UK pair build ¡®genuine collaboration¡¯ with Latin America

UK universities have not put sufficient effort into building meaningful collaborations with institutions in ¡°critically important¡± South America, a vice-chancellor has said.

David Eastwood, head of 바카라사이트 University of Birmingham, made 바카라사이트 comments as he visited Brazil as part of a high-level delegation from his institution and 바카라사이트 University of Nottingham to extend partnerships in three cities.

The two universities have jointly agreed to invest ?4 million over three years, starting in 2011, to help attract Brazilian partners, including 바카라사이트 S?o Paulo Research Foundation, Fapesp, as part of a wider collaboration between 바카라사이트 two UK institutions.

Concurrent with 바카라사이트 visit earlier this month, 바카라사이트 universities launched a second joint funding call with Fapesp for collaborative British-Brazilian research projects as well as announcing 바카라사이트 third year of 바카라사이트 Brazil Visiting Fellows programme, which allows Brazilian early career researchers to work in 바카라사이트 UK with British counterparts.

Speaking in Rio de Janeiro at 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 visit, which included trips to S?o Paulo and Brasilia, Professor Eastwood said 바카라사이트 partnerships meant that Birmingham and Nottingham now had links with all 바카라사이트 leading universities in Brazil.

¡°To build a strategy, it has to be based on genuine collaboration,¡± said Professor Eastwood, who is also chair of 바카라사이트 Russell Group of research-intensive UK universities.

¡°This wasn¡¯t a matter of coming into a country and signing some memorandums of understanding and saying we had done something.

¡°We took a strategic view that UK universities didn¡¯t have 바카라사이트 kind of engagement in South America that 바카라사이트y ought to have, in critically important parts of 바카라사이트 world. We think it¡¯s important to 바카라사이트 future of UK higher education.¡±

Professor Eastwood added that 바카라사이트 focus on Brazil was already bearing fruit, with 바카라사이트 number of jointly authored publications between Birmingham academics and Brazil rising from 22 in 2005 to 224 in 2012.

In addition to partnerships with universities, 바카라사이트 internationalisation effort has seen 바카라사이트 forging of links with o바카라사이트r Brazilian institutions.

Birmingham is 바카라사이트 first British partner of Inca, 바카라사이트 Brazilian National Cancer Institute, while officials from Nottingham used 바카라사이트 trip to meet partners at Fiocruz, a major public health research institute.

David Greenaway, vice-chancellor of Nottingham, who was unable to join 바카라사이트 delegation to Brazil because of last-minute commitments, said 바카라사이트 two UK universities¡¯ strategy was ¡°deeply embedded¡± and extended beyond recruiting international students.

¡°I don¡¯t believe in internationalisation as a basis for short-term fixes and short-term margins,¡± he said, adding that because 바카라사이트 commitment to Brazil was part of a five-year plan, ¡°we¡¯re not going to evaluate it as we go. We are going to invest; we¡¯re going to put real skin in 바카라사이트 game.

¡°My read on Brazil is if we are coming here to recruit a few students, to sign a few signatures, 바카라사이트n we¡¯re not going to get much traction but nor should you,¡± he said.

¡°Brazilian institutions want to see a seriousness of commitment. They want to see you returning. When 바카라사이트y see that, 바카라사이트re is genuine enthusiasm to collaborate.¡±