Ocho Sur and Fulbright launch Amazon research scholarships

By AI, Created 6:46 PM UTC, June 04, 2026, /AGP/ – Ocho Sur has partnered with the Fulbright Commission in Peru to fund academic exchanges focused on Amazon research, including up to four-month stays for Peruvian and U.S. scholars. The program is designed to strengthen scientific study of the Peruvian Amazon and deepen education ties between Peru and the United States.

Why it matters: - The scholarship program expands scientific research on the Peruvian Amazon, a region central to environmental, social and land-use debates. - The exchange gives researchers and professors direct access to academic networks in Peru and the United States. - The agreement links private-sector funding with international academic cooperation at a time when Amazon sustainability remains under close scrutiny.

What happened: - Ocho Sur signed a formal agreement with the Fulbright Commission in Peru to support academic exchange centered on Amazonian research. - The signing took place June 4, 2026, at Ocho Sur’s facilities in Nueva Requena, Pucallpa, in the Ucayali region of Peru. - Michael Spoor, executive director of Ocho Sur, and Dr. Laura Balbuena González, executive director of the Fulbright Commission, signed the agreement. - The agreement was announced during the Fulbright Commission’s 70th anniversary in Peru. - Kristin Stewart, president of the Fulbright Commission and counselor for press, culture and education at the U.S. Embassy in Peru, recognized Ocho Sur during the ceremony in the context of the Bicentennial of U.S.-Peru diplomatic relations.

The details: - University professors from Ucayali and Peruvian researchers focused on Amazon-related topics can travel to the United States for up to four months. - During those stays, participants will strengthen their studies, deliver lectures and meet with leading academics. - U.S. researchers specializing in Amazonian topics can travel to Peru for the same purposes. - Dr. Miguel Pinedo-Vásquez will continue his field research in Ucayali under the agreement already in effect. - Pinedo-Vásquez is an ecologist native to the Peruvian Amazon and a two-time Fulbright scholar. - Over more than three decades, Pinedo-Vásquez has led interdisciplinary projects examining the socio-environmental effects of land-use transitions, urban expansion and climate change across the Amazon basin. - Ocho Sur describes itself as a Peruvian palm oil group focused on sustainable production in Ucayali and on supporting scientific research, local community development and responsible land use. - The Fulbright Commission in Peru is part of the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program and has worked in Peru for 70 years.

Between the lines: - Spoor framed scientific verification as essential to sustainability, saying Ocho Sur is committed to environmental and social sustainability in the Amazon. - He also argued that sustainability should not be guided by ideological perceptions or claims without scientific verification. - The recognition from the Fulbright Commission signals an effort to position the partnership as a bridge between Peru and the United States through education and science. - The program may also help Ocho Sur reinforce its public case for sustainable palm oil production through research-oriented partnerships rather than only corporate messaging.

What’s next: - Eligible professors and researchers from Peru and the United States can begin applying the exchange framework once the program is operational under the new agreement. - Pinedo-Vásquez’s ongoing fieldwork in Ucayali will continue under the already active arrangement. - The partnership is likely to generate more academic contact between Ucayali researchers and U.S. institutions as the program moves forward.

The bottom line: - Ocho Sur and Fulbright are turning a corporate-academic partnership into a research channel for Amazon studies, with the Peruvian Amazon as the main focus.