The Institute in Brazil to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the State of Sao Paulo

On June the 14^th, 2012, in Sao Paulo, the G. Caporale Institute (ICT) and the ' Secretaria de Agricultura e Abastecimento' of the Sao Paulo State of the Federative Republic of Brazil signed a memorandum of understanding to launch a series of institutional, technical and administrative collaboration and cooperation activities with regard to food safety, epidemiology of animal diseases and zoonoses, production of vaccines and traceability of food of animal origin.

The agreement was signed by ICT doctor Giacomo Migliorati and Monika Carneiro Meira Bergamaschi of the Secretaria de Agricultura e Abastecimento of the Braz ilian State, in the presence of the Consul Mauro Marsili, the Deputy Director of the Italian Cultural Institute, Livia Raponi, the Director General of the Biological Institute, Antonio Batista Filho, and other authorities.

The agreement represents further international recognition of the high level of knowledge and scientific resources of the Teramo Institute, which will engage its experts in the scientific and technical training of the Brazilian staff. The Institute will also develop projects of investment as well as of productive integration of agro-business in the State of Sao Paulo. Moreover, it will support Brazilian veterinary authorities in ensuring health control levels and food traceability in order to allow competitiveness and safety of local productions in terms of quality.

Within this five-year MoU a group of coordinators was designated: three for ICT and three for the State of Sao Paulo; they will be responsible for the orientation of the project's objectives.

With this agreement, the G. Corporale Institute consolidates its international cooperation relations with Brazil. Indeed, technical and scientific synergies with the State of São Paulo are in place since 2010 whereas cooperation agreements with other states of the Federative Republic include the State of Santa Catarina, since 2007, for the adaptation of production sites and health management system, and the State of Ceara, since 2009, for food safety.