Researchers from the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) and the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) have joined Brazil’s largest-ever environmental research initiative, marking a milestone in Macau’s growing role in global scientific collaboration, according to recent statements from both private universities.
The project, titled “CEMAR” (the National Institute for the Identification, Quantification, Dispersion and Mitigation of Environmental Risks and Pollution by Emerging Contaminants in Marine and Coastal Environments), has been officially approved under Brazil’s INCT 2024 call, the largest programme of its kind ever launched in the country, according to the USJ statement.
INCT is the acronym for Brazil’s National Institutes of Science Technology and Innovation.
The MUST statement added that CEMAR is one of 143 projects selected under the initiative, which received a record 1.63 billion reais (about 2.66 billion patacas) in funding, supported by Brazil’s National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development (FNDCT) and state research foundations, to which the programme aims to foster interdisciplinary networks to address pressing environmental and scientific challenges.
The project is coordinated by Prof. Denis Abessa of Brazil’s São Paulo State University, alongside researchers from multiple institutions including Cristiane Ottoni, Leandro Castro, Milene Fornari, and Yoannis Rodríguez from São Paulo State University, Almir Neto from the Institute for Energy and Nuclear Research (IPEN), also in São Paulo, Rafael Perna from the Federal University of Alfenas, António Brito from the University of Lisbon, and Sara Silvério from the University of Minho, all from Portugal, both statements highlighted.
From Macau, the team includes Prof. André Antunes, acting dean of the Institute of Science and Environment at USJ, and Assistant Professor Marta Filipa Simões from the State Key Laboratory of Lunar and Planetary Sciences (SKLPlanets) at MUST. The MUST statement quoted Assistant Prof. Filipa Simões as underlining the global impact of the initiative: “By linking marine pollution research with astrobiological* and planetary health perspectives, we are opening new frontiers for science and sustainability, while supporting global efforts toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”
* Astrobiology is the scientific field that studies the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. It combines knowledge from biology, chemistry, geology, planetary science, and astronomy to answer fundamental questions: Is there life beyond Earth? If so, how can we find it? And what is life’s ultimate fate in the cosmos? - DeepSeek
This undated handout photo shows Assistant Prof. Marta Filipa Simões conducting research at the experimental platforms from SKLPlanets at MUST. – Photo: MUST
