Franco-Brazilian Mathematics Network
France and Brazil have a long tradition of scientific cooperation in mathematics, dating back at least as far as the stays of French mathematicians in Brazil such as André Weil (1945-47), Jean Dieudonné (1946-48) and Alexandre Grothendieck (1953-54). This cooperation continued apace in the 80s and 90s, particularly in differential geometry, dynamical systems and complex geometry.
The Franco-Brazilian mathematician Artur Avila, winner of the Fields Medal in 2014, is probably the best symbol of these exchanges.
In the early 2000s, as the number of collaborations between France and Brazil multiplied and diversified, the need arose to set up an institutional framework to facilitate these exchanges, giving rise to the Réseau Franco-Brésilien de Mathématiques (RFBM). In 2002, the RFBM received strong political recognition with the signing of a bilateral agreement by the research ministers of the two countries ("Memorandum between the Ministry of Research of the French Republic and the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Federative Republic of Brazil").
An important new step was taken at the beginning of 2017 with the signing of an agreement to perpetuate this network and transform it into a GDRI. RFBM partner institutions in both countries include CNRS, Ecole Polytechnique, Fondation Sciences Mathématiques in Paris, Fondation Mathématique Jacques Hadamard, the universities of eastern Paris (UPEM, UPEC, and UPE) and IMPA.
The network currently supports two types of program. The first, called "bilateral mobility", promotes collaborative projects involving at least two mathematicians (one working in Brazil and the other in France), by allowing a stay of a few weeks. The aim is to encourage joint research leading to co-authored publications between Brazilian and French researchers.
The second program, "Intensive Workshop for Young Researchers", is more recent. The aim is to bring together young researchers and doctoral students working on a specific topic, with a small number of senior researchers helping them with their reading. The organization can take various forms, but should actively involve young researchers, preferably one French and one Brazilian.
Requests for funding should be sent by email to br-fr@impa.br and fr.br@math.polytechnique.fr nd are evaluated on an ongoing basis by a scientific committee made up of ten or so leading figures from Brazil and France. A reply is usually given within a fortnight. Any mathematician working in France or Brazil is eligible for these programs, with no restrictions on scientific theme.
For further information on the network and how it works, please contact Charles Favre, French coordinator of the RF or have a look at the webpage http://www.rfbm.fr/.