Belém hosted approximately 50,000 people from various countries to participate in the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 30). Taking advantage of this large influx of participants, researchers from Pará are collecting biological material from sewage systems to analyze DNA structures, with the aim of studying human resistance to bacteria and viruses. The initiative, which began before the conference—starting on November 10th and ending this Friday (November 21st)—continues during and after the event, mobilizing university professors and students in a partnership between the BioTec-Amazônia Association, the Ministry of Health (MS), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), and the Association of Universities of the Amazon (UNAMAZ).

The project was one of the highlights presented by leaders of BioTec-Amazônia and UNAMAZ during a visit to Grupo Liberal this Friday (November 21st), before heading to the Pavilion of the two institutions in the Green Zone of COP 30. The delegation was composed of the Pro Tempore President of UNAMAZ and CEO of BioTec-Amazônia, Professor José Seixas Lourenço; the Executive Secretary Nazaré Imbiriba; Ambassador Carlos Lasary, Member of the UNAMAZ Advisory Council; and the Directors of BioTec-Amazônia, Artur Silva and Sérgio Alves.

The group was welcomed by the Marketing Director of Grupo Liberal, Ney Messias Júnior, who presented the researchers and educators with the conglomerate's integrated platform projects, aligned with the theme of bioeconomy — an area that directly interacts with scientific research and education, pillars of UNAMAZ and BioTec-Amazônia's work.

Created in 1987 by José Seixas Lourenço, then rector of the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), UNAMAZ was born with the mission of connecting institutions focused on the sustainable development of the Amazon region. Currently, it brings together 80 universities, research institutes, and entities from the productive sector of eight pan-Amazonian countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.

Founded in 2016, BioTec-Amazônia acts as a center of intelligence in bioeconomy. The institution brings together 62 entrepreneurial researchers, laboratories, and structuring projects for the sustainable development of the Amazon, including initiatives for DNA traceability of meat and gold, which contribute to combating deforestation and illegal mining in the region.

"Yes, there is intelligent life in the Amazon."

During the meeting, Seixas Lourenço presented an overview of the actions of UNAMAZ and BioTec-Amazônia, reinforcing that socioeconomic development is only possible with environmental preservation when there are consistent investments in education, science, and technology.

“Our slogan, in fact, is: 'Yes, there is intelligent life in the Amazon',” he stated. He highlighted that UNAMAZ's 2025–2030 Strategic Plan brings together 18 structuring projects focused on the Amazonian countries. At the end of the meeting, he addressed Ney Messias: “Count on us.”

Ney Messias positively assessed the meeting and highlighted the importance of closer ties between media outlets and knowledge-producing institutions. “It is extremely important that our media outlets are close to the institutions that generate knowledge. The primary mission of communication is to access academic knowledge and translate it in an accessible way, so that the population, at all levels of understanding, can comprehend it,” emphasized the Marketing Director of Grupo Liberal.