Plans for a ParisTech representative office in Brazil? Interview with Claude Barbichon, the person in charge of the preparatory mission

What makes Brazil so attractive from a French point of view?

Brazil is a huge market with a young and dynamic population of close to 200 million people.

Brazil has a real need to develop its infrastructure, the limits of which are already being stretched following twelve years of strong economic growth.

Our businesses thus have a role to play in Brazil, and there is strong potential for development in industry, services or the processing or trade of agricultural products.

Beyond these business aspects, I would like to highlight the cultural proximity between our two countries and the existence of a certain love of France in Brazil which makes Franco-Brazilian trade more than just a business relationship!

We should finally not forget the 2014 football World Cup and that the Olympic Games will be hosted in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. All this means that this is a great opportunity to establish our presence in Brazil!

How do you envisage the development of ParisTech in Brazil? What are the main opportunities there?

The added value of ParisTech is its privileged links with businesses, and I believe that one of the primary goals of our presence in Brazil in the coming years will be to effectively promote synergies between teaching, research and business for the benefit of our graduates and the businesses where they work.

Our Grandes Écoles also represent a considerable force in the field of research: the development of research links between our two countries is also an important concern and ParisTech is ready to make a significant contribution in this regard.

To conclude, if ParisTech were able to establish, with its Representation Office in São Paulo, an effective interface between established French businesses in Brazil and the world of Franco-Brazilian training and research, our mission would be largely fulfilled!