The first edition of the Brazil-France Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry, with the theme "Drugs for Infectious Diseases and Cancer," took place in Recife from December 2-4, 2019, supported by the Consulate General of France for the Northeast. This remarkable event reinforced the already established scientific collaboration ties, notably the CAPES/COFECUB agreement, while fostering the emergence of new scientific alliances between France and the Northeast region of Brazil. With the distinguished presence of 200 participants, the Symposium hosted a variety of enriching activities, such as minicourses, roundtables, plenary sessions, and notable oral presentations of the most outstanding works. The organization was led by the Graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences at UFPE, supported by the Graduate Program in Chemistry at the same institution and the Northeast Biotechnology Network (Renorbio). Among the foreign speakers were representatives from France and Mexico, while the national speakers included members from UFPE, UFC, URCA, UEPB, FIOCRUZ-PE, UFAL, and UPE.

The second edition of this prestigious event, held in the beautiful city of João Pessoa-PB from October 26-28, 2023, with the theme "Recent Approaches in the Design and Discovery of Drugs for Neglected and Infectious Diseases," further consolidated the bonds between Brazilian and French researchers. This memorable event was promoted with the support of four Graduate Programs from the State of Paraíba: Pharmaceutical Sciences (PPGCF/UEPB) and Chemistry (PPGQ/UEPB); Bioactive Natural and Synthetic Products (PPGPNSB/UFPB) and Chemistry (PPGQ/UFPB). Featuring the participation of distinguished researchers from the University of Nantes, UFPE, UFPB, UFRN, UFAL, URCA, and USP, it attracted an audience of just over 300 registrants, including undergraduate students, graduate students, professors, and professionals in the field. In total, 22 activities were conducted, including 11 lectures and 3 poster sessions, where 80 works were presented.