The Laboratory of Technological Innovation in Health of UFRN (LAIS) signed on Wednesday (4) two agreements of technical-scientific international cooperation with the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) in Spain. The actions aim to develop research and extension activities in the audiovisual area, applied to the induction of policies for rapid response to syphilis.

The agreements were established through two research groups linked to UAB. The Observatory and Research Group on Migration and Communication (MIGRACOM) works with research in the area of communication, with emphasis on advertising, journalism and audiovisual production. The Fonamental and Oriented Anthropology Research Group (GRAFO) works on issues related to anthropology in health.

According to Professor Juciano Lacerda, LAIS researcher and professor of the Graduate Program in Media Studies (PPGEM) and the Department of Social Communication of UFRN, the partnership is important because it allows cooperation with reference research groups in Spain.

“These agreements give us the opportunity to work in cooperation with two research groups that are references in Barcelona, with expertise in Spain and in African countries, especially with research methodologies and intervention processes with populations in situations of vulnerability. There is important knowledge in audiovisual production and qualitative analysis of representation of cultural diversities, and also with populations in vulnerable situations, and these skills are important to implement in the actions that we develop in LAIS in educommunication and advertising,” he said.

Partnerships in Spain

In addition to the agreement signed with the Autonomous University of Barcelona, LAIS has already developed joint actions with the Complutense University of Madrid, in the Spanish capital. The agreement was signed at the end of May this year.

The partnership provides for the exchange of professionals between the institutions, as well as the development of joint research in the areas of communication, educommunication and public health.