Submitted by Comunicação DRI on Wed, 06/17/2026 - 15:19
Article produced by Pedro Vitor Silva and published on UFOP's official website.
UFOP is expanding its international mobility network through a newly signed agreement with the Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ), France. The partnership, valid from 2026 to 2031, will provide ten academic mobility positions across all fields of knowledge. The opportunities are available to undergraduate and master's students, faculty members, and administrative staff.
The agreement is the result of a scientific collaboration that began in 2014, with the publication of three papers in leading scientific journals on the project “Asymmetric Catalysis Using Chemically Modified Biomass.” The study was coordinated by Professors Leandro Vinícius Alves Gurgel and Laurent Frédéric Gil, from the Department of Chemistry, together with the research group led by Professor Damien Prim from UVSQ, funded by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq).
According to Sabrina Rocha, Coordinator of International Agreements and Mobility of the International Relations Office (DRI-UFOP), the agreement offers students the opportunity to undertake mobility experiences in an institution widely recognized for its academic excellence. She also highlighted the exchange of experiences between the universities: “We will have the opportunity to welcome international students and to expand international cooperation among our researchers,” she celebrated.
In 2022, the scientific partnership advanced through the project “New Biomass-Based Catalysts for Coumarin Synthesis and Glycerol Oxidation,” which focused on the development of sustainable biomass-based technologies for organic synthesis reactions. The research was carried out within the framework of the French Committee for the Evaluation of University Cooperation with Brazil Program (Capes/Cofecub). The team, coordinated by Professor Leandro Gurgel, included Professors Laurent Gil, Liliane Catone Soares, from the Department of Chemistry, and Fernanda Jorge Gonçalves, from the Federal Center for Technological Education of Minas Gerais (Cefet-MG).
Professor Leandro Gurgel believes that the academic mobility opportunity is beneficial both for students, by giving them experience of studying and carrying out research in France, and also for faculty members, since “the opportunity to supervise an international student represents new experiences and opens the door to future collaborations”, he noticed
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