The Rector of USP participated in a meeting in Mexico with officials from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the University of Buenos Aires, the Complutense University of Madrid, and the University of Barcelona.

by Adriana Cruz for the USP Journal – March 8, 2024.

(From left to right) Joaquim Goyache, from the Complutense University of Madrid; Joan Guardia Olmos, from the University of Barcelona; Leonardo Lomeli, from the National Autonomous University of Mexico; Ricardo Guelpi from the University of Buenos Aires; and the Rector of USP, Carlos Gilberto Carlotti Junior.

On March 6th, the Rector of USP Carlos Gilberto Carlotti Junior participated in a meeting in Mexico City with the rectors of universities comprising the Ibero-American Union (UIU).

Established in 2016 among five universities from Latin America and Spain – USP, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), and the University of Barcelona (UB) – the network aims to develop joint research, teaching, and researcher mobility programs.

During the meeting, leaders discussed resuming network activities, which had been suspended due to the pandemic, and seeking new funding. “We reaffirmed our commitment to giving the network the relevance it deserves by bringing together the leading Latin American and Spanish universities,” highlighted Carlotti.

According to the Rector, the consolidation of the strategic alliance among the five institutions aims to increase mobility and the number of joint projects. “We discussed a partnership to recognize credits and academic activities in a manner similar to the Bologna model,” he explained.

The Bologna Declaration, signed on June 19, 1999, by 29 European countries, is an initiative to unify the higher education system across the entire European bloc, realizing the so-called European Higher Education Area.

The Rector of USP (left) and the Brazilian ambassador to Mexico, Fernando Coimbra, at the Embassy headquarters.

The Provost for International Cooperation at USP, Sérgio Proença, who was also present at the meeting, emphasized that throughout this semester, the internationalization offices of each university will analyze different possibilities to be discussed by the group of rectors at the next meeting, scheduled to take place in October in Madrid, Spain.

Also present at the meeting were the Provost for Graduate Studies at USP, Rodrigo Callado, and the Director of the Institute of International Relations (IRI), Pedro Dallari.

In addition to the meeting with the UIU, the USP delegation met on March 7th with the Brazilian Ambassador to Mexico, Fernando Coimbra, to discuss the University’s participation in events related to the 200 years of diplomatic relations between Brazil and Mexico, to be celebrated in 2024. A seminar, planned for June, is being organized by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of both countries in partnership with USP and the College of Mexico, to be held on the University campus in São Paulo.