University of São Paulo: USP Thematic Axes Program wants to strengthen the University’s relationship with society
Identify how the University can help solve major social problems with an interdisciplinary approach, offer solutions that can generate public policies based on the knowledge produced and further connect USP to society.
These are the strategic objectives of the USP Thematic Axes Program, officially launched on April 4, at a meeting held in the University Council room, in the Rectory building, in São Paulo.
The program is divided into 11 major themes, based on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda: Agribusiness, Inequalities, Democracy, Cities, Culture and Arts, Education, Economy, Energy, Industry , Environment and Health.
The proposal is for each topic to be coordinated by two USP professors and bring together up to 10 experts from the University, the “leading authors”, to create a set of agenda items capable of contributing to the development of public policies based on knowledge, in addition to subsidize the media, guiding debates and interviews in order to emphasize the importance of sustainability, innovation and inclusion in various sectors of society. The program will also have the participation of post-doctoral students and graduate students.
“Society has great expectations of the knowledge generated at the University. We need to use this expertise to contribute to the various social segments, providing subsidies for decision-making and interacting with government bodies and business sectors”, highlighted the dean of USP, Carlos Gilberto Carlotti Junior.
For vice-rector Maria Arminda do Nascimento Arruda, “this is a project with an applied vocation and has the merit of making USP an instrument of public action, a laboratory for society”.
Eleven major themes of the USP Thematic Axes Program, based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
The director of the Biosciences Institute (IB) and advisor to the Dean’s Office, Marcos Buckeridge, explained how the methodology of the work will be, which is modeled on the Guide to Sustainable Cities , produced in 2020 by the USP Global Cities Synthesis Center of the Institute of Advanced Studies (IEA) at USP.
“For each axis, we assigned three SDGs. In this way, all axes have a transversal relationship with the 17 SDGs. And why did we choose the SDGs? Because they cover practically all the items we need for development, without affecting the climate, reducing inequality. The issue of sustainability is that we do things that affect future generations as little as possible,” explained Buckeridge.
The professor at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and advisor to the Dean’s Office, Célia Regina da Silva Garcia, made the presentation of the coordinators of each of the axes.
THEME COORDINATORS
agribusiness Francisco Palma Rennó (FMVZ)
Gerd Sparovek (Esalq)
Cities João Sette Whitaker Ferreira (FAU)
Pedro Roberto Jacobi (IEE)
Culture and Arts José Teixeira Coelho Neto (ECA)
Martin Grossmann (ECA)
Democracy Cibele Saliba Rizek (IAU)
Cícero Romão (FFLCH)
inequalities Ana Elisa Bechara (FD)
Vladimir Safatle (FFLCH)
Economy Fábio Frezatti (FEA)
Rudinei Toneto Junior (FEARP)
education Marcos Neira (FE)
Tadeu Fabrício Malheiros (EESC)
Energy José Roberto Cardoso (Poli)
Suani Teixeira Coelho (IEE)
Industry João Fernando Gomes de Oliveira (EESC)
Vanderley Moacyr John (Poli)
Environment Ana Maria de Oliveira Nusdeo (FD)
Jean Paul Metzger (IB)
Health Berenice Bilharinho de Mendonça (FM)
José Sebastião dos Santos (FMRP)