Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (The Federal University of Minas Gerais – UFMG) was founded in 1927, and stands as one of the oldest and most prestigious and vibrant public universities in Brazil. It is widely recognized as an outstanding center of academic excellence, scientific and innovation accomplishments, not to mention its teaching quality. UFMG has academic campuses in the cities of Belo Horizonte and Montes Claros, and scientific and cultural centers in Tiradentes and Diamantina, two of the oldest historical towns in Brazil, which date from the 17th century. The University runs two large public hospitals and one veterinary hospital, an emergency care unit (UPA), 25 libraries, five museums, one astronomical observatory, two ecological conservation areas, four experimental farms, and one advanced center for high-performance athletics equipped with Olympic class pool and track-and-field infrastructure, seizing a total area of 876 ha and a built-in area encompassing 639 thousand square meters.

UFMG currently offers 91 undergraduate courses with over 32,000 students, and 208 graduate programs (63 at the Ph.D. level) amounting to more than 14,000 students currently enrolled in all fields of knowledge. 95% of UFMG’s undergraduate courses and 75% of UFMG’s graduate programs at the Ph.D. level rank among the best ones in Brazil according to assessments made by the Brazilian Ministry of Education. As one of the country’s most prominent research universities, UFMG is committed to keeping a harmonious balance between the high quality of its courses both at undergraduate and graduate levels, the expanding impact of its research, and the growing social relevance of its academic activities and service to the community.

UFMG boldly fosters innovation through its Foundation for Research Development (FUNDEP) and BHTec, its associated technological park, which places the University as a key player in the  Brazilian innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.  According to the Brazilian National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI), UFMG is ranked as one of the top innovation centers in the country and a leader in patent applications in biotechnology, featuring several types of vaccines, SARS-Cov-2, dengue fever, and Chagas disease diagnostics, ovarian cancer prognosis and antineoplastic drugs. Among the most notable members of the UFMG alumni community, there are 7 former presidents of Brazil (Dilma Rousseff, Tancredo Neves, Juscelino Kubitschek, Pedro Aleixo, Carlos Luz, Arthur Bernardes, and Afonso Pena) and world-acclaimed personalities like Antônio Augusto Cançado Trindade, Amilcar de Castro, Carlos Drummond de Andrade, Ivo Pitanguy, João Guimarães Rosa, and Tostão.