The direct result of collaboration between Brazilian and Swedish researchers, the SARC was launched in Sweden to unite researchers of the aeronautics sector. In Brazil, a similar model is being proposed.
The Program Swedish Endowed Professor Chair at ITA in Honor of Peter Wallenberg Sr., brought some benefits in addition to the initially expected ones. With the main goal of expanding the horizons of Brazilian students and researchers by contact with Swedish professors from leading universities, the initiative coordinated by CISB also enabled a significant approximation between the participating tutors of the Scandinavian country.
One of the results of this closer contact was the SARC (Swedish Aeronautical Research Center), launched in Sweden to promote the national coordination and alignment of academic research in aeronautics. The attributes of this center include mediation between industry and companies to strengthen the Swedish triple helix model respected internationally.
“The Brazilian connection facilitated interaction between the Swedish professors and, therefore, also supported the creation of the SARC,” explains Professor Dan Henningson, of KTH (Royal Institute of Technology). Henningson also says that any support for aeronautics research at universities is usually provided by the Swedish government, primarily through the Vinnova (government funding agency) program, called NFFP. “Each NFFP project is collaboration between universities and the industry,” he says. According to Henningson, the center will strengthen the academic side of research and create a network of university researchers in the field of aeronautics.
Professor Emilia Villani from ITA explains that now the idea is to do something similar in Brazil, although we would need to observe the country’s current reality. “In Brazil, there is a lack of projects linked to the industry,” she says. The Professor adds that few people are conducting important research for the aeronautical field. “The goal of creating a research network in Brazil is to connect these researchers so, together, they can produce more than they would do separately,” she concludes.
The project is still in an early stage but it will be discussed in the SARC Academy, first concrete result of the Center, and held on March 18-22 in Florianopolis, with the presence of SARC representatives and several Brazilian researchers in the aeronautics sector.
