, which represents a major public health challenge in the Latin American region.

On the Hungarian side, the driving force behind the cooperation came from researchers at the Institute of Biochemistry and Medical Chemistry of the University of Pécs, Dr. Antal Tapodi and Dr. Gyöngyi Kiss Nagyné, assistant professors, as well as Bence Kiss, research assistant, together with Balázs Czibók, manager of the PTE Technology Transfer Office, who supported the innovation processes. The technological foundation of the project was provided by the innovative immunization platform called TFR123, developed by Neo-Antigen Biotechnology Ltd., a spin-off company of PTE, offering a novel approach in the field of immunogenic protein conjugation.

The Hungarian-developed technology offered the Brazilian side a novel platform suitable for immunogenic protein conjugation that generated a more effective immune response than previous solutions. Within the framework of the cooperation, mRNA samples delivered to Brazil enabled targeted Chagas disease research at the Brazilian institution, rapidly producing tangible scientific results.

The strategic importance of the partnership became particularly evident in 2025, when the Brazilian Industrial Research and Innovation Association (Embrapii) and the Brazilian Ministry of Health announced USD 11 million in funding for the establishment of the first Brazilian mRNA Vaccine and Therapy Competence Center. The grant was awarded to CT Vacinas, and according to information provided by the center's leadership, the successful professional relationship built with Hungarian partners since 2023 played a decisive role in its selection.

The center, to be established in the Belo Horizonte Technology Park, is expected to begin operations in December 2026. The institution will not only strengthen Brazil's technological sovereignty in the field of next-generation gene and mRNA-based therapies, but will also provide Hungarian research results with direct access to the global innovation market.

World-First Biosafety Training Program Launched

A strategically important cooperation has been launched between the National Laboratory of Virology (VNL) at the University of Pécs and the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM). The aim of the partnership is to provide professional support for Latin America's first maximum biological safety level (BSL-4) laboratory and to develop an internationally standardizable training program representing a milestone in biosafety competency development.

 

BSL-4 Laboratory: The National Laboratory of Virology at the University of Pécs boasts the most advanced virological research facility in Hungary and stands out in the Central and Eastern European region as the sole high-security biolab dedicated to research purposes.

Latin America's first maximum biological safety level facility is being established in the city of Campinas, in the state of São Paulo, as part of the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM). The Orion Laboratory Complex will be connected, in a globally unique manner, to a particle accelerator, the Sirius Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS). The resulting infrastructure will simultaneously enable the study of high-risk pathogens and the integration of cutting-edge analytical methods, significantly increasing research efficiency and innovation potential.

The foundations of the cooperation were partly established through earlier professional relationships developed with the CT Vacinas center, through which close professional and trust-based relations were formed between representatives of the National Laboratory of Virology in Pécs and CNPEM. The collaboration between VNL and the Brazilian side initially began specifically with LNBio and later expanded to several additional units within CNPEM. As a result, in 2024, during the planning phase of the Orion project, Brazilian experts participated in a study visit at the VNL in Pécs with the aim of incorporating the BSL-4 laboratory protocols and best practices used there into the planning process of the Brazilian facility.

The partnership reached another milestone in early 2025, when Hungarian researchers took part in a ten-day professional program at CNPEM member institutes, including the Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio) and the Sirius Light Laboratory. The National Laboratory of Virology was represented by Director Dr. Gábor Kemenesi, Deputy Operational Director Dr. Anett Kuczmog, Balázs Antal Somogyi, manager of the BSL-4 laboratory, and Dr. Kornélia Kurucz, head of the Disease Vector and Disease Ecology Research Group. During the professional consultations, the parties identified research cooperation opportunities and also presented training methodologies related to the operation of high-security laboratories.

Dr. Gábor Kemenesi. Associate professor, National Laboratory of Virology, Szentágothai Research Center | University of Pécs (Photo: Szabolcs Csortos)

As one result of the negotiations, a decision was made to prepare a comprehensive cooperation agreement, launch three joint research projects, and develop an innovative biosafety training program. The joint research projects cover the exchange of virus and vector samples, drug development, as well as protein and mosquito research, making use of the complementarity between the cryo-electron microscopy capacities in Pécs and Brazilian synchrotron-based technologies. Parallel to this, work also began on a training methodology that records, in a globally standardizable format, the competencies required for operating biosafety laboratories.

The cooperation deepened further in February 2026, when the delegation from Pécs participated in CNPEM's high-security laboratory training program. As a result of the joint work, a training model began to take shape that, by combining Hungarian and Brazilian methodologies, could become an international reference point in the preparation of specialists working with dangerous pathogens.

The strategic partnership extends beyond the dimensions of education and research: through joint projects, it contributes to strengthening the epidemiological resilience of both countries while also generating researcher mobility programs. As a first step, the selection process has already begun for a Brazilian postdoctoral researcher who will join the laboratory in Pécs for a one-year period.

Both cases demonstrate how science diplomacy can catalyze high value-added, knowledge-intensive cooperation. The integration of Hungarian expertise into two internationally significant laboratory infrastructures not only increases Hungary's global scientific visibility, but also secures the long-term position of the University of Pécs at the forefront of the global virology community.

Authors: Júlia Morován, Dávid Molnár