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Research Centre Brasilia

About the Research Centre

The Research Centre Brasilia is hosted at the International Relations Institute (IREL) by University of Brasilia.

Research Centre Brasilia is linked to the research group on International System in the Anthropocene and Global Climate Change (CLIM), created in 2007 under the coordination of Professor Eduardo Viola. The group is certified by the University of Brasilia and by the Ministry of Science and Technology/CNPq (National Research Council). CLIM aims at fostering interdisciplinary research, capacity building and science-policy interface concerning three interconnected areas of sustainability governance: climate change, biodiversity/indigenous knowledge and oceans/Antarctica. The focus of Research Centre Brasilia research agenda is on multi-level interactions, mainly related to Brazil, with focus on the Amazon and Cerrado biomes, the South American Amazon and to a lesser extent, the whole South America. The Centres’ research network involves senior and young fellows from different countries and academic backgrounds through joint research and teaching projects.

The IREL at the University of Brasilia has the best graduate program in International Relations in Brazil according to the Ministry of Education/CAPES 2016 Report and a very competitive group of researchers on environmental governance. The IREL offers undergraduate and graduate programs and receives students and researchers from around the world. Recently, researchers from Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, France, Portugal, Germany, Japan and the United States have participated in the Institute activities. Students from developing countries have the chance to apply for Brazilian scholarships through the PEC-PG Federal Program. Being close to the national decision-making Centres (Executive Power, National Congress and Regulatory Agencies for Water, Energy, Biodiversity, Forests, Oceans/Antarctica), as well as to the embassies and international organizations, gives the IR Institute a privileged position for dialogue on sustainability challenges and public policies.

Recent publications

Building Capabilities for Earth System Governance

This Element develops a new Strategic Capabilities Framework for studying and steering complex socio-ecological systems. It is driven by the…

Trade and the Environment: Drivers and Effects of Environmental Provisions in Trade Agreements

The mushrooming of trade agreements and their interlinkages with environmental governance calls for new research on the trade and environment…

The Politics of Deep Time

Human societies increasingly interact with processes on a geological or even cosmic timescale. Despite this recognition, we still lack a…

A Green and Just Recovery from COVID-19?: Government Investment in the Energy Transition during the Pandemic

Stimulus spending to address the economic crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to either facilitate the…