UFV Technical-scientific knowledge will be applied in projects for the recovery of the areas affected by the Fundao dam collapse
In December 2017, representatives of the Renova Foundation and the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV) signed a Technical Cooperation Agreement, which provides for the university’s support to actions and repair fronts in areas affected by the collapse of the Fundao dam. The partnership will enable the conduct of research, projects and consultancies.
In an interview, Professor Alair Freitas, Head of UFV Institutional Relations, talks about the importance of new investments in research to enable the university to extend its engagement to the remediation needs of the Doce River basin. Likewise, Freitas also believes it is fundamental to have relationships with other institutions that are also dedicated to projects focused on the socioeconomic and environmental recovery of the region.
Freitas holds a PhD in Business Administration from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), is a professor in the Rural Economy Department at UFV, a researcher at the Minas Gerais Observatory of Cooperativism and coordinator of the Cooperativism, Family Agriculture and Public Policies for Rural Development research group.
How will the agreement signed between UFV and the Renova Foundation work? What will be its focus?
The agreement makes it possible to institutionally support a series of projects that are already underway, focused on both environmental and socioeconomic programs, but it also seeks to stimulate other projects and the UFV research groups to create more collaborative projects within the university, applied to the demands of Renova and the society that was affected.
What does this agreement cover and what is expected of UFV?
This agreement covers a partnership that provides for investments in projects that are in line with the demands of the TTAC and Renova Foundation. We expect this agreement to extend the engagement of the Federal University of Viçosa in relation to the needs to recover the Doce River basin and its relationship with other institutions that are also dedicated to socioeconomic and environmental development projects to recover the affected region.
How important are partnerships like this, and how can society benefit?
This partnership allows the university to engage in a broader and more effective way, through funding of research and development projects and science outreach, as well as the application of scientific-technical knowledge of the university to the needs of the affected communities.
And for the academic community and researchers? What is the relevance of such partnerships?
For the academic community, the partnership with the Renova Foundation enables us to broaden our scope of research with more opportunities for funding for research and science outreach, as well as developing projects that are more interdisciplinary and cooperative, focused on the needs of the impacted regions.
Are there any other studies done by UFV that can support our objectives of the partnership with the Renova Foundation? What and how?
Several studies of the Federal University of Viçosa may contribute. The institution has a great expertise in the area of forest recovery and restoration, with a very prominent and productive trajectory in this area. We also have conducted several studies related to the economic reactivation and the development of communities that, in fact, can serve the affected communities.