Secretaria de Relações Internacionais | Office of International Relations

From right to left: Diretor of International Relations, Fernanda Leal; Professor Marx Chhay; and Professor Fernanda Fernandes Marchiori.

From 7 to 9 April, the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) welcomed Professor Marx Chhay from Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB), France. The visit aimed to strengthen the long-standing academic partnership between the two institutions, which has been active for 11 years.

Over this period, undergraduate student exchanges have taken place, particularly in the Civil Engineering program. UFSC has received 25 students from USMB, while 8 UFSC students have completed exchange periods at the French university. The cooperation has also involved researcher exchanges and bilateral academic visits.

Currently, UFSC and USMB are working together to develop a double degree agreement for Civil Engineering students. The initiative will provide students with an international academic experience that combines complementary curricula and internship opportunities at both institutions – contributing to a well-rounded education in its technical, social and sustainable dimensions.

On 8 April, the Director of International Relations at UFSC, Fernanda Leal, welcomed Professor Marx Chhay and UFSC Civil Engineering Professor Fernanda Fernandes Marchiori  at the Office of International Relations (SINTER), where they discussed the agreement in further detail.

During his visit, Professor Chhay also toured UFSC’s research laboratories and groups from the Department of Civil Engineering. The meetings revealed aligned research interests, particularly in the areas of sustainability and energy. These topics should be the focus of future joint projects.

Representatives of UGent and UFSC.

On 4 December 2024, the Brazilian Embassy in Brussels hosted the “University Cooperation between Belgium and Brazil” event, aimed at strengthening academic ties between the two nations.

Event was held at the Brazilian Embassy in Brussels, Belgium.

The initiative was organized by Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) in partnership with Ghent University (UGent) and drew representatives from both institutions.

UFSC was represented by Professors Arno Dal Ri Jr. and Cristiane Derani, along with doctoral students Kristal Moreira Gouveia, Melissa Mendes de Novais, and Ana Paula Zappellini Sassi, as well as undergraduate student João Hoffmann.

The event focused on fostering university cooperation between Brazil and Belgium, with a particular emphasis on the exchange of academic and scientific knowledge between the institutions involed. Key discussions led to the creation of new opportunities for UFSC students to participate in exchange programs at Belgian universities, including UGent.

Professors Cristiane Derani and Arno Dal Ri Júnior.

To learn more about the Belgian institutions with existing cooperation agreements with UFSC, click here.

For details on the process of signing international cooperation agreements and general guidelines for International Agreements, visit: https://sinter.ufsc.br/orientacoes-gerais/.

Group who attended the meeting between University of Arizona (USA) and UFSC. Photo: Maria Fernanda Honório/SINTER

On Tuesday, 5 November, the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) welcomed the visit of Prof. Dr. Dean Alain-Philippe Durand, Dean of the College of Humanities at the University of Arizona, in Tucson, USA. The meeting, held by the Office of International Relations (SINTER), aimed at discussing the reestablishment of the bilateral cooperation agreement between the institutions which expired this year.

The meeting was also attended by the Secretary for International Relations at UFSC, Prof. Dr. Luiz Carlos Pinheiro Machado Filho, and Prof. Dr. Ronaldo Lima, from the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures (DLLE/CCE), who is the coordinator of the agreement at UFSC. During the visit, they discussed possibilities for academic collaboration and exchange between students and faculty, strengthening UFSC´s international partnership and promoting new opportunities for research and educational development.

From left to right: Prof. Dr. Luiz Carlos Pinheiro Machado Filho; Prof. Dr. Dean Alain-Philippe Durand. Photo: Maria Fernanda Honório/SINTER

The reestablishment of the agreement is intended to expand exchange of knowledge and experiences between universities, contributing to the field of humanities and strengthening UFSC’s international relations.

Signing of the agreement by Prof. Maria João Pinto Cardoso and Prof. Luiz Carlos Pinheiro Machado Filho.

On 5 September 2024, the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) welcomed the Pro-President for ​​International Relations of the Polytechnic University of Coimbra – Portugal, Prof. Maria João Pinto Cardoso, for a lecture organized by the UFSC Institute for Research and Studies in University Administration (INPEAU), on the theme “Development of International Projects: Opportunities for Third Countries within the Scope of the Erasmus+ Program”. The event was attended by the president of INPEAU, Prof. Pedro Antônio de Melo, and was moderated by Prof. Luciane Stallivieri, a researcher at the institute.

According to the Secretary for International Relations at UFSC, Prof. Luiz Carlos Pinheiro Machado Filho, “the lecture was well received by the audience and had a significant participation of the academic community. In addition to enriching the debate on topics of university interest, the event marked an important advance in UFSC’s international relations”.

