MIT-Brazil Program Information

The MISTI MIT-Brazil Program is one of more than 25 MIT International Science and Technology Initiative (MISTI) programs, part of MIT’s School of Humanities Arts and Social Sciences, housed within MIT’s Center for International Studies. Since its inception, MIT-Brazil has been a hub on campus for engagement with Brazil. Our mission is to foster deep engagements with Brazil, offering hands-on educational experiences for students and an incentive through seed funds for faculty members to connect with Brazilian researchers and intensify ties. The program is made possible thanks to our individual doors, corporate affiliates and by partnerships with Foundations (Lemann, Fish Family and TVML Foundation). In 12 years we have connected 400+ MIT students and 100 MIT faculty with research, teaching and industry partners in Brazil. Student opportunities (Tailored internships in Brazil, MIT Global Teaching Labs and MIT Global Startup Labs): one of the mandates of the Program is to create hands-on, learning experiences in Brazil for MIT students that are related to their course of study and to build strong intercultural connections, while advancing crucial research with global implications. The way we make this possible is by having organizations join our Corporate Affiliate Program, becoming members or partners. Most students spend time as interns at companies, research institutes, and university labs, while others take part in workshops, STEM outreach, and faculty-led projects. Faculty engagement: Since 2010 multiple MIT-Brazil Seed Funds have been established, and have helped kick-start and sustain new collaborations between MIT faculty and their counterparts in Brazil. To date, over 80 collaborative projects have been awarded, thanks also to past co-investment agreements with CNPq, FAPESP and FACEPE. After the initial grant period, many of the relationships continue to flourish, often with continued research grants or industry sponsorship and joint publications.