Representatives from Unicamp and Qilu University of Technology (China), which is part of the Shandong Academy of Sciences, signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday (10) and unveiled the launch plaque for the Shandong-São Paulo Center for Cooperation and Innovation in Science and Technology for Intelligent Low-Carbon Energy, which will operate at Unicamp's Interdisciplinary Center for Energy Planning (Nipe). The initiative represents a strengthening of ties between the São Paulo university and the Chinese province of Shandong, where the Asian institution is located, with the aim of joining forces to drive the energy transition in both countries. The ceremony took place at the headquarters of Unicamp's Innovation Agency (Inova Unicamp).
The vice-governor of the Chinese province, Song Junji, part of the delegation from the Asian country, highlighted the socioeconomic development of the region, which has more than 100 million inhabitants and is the birthplace of the influential philosopher Confucius. Having recorded a gross domestic product (GDP) of around US$ 1,4 trillion in 2024, Shandong stands out in the areas of agriculture, industry and also science and technology – with investments in research representing 88% of the province's GDP and the presence of many laboratories that are national or provincial references, more than 35 thousand companies that work with cutting-edge technology and Chinese and foreign experts.
The vice-governor highlighted the leadership role of Unicamp's faculty in several research areas both in Brazil and worldwide and expressed the expectation of expanding partnerships in the area of green energy, through the installation of joint laboratories and innovation centers, in order to transfer academic results to the industry. "We know that Unicamp has academic advantages in green hydrogen, in energy storage technology, as well as in smart grid.” Junji also said that Shandong is creating a new energy matrix with renewable energy sources: “Last year, the installed capacity of renewable energy reached 100 million kilowatts, surpassing, for the first time, the thermoelectric capacity”.
The vice-governor also spoke about the intention to establish a long-term partnership for the exchange of skilled labor between the two universities, as well as the joint training of students with an international outlook. The Province has more than 170 universities and 1,5 million undergraduate and graduate students. Finally, Junji promised to “provide all necessary support for this partnership to move forward as quickly as possible,” emphasizing the interest in implementing priority projects in a pragmatic manner.
The memorandum of understanding was signed by the rector of Unicamp, Antonio José de Almeida Meirelles, and the director of the International Cooperation Division of Qilu University of Technology, Shao Xiaobo. Meirelles noted that the Campinas region produces around 16% of Brazil's science and technology, and the state of São Paulo produces around 50% of the country's total. The rector stressed that Unicamp already carries out solid collaborative actions with several Chinese institutions and that there is interest in establishing relationships with other regions and universities, as well as with companies that wish to develop activities on the university's campuses.
According to Meirelles, Unicamp is already very involved in the issue of energy transition and the promotion of a sustainable economy. The rector reaffirmed his interest in this collaborative work with China, which is leading investments in the sector. “The goal is to think about a low-carbon economy, something with several dimensions: public lighting, transportation, agriculture, and different forms of energy generation. We are well positioned. Brazil already has 50% of its energy matrix renewable. So, the effort is to encourage this knowledge to be transferred to the economy, agriculture, and industry, in order to accelerate our transition. And for the role of the university, and Unicamp in particular, to be greater in this entire process.”
Meirelles mentioned the International Hub for Sustainable Development (HIDS) project, which encompasses industry and agriculture: “For example, we intend to implement an agrophotovoltaic plant. Currently, Unicamp produces about 10% of its energy from photovoltaic panels, and our forecast is to reach 25% with this plant. We want this area [of HIDS] to also be an example of the transition to a low-carbon economy based on renewable resources, testing technologies that can be used in the neighborhoods of our cities.” The rector also highlighted the innovative potential of the University, which is one of the institutions that licenses the most patents in Brazil, with about 1.500 spin-off companies created by former members of its academic community.
History
The plaque was unveiled by the director of the Energy Research Institute at Qilu University of Technology, Si Hongyu, and Gilberto Jannuzzi, a professor at the School of Mechanical Engineering (FEM) at Unicamp. Jannuzzi is also the researcher responsible for the São Paulo Center for Innovation in Public Lighting Services (Cepil), a project of the State of São Paulo that has been in operation since 2024, with funding from the São Paulo Research Foundation (Fapesp) – and housed at Nipe –, which kicked off the partnership with Shandong Province. Following an invitation to collaborate with Cepil, the universities expressed interest in expanding the areas of joint research, culminating in the creation of this new center for cooperation and innovation. Following the signing of the memorandum, new projects are expected to emerge before the end of 2025.
“We are expanding this cooperation to encompass technologies that we are calling low-carbon technologies. There is a broad spectrum of possibilities of interest to Unicamp and the Chinese. The Chinese have expertise in many areas of interest to us, they have technology and resources – so this is a South-South cooperation, with many chances of yielding good results. China is looking for partners, and Brazil has an opportunity to take advantage of this interest and seek to maximize our benefits as well. We cannot solve everything alone. We need talent, intelligence and, obviously, material resources for things to move forward”, argued Jannuzzi.
This is the first visit by the Shandong Provincial Government to the University. Also present at the ceremony were the Deputy Secretary-General of the Shandong Provincial Government, Liu Taiguang; the Secretary of Science and Technology of the Province, Sun Haisheng; the Secretary of Commerce, Wang Lei; the Chairman of the Shandong Provincial Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Meng Xiangdon; and the Deputy Secretary of International Relations, Li Yongsen, among other members of the delegation. Also present on behalf of Unicamp were the Provost for Research, Ana Maria Frattini; the Executive Director of the Executive Board of International Relations (Deri), Osvaldir Pereira Taranto; the Faculty Advisor to Deri, Rafael de Brito Dias; the Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute at Unicamp, Gao Qinxiang; and the Associate Coordinator of Nipe, José Maria Ferreira Jardim da Silveira.
