The Ferdinand Magellan Chair held a congress in Chile

The Fernão Magalhães Chair at the Universidad de Playa Ancha, in Chile, held a meeting on 17 and 18 January in honour of the Portuguese navigator Fernão de Magalhães. Camões - Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua and the Centre for Advanced Studies of the University of Playa Ancha supported the initiative.

During the event, the debates focused on History and Literature topics in a permanent dialectic between the past and the present. Amélia Polónia, member of the FCT Board of Directors, represented the FCT at the event and focused her intervention on the parallelism between globalisation mechanisms and the functioning of cooperation networks in the past and in the present. She also presented initiatives that were implemented as part of the EMCFM - Mission Structure for the Commemorations of the V Centenary of Circum-Navigation(2019-2022), this initiative is backed by the Portuguese government, with significant contributions from FCT and FCCN, aimed at promoting research, innovation, and sharing of open access knowledge.

Beginning in 2019 and ending in 2022, the Commemorations of the V Centenary of the Circumnavigation Commanded by the Portuguese Navigator Fernão Magalhães involved different activities, including a research and innovation programme in the areas associated with circumnavigation. FCT has thus created an R&D Program, the Call for Scientific Research and Technological Development Projects within the Commemorations of the V Centenary of the V Voyage of Circum-Navigation - 2019, which selected eight projects.

The voyage of circumnavigation led by Fernão Magalhães, starting in 1519, was the first complete voyage around the globe, whose cultural heritage and relevance remains to this day.

Photo: Fernão de Magalhães Digital Platform