In a context of rapid geopolitical and economic transformations, deepen relationships between Brazil and India is essential to expand commercial and technological exchange and identify partnership opportunities between the two countries. The Brazil-India Economic Forum, held on July 7 at the Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro, reinforced this relationship by fostering dialogue among business leaders, diplomats, and government representatives from both nations. The event featured the participation of Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz’s Director, Rosane Cuber, who opened the panel on “Pharmaceutical Industry and Life Sciences.”
The forum took place alongside the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, which aims to foster cooperation and alignment among countries facing common development challenges. Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz plays a strategic role in strengthening global health within the BRICS context, by participating in international networks and leading projects to tackle health emergencies through cooperation with other Global South countries.
According to Rosane Cuber, the Institute has been discussing joint strategies to expand equitable access to vaccines, strengthen responses to epidemiological alerts, and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 3: “Bio-Manguinhos is committed to promoting South-South partnerships, aligned with Brazil’s diplomatic tradition and focused on technical and scientific cooperation with countries facing similar challenges, such as India. The unit maintains active dialogue in forums such as the Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers Network (DCVMN) and the BRICS, where it represents Brazil in the Vaccine R&D Center,” she explained.
During the event, Rosane highlighted that despite the strong potential for partnership between the two countries, there are challenges that can be overcome, particularly in the regulatory and logistical fields, which can slow down and increase the cost of importing and registering active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) from India, the world’s leading supplier: “Brazil and India share many synergies in the areas of research, development, and production of health inputs and have a long-standing history of mutual support. We must leverage this to advance structural partnerships that foster a more favourable environment for joint and sustainable innovation for global public health,” she emphasized.
About the Brazil-India Economic Forum
The forum was organized by the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil), the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (MDIC), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE), in partnership with the National Confederation of Industry (CNI), the India-Brazil Chamber of Commerce (CCIB), and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). The goal was to enhance trade and technological exchange between Brazil and India by identifying partnership opportunities and exploring the potential of both countries. This year, in addition to the pharmaceutical industry theme, the event also covered topics such as energy transition, food security, emerging industries, and technological innovation.
The forum was streamed live on ApexBrasil’s YouTube channel and is available in full. [Watch here!]
Text and photo: Helouise Costa