The agreement is the first milestone of the partnership between Brazilian universities such as USP, Unesp and Unicamp and the Group of Latin American and Caribbean Countries (GRULAC).

Source: Marcos Santos/USP Imagens

The University of São Paulo (USP) and the Universidad Nacional de Asunción (UNA) have signed on August 17th a national academic cooperation agreement to promote exchange programs for faculty members, researchers, students, and staff members. The agreement also includes joint development of research projects, organization of scientific and cultural events, as well as shared courses and subjects.

The agreement between the two universities is the first result of a partnership between three Brazilian universities: USP – University of São Paulo,, UNESP –  the São Paulo State University, and the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP). The Legislative Assembly of the State of São Paulo (Alesp) also participated in the agreement. GRULAC is one of the five regional groups of the United Nations and consists of 33 member-countries from Central America, South America and some territories in the Caribbean.

The signing ceremony was hosted at the Teotônio Vilela auditorium, at Alesp’s headquarters, in São Paulo, and had the presence of consulate representatives from member states of GRULAC – Cuba, Paraguay, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Uruguay, Peru, Argentina and Chile – as well as members of Alesp and the presidents of each University.

“We have a lot to learn from you. If we analyze the history of the Americas, education has always played an important role for Hispanic America, with the creation of universities [The São Domingos University, set up in 1538 in the Dominican Republic, is historically the first university of the Americas]. This partnership works both ways: we will learn from you and cooperate in as many activities as possible, with the goal of a shared development of all Latin America. We wish to extend this support to all countries that are part of GRULAC,” declared USP President, Carlos Gilberto Carlotti Junior. He also pointed out that a second agreement regarding the specialization of health workers who treat patients in Intensive Care Units is being negotiated. 

UNA’s President, Zully Concepcion Vera de Molinas, reiterated that “today, knowledge knows no boundaries, and uniting forces is essential for the mobility of faculty members and students, which is in turn highly relevant to the efforts of strengthening research and cooperative work between our universities”. 

The Universidad Nacional de Asunción was founded in 1889 and it is the first and oldest higher education institution in Paraguay. The university has 14 faculties, and around 55 thousand students and 9 thousand faculty members.

The negotiations to foster internationalization for the Sao Paulo state universities – USP, Unesp and Unicamp – with other Latin American institutions started in October 2021, when the first meeting of representatives of GRULAC São Paulo and Alesp’s International Relations happened. “This is our first partnership with the Consulates of Latin America and the Caribbean Islands. To us, that is of the utmost importance, because it is a partnership with the three main internationally recognized universities of Brazil” said the Alesp Committee president, Paulo Fiorilo.

Source: Marcos Santos/USP Imagens

This article was written in Portuguese by Adriana Cruz for USP Press, translated to English by Filipe Albessu Narciso, and reviewed by Kiara Neves, interns at USP International Office.