UQ strengthens nano ties with Brazil

Australia’s scientific ties with Brazil took a step closer recently with a conference aimed at building greater research links between the two countries.

The Australia Brazil Bio Nano Technology (ABBINTech) Conference, held at The University of Queensland on March 27 and 28, brought together some of the best and brightest researchers from both countries to explore ways to share knowledge.

Conference organiser Dr Joe de Costa said while there were already many important research links with Brazil, it made sense to nurture further collaboration.

“When you have two countries with such similar climates and environments the opportunities to enhance our research collaborations are obvious,” Dr de Costa said.

“For example, if you are working on nanomaterials for paints in Australia, that work is easily applied in Brazil with our similar climate conditions rather than the colder climates of Europe.”

Dr de Costa, who is also the Associate Director of the ARC Centre for Functional Nanomaterials based at UQ, said the conference attracted the top researchers in bioengineering and nanotechnology in both countries.

“Some of the topics covered included the latest advances in drug delivery, tissue engineering, composite materials and quantum computing chemistry,” he said.

The ABBINTech is an initiative of the Brazilian Government’s Ministry of Science and Technology in conjunction with the Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) and the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre for Functional Nanomaterials.