Unicamp hosts the second annual meeting of the Transformative Internationalization Network (RIT), of the Interuniversity Development Center (Cinda), opened this Thursday (16). Over two days of meetings, representatives from 19 Latin American universities will discuss the construction of internationalization policies linked to teaching, research and outreach, with an emphasis on regional cooperation and the strengthening of academic networks.
At the opening of the event, the University's general coordinator, Fernando Coelho, highlighted the strategic importance of internationalization, especially in the context of integration, and advocated for collaboration between universities in the region as a response to the challenges of higher education. "Cooperation between Latin American institutions is fundamental to expanding the production of knowledge with social impact," he emphasized.
The director of the University Policies program at Cinda, Alejandra Silva from Chile, emphasized that the network's proposal goes beyond traditional exchange models. "The idea is to internationalize transversally, integrating teaching, research, outreach, and management," she explained. According to her, the proposal is based on effective collaboration between participating institutions, strengthening joint actions and the exchange of experiences. Cinda, created more than five decades ago, currently brings together around 40 universities.
The Executive Director of International Relations at Unicamp, Rafael Dias, highlighted the evolution of the University's institutional internationalization policies over the last few decades. According to him, although Unicamp's international vocation has been present since its founding 60 years ago, the management model for these relations has undergone significant transformations, especially since the 2010s, with the expansion of mobility programs and scientific cooperation.
“The University was born very internationalized because Brazil did not yet have a sufficient density of researchers in several areas. Many professors came from other countries and helped build this identity,” he stated. Dias observed that, in recent years, Unicamp has sought to move from a reactive logic, focused on responding to external demands, to a strategic and proactive approach, aligned with the institutional project. “We are working to ensure that internationalization is structured as an institutional policy and as a collaborative network.”
Currently, Unicamp maintains approximately 840 active agreements with institutions in 80 countries. According to the director, 75% of these partnerships are concentrated in 15 countries, with a strong historical presence of universities from the United States, France, and China, with 96, 70, and 64 active agreements, respectively. From Latin America, Colombia leads with 44 agreements.
The meeting also provides an opportunity for the sharing of experiences among the participating institutions. Professor Cristina Guerra Giráldez, Director of International Relations at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, highlighted the interest in opening up possibilities for partnership and cooperation with the University, especially with the Faculty of Nursing (Fenf). “Unicamp is very well-known in the health field, and we see opportunities for collaboration in nursing and public health,” she stated.
The annual meeting ends this Friday (17) with a visit to the Barão Geraldo campus, planning the next RIT work, defining the 2027 meeting calendar and consolidating the event's conclusions and commitments around institutional strategies to strengthen cooperation between universities.
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