Thursday, 2 October 2025 Memorandum of Understanding between UP FAMNIT and the National Pantanal Research Institute (INPP)
UP FAMNIT,at the initiative of the Department of Biodiversity, has signed the Memorandum of Understanding with the National Pantanal Research Institute (INPP) from Brazil. The agreement opens new opportunities for joint research projects, student and staff exchanges, and further strengthens the already established collaboration with the Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT).
INPP is a federal scientific research institute, established in 2014 with the aim of supporting the sustainable development of the Pantanal region – one of the largest and most biodiverse floodplains in the world. The institute connects research institutions from Brazil and abroad, focusing on the development of sustainable models for natural resource management and the transfer of scientific knowledge into practice.
In recent years, cooperation between UP FAMNIT and Brazilian partners has become increasingly stronger, particularly within the Erasmus+ programme and bilateral research projects. Students from both universities have already participated in exchanges and professional training.
The establishment of this cooperation was also made possible thanks to the active role of researcher and doctoral candidate in the Conservation Biology program at UP FAMNIT, Martin Senič, whose research on the ecology of the Cracidae family and other selected groups of vertebrates in the Pantanal region is conducted in close collaboration with researchers from UFMT and INPP, who have also supported his work through the awarding of a research scholarship. Through his efforts, Martin has significantly contributed to strengthening the ties between institutions, enabling the expansion of joint activities. Consequently, collaboration between UP FAMNIT and Brazilian partners has grown increasingly close in recent years. Thanks to the Erasmus+ program and bilateral research projects, additional opportunities have opened for academic and practical exchanges between students of both universities.
As part of the new agreement, academic and research visits are also planned. In October 2025, UP FAMNIT will host Prof. Dr. Marinêz Isaac Marques, expert in an entomology expert and research coordinator at INPP and professor at UFMT, Prof. Dr. Karl-L. Schuchmann, also a professor at UFMT, an ornithology specialist, biogeographer, and tropical ecologist who is especially specialized in Neotropical birds, entomology and research coordinator at INPP, and Dr. Carolline Zatta Fieker, a researcher specializing in ecology, ornithology, fire ecology, and vertebrate bioacoustics. The guests will contribute as lecturers at the international summer school Science, how to write and talk about it, which will take place at UP FAMNIT in Izola from 13 to 27 October 2025.
The signing of this framework agreement represents an important step towards expanding the international research collaboration of UP FAMNIT and provides opportunities for the development of interdisciplinary research, exchanges, and new joint projects that will contribute to a better understanding and sustainable management of one of the most valuable ecosystems in the world.
The photos below show glimpses from the field work in Brazil.
