Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ),[a] alternatively known as University of Brazil,[b] is a public research university in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the largest federal university in the country and is one of the Brazilian centers of excellence in teaching and research.[6]
"University of Rio de Janeiro" redirects here. For other uses, see University of Rio de Janeiro (disambiguation).
Other names
UFRJ
A Universidade do Brasil
"The University of Brazil"
December 16, 1792
(231 years) (Royal Academy)
September 7, 1920
(103 years) (University)[1]
Roberto de Andrade Medronho[3]
4,218 (2021)[4]
9,153 (2021)[4]
69,200 (2021)[4]
53,500 (2021)[4]
15,700 (2021)[4]
University town
2,338 acres (946 ha)
(Main campus)
Yellow and White
Brazil's first official higher education institution,[7] it has operated continuously since 1792, when the "Real Academia de Artilharia, Fortificação e Desenho" (Royal Academy of Artillery, Fortification and Design, precursor to the university's current Polytechnic School) was founded,[8] and served as basis for the country's college system since its officialization in 1920.[9] Besides its 157 undergraduate and 580 postgraduate courses, the UFRJ is responsible for seven museums, most notably the National Museum of Brazil, nine hospitals, hundreds of laboratories and research facilities and forty-three libraries. Its history and identity are closely tied to the Brazilian ambitions of forging a modern, competitive and just society.[10]
The university is located mainly in Rio de Janeiro, with satellites spreading to ten other cities. Its main campuses are the historical campus of "Praia Vermelha" (Red Beach) and the newer "Cidade Universitária" (University Town), which houses the "Parque Tecnológico do Rio" (Technology Park of Rio) - a science, technology and innovation development cluster. There are also several off-campus units scattered in Rio de Janeiro: the School of Music, the College of Law Studies, the Institute of Philosophy and Social Sciences and the Institute of History, in downtown Rio; the National Museum and the Valongo Observatory (not to be confused with the National Observatory); and the high-school unit "Colégio de Aplicação" (Application College) in Lagoa. To the city of Macaé, located in the State's northern region, was dedicated a research and learning center focused on environmental issues and oil-related matters, and the city of Duque de Caxias, in partnership with the National Institute of Metrics, Normalization and Industrial Quality (Inmetro), saw the implementation of "Pólo Avançado de Xerém" (Advanced Center of Xerém), aimed at boosting research in the fields of biotechnology and nanotechnology.
UFRJ is one of the main actors in the formation of the Brazilian intellectual elite, contributing significantly to build not only the history of Rio de Janeiro but also of Brazil. Some of its former students include renowned economists Carlos Lessa and Mário Henrique Simonsen; Minister Marco Aurélio Mello; the architect Oscar Niemeyer; the philosopher and politician Roberto Mangabeira Unger; the educator Anísio Teixeira; the engineer Benjamin Constant; writers Clarice Lispector, Jorge Amado and Vinicius de Moraes; politicians Francisco Pereira Passos, Oswaldo Aranha and Pedro Calmon, besides the great physicians Carlos Chagas, Oswaldo Cruz and Vital Brazil.
Students[edit]
Admissions[edit]
Similarly to most Brazilian public universities, admissions to the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro are defined by highly competitive entrance exams held every year (commonly known in Brazil as "vestibular"). Anyone who was already graduated from high school is eligible to the undergraduate courses. Admission is also possible by transfer (known as "external transfer"), exemption from exams ("reentrance") or by international partnerships.[112]
The Parque Tecnológico do Rio (Technological Park of Rio) is also located in College City. It is a technopole geared towards research in energy, oil, and gas.[193] In partnership with Petrobras, UFRJ intends to convert an area of 350 000 m2 into the world's largest oil-related technological research center, given that exploration and oil extraction from the recently discovered pre-salt layer fields is in urgent need of new, more affordable techniques. Intense private and state investments in the region, plus the high expectations it has generated, led it to be considered a Brazilian "Silicon Valley".[194] The park gathers, among its main facilities:
Additionally, there is the Center of Excellence in Natural Gas (CEGN),[203] the Institute of Nuclear Engineering (IEN),[204] the Nucleus of Ecosystem Recovery Technologies (NUTRE)[205] and a virtual reality center linked to the Laboratory of Computational Engineering Methods (LAMCE).[206] Among the corporations with research units established in the Technological Park or in other spots of College City are: L'Oréal,[207] Siemens AG,[208] Usiminas,[209] Schlumberger,[210] Baker Hughes,[211] FMC Technologies,[212] Repsol YPF,[213] Halliburton[214] and Tenaris Confab.[215] Public biddings for the construction of new research centers and commercial tower, all capable of supporting one hundred new more enterprises, are currently under request.[216] The Park project has also attracted over 200 small or medium-sized companies to its centers, resulting in higher stakes for its innovational potential.[217]