Immerse Pantanal Summer School
From the Amazon to the Pantanal: Launching a New Chapter of the Immerse Programme
In December 2025, Dr Angelo Martins Junior, Co-Director of the University of Birmingham Brazil Institute (UBBI), visited the Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS) for a week-long series of meetings, lectures, and collaborative engagements.
During the visit, Dr Martins Junior presented UBBI’s growing portfolio of programmes connecting the UK and Brazil through research, education, and public engagement. He delivered a talk on evidencing research impact to a wide audience of professors, Pro-Vc for Research and Outreach, and researchers leading strategic regional initiatives, including those involved in the Bio-Oceanic Corridor (Rota Bioceânica), coordinated by Prof. Ruberval Maciel. He also met with the Secretary for Science and Technology of the State of Mato Grosso do Sul, a conversation that catalysed the development of a new immersive summer programme rooted in the ecology and communities of the Pantanal.
That idea is now a reality: the Immerse Pantanal Programme, launching in 2026, is the latest instalment in UBBI’s experiential learning initiative Immerse Brazil.
The Co-Director of the University of Birmingham Brazil Institute, along with academics from the State University of Mato Grosso do Sul, collaboratively designs and plans the Immerse Pantanal Summer School.
This visit marked a deepening of UBBI’s presence in central-western Brazil and laid the groundwork for a new and ambitious academic partnership in the region.
Immerse Pantanal Programme
Led by the University of Birmingham Brazil Institute, in partnership with UEMS and local community organisations, the Immerse Pantanal Programme is a two-week interdisciplinary summer school hosted in one of the most ecologically rich regions on the planet — the Pantanal wetlands, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site.
Delivered through a combination of immersion, experiential field teaching, and intercultural collaboration, the programme will bring together undergraduate students from the University of Birmingham and Brazilian partner institutions, including students from Indigenous and traditional communities.
Like all Immerse Brazil programmes, the Pantanal initiative prioritises knowledge co-production, drawing on scientific, local, and ancestral knowledge to explore global environmental challenges. Participants will gain hands-on experience in the region’s complex socio-ecological systems and work in mixed UK–Brazil teams to develop adaptive solutions for one of the world’s most vulnerable ecosystems.
Building the Future Together
The Immerse Pantanal Programme marks a new phase in UBBI’s commitment to creating equitable, interdisciplinary, and high-impact learning opportunities across Brazil. Building on the success of Immerse Amazonia and the growing Connect Amazonia research, the Pantanal programme reinforces UBBI’s mission: to link global learning with local action, and to prepare the next generation of scholars to tackle complex challenges through respect, dialogue, and innovation.
Like all Immerse Brazil programmes, the Pantanal initiative prioritises knowledge co-production, drawing on scientific, local, and ancestral knowledge to explore global environmental challenges. Participants will gain hands-on experience in the region’s complex socio-ecological systems and work in mixed UK–Brazil teams to develop adaptive solutions for one of the world’s most vulnerable ecosystems.
The Immerse Pantanal Programme marks a new phase in UBBI’s commitment to creating equitable, interdisciplinary, and high-impact learning opportunities across Brazil. Building on the success of Immerse Amazonia and the growing Connect Amazonia research, the Pantanal programme reinforces UBBI’s mission: to link global learning with local action, and to prepare the next generation of scholars to tackle complex challenges through respect, dialogue, and innovation.
Apply now!
Applications are open via the Go Global Summer: Where can I go? Interested students should apply under the “Experiential and Cultural Programmes" tab.