IEA hosts the Center for the Study of International Negotiations

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Studies on South-South international relations, and science and innovation diplomacy are now more organically a part of IEA's research agenda. This became possible with the entry of the Center for the Study of International Negotiations (CAENI) - a research support center (NAP) of USP's Dean of Research and Innovation (PRPI) - to the academic structure of the Institute, after approval of the proposal of membership by IEA's Board.

Initially a research laboratory of the Department of Political Science (DCP) at USP's Faculty of Philosophy, Languages and Literature, and Human Sciences (FFLCH), the CAENI became a NAP in 2012. Having South-South trade relations as its central theme, the Center began to study the dynamics of the constitution and functioning of coalitions of countries considered to be sub-regional leaders.

In this initial phase, the emphasis of the work was given to studies on IBAS (India, Brazil, and South Africa) and BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa). Within this context, some works have been dedicated to the analysis of Brazilian foreign policy focused on South-South relations.

As of 2019, without abandoning these themes on country coalitions and Brazilian foreign policy, the Center began to more systematically focus on studies about scientific diplomacy and innovation. That year, it organized the first Advanced School on Science and Innovation Diplomacy (InnScid), whose fifth edition took place this month. The IEA has hosted the initiative for three years. The InnScid is linked to the program São Paulo School of Advanced Science (ESPCA), funded by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP).

In the last two years, the researchers of the CAENI have been developing projects on gender equality in science, technology, and innovation in the context of multi- and bilateral negotiations, global circulation of research data, the role of international networks in the advancement of science, and digital cooperation, among other topics. In 2022, the Center joined an international research network on data diplomacy, a research branch of science and innovation diplomacy.

The research projects carried out by the Center are financed by national and international funding agencies. In addition to these projects, the CAENI conducts extension courses on international negotiations, international relations, and science and innovation diplomacy.

In addition to the support from the President's Office at USP and the deans for Research and Innovation, Undergraduation, and Culture and University Extension, CAENI's projects also receive funding from FAPESP, the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development in Brazil (CNPq), the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, and the European Research Council.

With a multidisciplinary structure, the Center brings together professors, researchers, and undergraduate and graduate students from different units at USP, as well as collaborating researchers from other Brazilian and foreign institutions.

The CAENI is coordinated by Amâncio Jorge Silva Nunes de Oliveira, a full professor at USP's Institute of International Relations (IRI) and vice-director of the Paulista Museum. The deputy scientific coordinator is Janina Onuki, a full professor at the DCP-FFLCH, former director at IRI, and a participant in IEA's Sabbatical Year Program. The board is made up of four professors: Cristiane Lucena Carneiro and Pedro Feliú Ribeiro, both from IRI, and João Paulo Candia Veiga and Manoel Galdino, both from the DCP-FFLCH.

The Center's current research agenda focuses on two themes: Scientific and Innovation Diplomacy, and Brazilian Foreign Policy and International Cooperation. In addition to carrying out the annual editions of InnScid, the CAENI will keep several other projects until 2026, which marks the deadline for the current renovation of the Center as a NAP. Some highlights are:

• Gender STI: an analysis of women's participation in the various areas related to science, technology and innovation, with funding from FAPESP and the European Union.
• Science Diplomacy 2.0: carried out in partnership with the University of Manchester and funded by the Horizon Europe program of the European Union, it aims to map the main databases considered one of the main assets for science diplomacy.
• Multilateralism and Global Challenges: Past, Present, and Future: a project in partnership with the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE) and funded by CNPq aimed at identifying the main topics under debate in multilateral arenas, the role of the states in these forums, and their capacity to produce results.

Throughout its 11 years of operation, the CAENI has carried out an intense training and qualification program aimed at a broad spectrum of the public, from high school students to members of high public administration positions.

The courses mainly address aspects of international negotiations in the context of South-South relations. The coordination highlights that the participation of personnel engaged in international negotiation processes, both in the private and governmental fields, subsidizes the research agenda, thus creating a feedback process between research and teaching.