São Paulo (News release) -- Suzano, one the world's largest producers of bio-based raw materials, is establishing a long-term initiative with Jesus College Cambridge and the University of Cambridge. An initial £10 million donation will be used to support education and research into areas including the conservation of biodiversity, enhancing business sustainability, and the restoration of natural habitats in Brazil and beyond.
The agreement will establish the Suzano Scholars Fund, a perpetual endowment at Jesus College Cambridge, to fund Brazilian nationals studying for a postgraduate degree at the University of Cambridge connected to the environment, ecology and conservation, educating the next generation of sustainability experts and leaders. Funding will also be provided to academics based at the University of Cambridge's Conservation Research Institute to undertake research projects exploring the interaction between human and natural systems in areas such as biodiversity, climate change, water resource management, and ecosystem restoration.
As part of the collaboration, researchers will also be provided with access to Suzano's global business operations and conservation areas, which includes more than 11,000 square kilometres of protected land across Brazil's Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, and Amazon biomes.
Beto Abreu, CEO of Suzano, said:
"Our business depends on nature. We have been in business for 100 years, but today we know that unless the world takes urgent action to protect biodiversity and tackle climate change, we are facing irreversible loss and damage to ecosystems over the next century. We know we cannot act alone, so through this collaboration with Jesus College and the University of Cambridge we want to support some of the world's brightest minds to undertake the research and develop the solutions that will be needed to overcome these challenges."
Sonita Alleyne, Master of Jesus College, said:
"As a leading academic institution in its approach to climate change, Jesus College is thrilled to become the Cambridge home for the Suzano Scholars programme. Our vibrant, international community of over 400 postgraduate students engages in study and research across a range of disciplines. Students from Brazil looking to pursue their postgraduate degree in areas connected to the environment, sustainability, ecology and conservation will be warmly welcomed, and the new ideas and discoveries they generate have the potential to make an enormous impact to drive social change and deliver a more sustainable future."
Professor Rachael Garrett, Moran Professor of Conservation and Development, and Director of the Conservation Research Institute at the University of Cambridge, said:
"There are rarely easy answers when it comes to reconciling the needs of people and the protection of nature. We need to rapidly change business-as-usual, but we need the practical ideas, technologies, tools and skills to make this a reality.
"We are excited to be working with Suzano, a company that is widely recognised as one of Brazil's top performers on corporate sustainability, to support postgraduate students from a country that is on the front lines of the battle for biodiversity. Their donation will fund important research here at the University of Cambridge, that will help to advance our understanding of how to successfully deliver on global ambitions for conservation and improving the wellbeing of rural communities.
Professor Bhaskar Vira, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education and Environmental Sustainability at the University of Cambridge, said:
"This visionary initiative will help to build strong links between the University of Cambridge and Brazil, and we look forward to nurturing the next generation of environmental leaders who will play a crucial role in delivering a fairer and more sustainable future for people and the planet."
This agreement is part of a wider global initiative marking Suzano's centenary year, which will see the company invest up to $100 million to accelerate research and action on conservation, climate change, and corporate sustainability, with a particular focus on Brazilian ecosystems. As well as Jesus College and the University of Cambridge, Suzano is currently establishing long-term partnerships with a number of universities and NGOs in Brazil and internationally.
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