Dr. Salvarezza presented the opening of the Franco-Argentine Conferences

The president of the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Dr. Roberto Salvarezza, participated in the inaugural event of the Franco-Argentine Conferences commemorating 50 years of scientific cooperation for innovation. The organization was in charge of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation, the French Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship.

“Nowadays France is a main partner in science and technology and historically this relationship has contributed to the societies and their economies with its joint cooperation and added value”, the president of the CONICET remarked.

In terms of scientific publications, France is currently within the four countries that has more co-publications with Argentina, after the United States of America, Spain and Brazil. Furthermore, France ranks first in number of bilateral projects with more than 100 implementation projects and 300 annual French researcher’s missions in Argentina.

In his speech, Dr. Salvarezza spoke about the first “Cultural, Scientific and Technical Cooperation Agreement” between France and Argentina, signed in 1964, which meant the first step for joint work and the traditional ties between both countries.

“Thanks to the national government’s boost to the scientific and technological system during the last decade, the cooperation between both countries has increased”, the president of the Council stated. Within this context, he added that “the bilateral relationships are reflected in the transference with private companies such as the case of the SANOFI (French) and CONICET for the development of Chagas’s disease diagnostic tests”.

This dynamic cooperation of these last years led to the construction of new centres and headquarters like the Argentine-French Centre of Engineering Sciences (CAFCI), which will be operational in 2015 at the Technological Scientific Pole; the French-Argentine International Center for Information and Systems Sciences (CIFASIS); and the cooperation with the Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) in pharmaceutical areas.

Likewise, the University of Sorbonne Paris Cité inaugurated a foreign headquarter in Buenos Aires, the fourth after its other headquarters in Berlin, São Paulo and Singapore. Therefore, this Consortium will promote joint projects with Universities and the CONICET in 2015.

The opening ceremony was attended by the French ambassador to Argentina, Jean Michel Casa, and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Eduardo Antonio Zuain.

French-Argentine cooperation in science, technology and innovation

After the opening ceremony, the Manager of Scientific and Technological Development of the CONICET, Jorge Tezón, participated in the first exhibition panel called “Half a century of French-Argentine cooperation in science, technology and innovation. Institutional perspective”.

He analyzed 500 publications and co-publications between France and Argentina during 2013. He highlighted that “165 belong to the area of Physical Sciences, 177 to Medicine and 110 to Biological Sciences, apart from the great cooperation on social terms”.

Regarding the French institutions involved in the publications, he recalled the University of Paris and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and remarked the impact on cooperation of the International Mixed Units (UMI), the Franco-Argentine Institute of Climate Studies and the Argentine-French Centre in Engineering. At the end, Tezón talked in depth about the cooperation agreements with the Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) and the Sorbonne Paris Cité.

The event was attended by Eng. Águeda Menvielle, National Director of International Relations of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation, and representatives of different French institutes.