A performance by the String Quartet of the Unicamp Symphony Orchestra – which performed classics from the Brazilian songbook, such as Tristeza do Jeca, Luar do Sertão, Chalana, Menino da Porteira, among others – marked the opening of the 1st International Partners' Days. Over three days, on the Campinas campus, the event will bring together representatives from more than 20 foreign universities with which Unicamp maintains intensive collaborations.
According to the director of DERI (Executive Directorate of International Relations), Rafael Dias, representatives from the universities of Bologna, Italy; Potsdam, Germany; Birmingham, United Kingdom; Indiana, United States, as well as Chinese and Latin American universities, including institutions from Argentina and Chile, among others, will be present. According to Dias, the objective is to strengthen Unicamp's internationalization strategy and foster new possibilities for collaboration.
“We managed to bring together a fairly representative set of our strongest partnerships,” said Dias. According to him, Unicamp collaborates with more than 600 institutions worldwide. “This meeting also reaffirms the commitment to positioning Unicamp as an internationally recognized institution,” he added.
The rector of Unicamp, Paulo Cesar Montagner, said that such meetings could become the starting point for major partnership projects. "And this is the way forward," stated Montagner, noting that the University also seeks a leading role in relations with universities in the Global South.
“Today, as Unicamp celebrates its 60th anniversary, I am fully convinced that the University is prepared for this. We already have a consolidated trajectory in Latin America and we want to expand it to include universities located in countries of the South, in addition, of course, to maintaining the already established partnerships with European and North American universities,” he emphasized.
The general coordinator of Unicamp, Fernando Coelho, commemorated the 60th anniversary of Unicamp's founding and reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening academic ties and the pursuit of diverse and inclusive education. "At a time when the world faces conflicts of different kinds, which deepen divisions between peoples, the internationalization of higher education plays a fundamental role in the development of tolerance and resilience, by promoting understanding of others and recognizing diversity as an essential pillar in the pursuit of lasting peace," he said.
Agreement with Andrés Bello University
During the meeting, Unicamp signed a memorandum of understanding with the Universidad Andrés Bello (Unab) in Chile, through which the two institutions can establish academic cooperation through joint research projects or through the exchange of professors and undergraduate and graduate students. “The Andrés Bello University has historically worked for the integration of Latin America, and Unicamp is one of the most important universities in Brazil,” said Rector Julio Castro. “Unicamp maintains research that is of great interest to us,” he added.
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