Brazil Hosts 7th BRICS Working Group Meeting on Oceanic and Polar Research
28.05.2025
From 20 to 22 May, Brasília hosted the seventh meeting of the BRICS Working Group on Ocean and Polar Science and Technology, attended by delegates from eight countries: Russia, Brazil, South Africa, India, China, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Iran.
The A.O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IBSS) was represented in the Russian delegation—led by Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Geographical Sciences, and Acting Deputy Director for Scientific and Organisational Work at the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Petr Zavyalov—by Dr. Tatiana Gorbunova, Senior Researcher at the Laboratory of Landscape Ecology and Geomatics and Candidate of Geographical Sciences.
During the meeting, the international working group discussed cutting-edge advancements from BRICS+ member countries across several key themes:
- Modern technologies for modelling, observation, and data assimilation to forecast ocean and climate conditions and prevent natural disasters;
- Research on processes in polar and high-latitude regions;
- Studies on the state of marine ecosystems and biodiversity;
- Investigations of global processes in deep-sea and ultra-abyssal ocean zones;
- Research on processes in estuaries and coastal zones.
Additionally, participants visited the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation and the Ministry of Defence.
The mission of this working group is to promote cooperation among BRICS member countries in oceanic and polar science, facilitating technology implementation through joint efforts by governments, universities, research institutions, and industry—where necessary—to generate new knowledge, train personnel, develop innovative technologies and applications, and enhance public understanding of oceanic and polar science.“Participating in this year’s BRICS Working Group meeting provided a unique opportunity to present our Institute’s research findings at an international level and propose avenues for collaboration. The visits to the ministries allowed us to gain deeper insight into Brazil’s scientific and technological priorities, as well as to establish contacts with government representatives. I am confident that these connections will foster further cooperation between Russia and Brazil in the fields of oceanic and polar research,” reported Tatiana Gorbunova.
