On Friday (7), the Federal University of Rio Grande (FURG) took part in the official launch ceremony of the Pampa Biome Network of Public Higher Education Institutions (RBPIPES), held at the Legislative Palace of Uruguay, in Montevideo. The institution was represented by Vice-Rector Ednei Primel, the Secretary for International Relations Dariano Krummenauer, and the Secretary for Environmental Management Felipe Kessler.

FURG is one of the founding entities of the new network, which currently brings together public universities and institutes from Brazil and Uruguay committed to sustainable development, regional integration, and academic cooperation within the Pampa Biome territory. Alongside FURG, several other prominent institutions are part of the group, including the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel), the Federal University of Pampa (Unipampa), the Federal Institute Sul-rio-grandense (IFSUL), the Technological University of Uruguay (UTEC), the University of the Republic (Udelar), the University of Labor of Uruguay (UTU), among others.

According to Krummenauer, the network aims to include universities from Argentina so that the Pampa Biome Network becomes a trinational initiative. The secretary also highlights that FURG has strong potential to contribute to the network, mainly due to its emphasis on research related to coastal ecosystems.

The missions of RBPIPES include strengthening teaching, research, and outreach through the creation of joint projects, as well as promoting academic mobility for students and faculty among the participating countries. The collaborative work also seeks to encourage innovation in the fields of energy, information technology, artificial intelligence, and ecology, among other strategic areas. The network’s commitments include ecological sustainability, environmental protection, the defense of social rights, democratic strengthening, and the appreciation of the cultural identity of the Pampa.