At the end of the lecture, an Erasmus agreement was formally signed between the two institutions. Prof. Cardoso represented the Polytechnic University of Coimbra, while UFSC was represented by Prof. Machado Filho.

This Erasmus agreement aims to strengthen academic exchange and cooperation between the two institutions, fostering mutual growth and benefiting both university communities.

Arrival of the Brazilian delegation in East Timor. From right to left: Regina Grando, Samuel Penteado, Irlan von Linsingen, Elison Paim, Camila Barros, Patrícia Giraldi, Suzani Cassiani and Renata Anunciação.

On 19 January, a Brazilian faculty delegation arrived in East Timor to initiate the first regular master’s degree program in Education at the Faculty of Education, Arts, and Humanities (FEAH) of the National University of East Timor (UNTL). This milestone follows the signing of a cooperation agreement between UNTL and the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) on 18 August 2023.

The agreement facilitates a four-year collaboration, enabling faculty from UFSC and other Brazilian public institutions to contribute to the academic and research environment at UNTL. Activities include teaching, launching a scientific journal, forming research groups, organizing libraries, and more. The agreement also anticipates the arrival of Timorese professors in Brazil, promoting mutual academic exchange. These initiatives are funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the Brazilian Cooperation Agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE). Currently, 21 faculty members from Brazilian universities are supervising 33 master’s students at UNTL.

 “A 15-year dream has finally come true, thanks to the efforts of many hands, hearts, and minds!” says UFSC professor Suzani Cassiani.

Professor Cassiani is the coordinator of the Cooperation Agreement between UFSC and UNTL, leader of the study and research group, and UFSC Internationalization Agent. “This is a dream of South-South cooperation that has fostered horizontal, decolonial dialogue and solidarity between our nations.”

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Last Friday, 9 November, the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) and the Université de Kamina (UNIKAM) of the Democratic Republic of the Congo signed a cooperation agreement, this being the first agreement between UFSC and an institution in Congo. The cooperation between the two universities comes from the desire to expand their academic relations and stimulate the exchange of knowledge between UFSC and UNIKAM.

The agreement was signed by the Secretary for International Relations at UFSC, Luiz Carlos Pinheiro Machado Filho and the Rector of UNIKAM, Paulin Banza Lenge Kikwike. The coordinator of the agreement at UFSC is Professor Marie Helene Catherine Torres from the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures.

Among the objectives of the cooperation are:

• academic mobility of students, faculty, researchers and staff between the universities;
• joint research, teaching, outreach and university management projects and activities;
• collaboration and participation in seminars, lectures, symposiums and academic meetings;
• undergraduate and graduate teaching programs;
• double degree programs; and
• co-supervision agreements.

The signing of the first agreement with a university in the Democratic Republic of Congo is an important milestone that supports the objectives of UFSC’s internationalization policies.

From left to right: Maurício Medeiros de Assis and Bendito Freitas. Source: article from “Último Jornal”, Radio-Televisão Timor Leste (RTTL) newspaper

This past Friday, 18 August, the ambassador of Brazil in Timor-Leste, Maurício Medeiros de Assis, and the minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Bendito Freitas, signed a cooperation agreement involving the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) and the Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosa’e (UNTL), in Timor Leste, in order to implement the Master’s degree in Education at UNTL, a regular program of the Faculty of Education, Arts and Humanities (FEAH). With the signing of the agreement, Brazilian professors will go to Timor Leste to give classes at UNTL for a period of two years. The project also involves the coming of Timorese professors to Brazil.

“This is a long-standing demand that was initially formulated more than ten years ago which involves UNTL, UFSC and the Brazilian Cooperation Agency as the executing entity”, says Maurício Medeiros de Assis. The ambassador adds: ”this cooperation has an important impact on Timorese academic production, helping Timor Leste to take a leading role in the academic area”.

UFSC has maintained a cooperation agreement with UNTL since 2016, but with this new agreement, the internationalization policy aimed at South-South cooperation of both universities will be further strengthened. The cooperation between UFSC and Timor Leste has a long history and is conducted by the Studies and Research Group “Discourses of Science and Technology in Education” from the Graduate Program in Science and Technology Education (PPGECT).

Prof. Dr Suzani Cassiani, leader of the Studies and Research Group and coordinator of the cooperation agreement between UFSC and UNTL, shares her vision on the journey of establishing a transformative master’s degree on Timorese soil. In her words, “In Timor-Leste, the educational demands are considerable and the challenges are numerous. Typical of a post-conflict country that gained its independence in 2002 and is under reconstruction. We have lecturers at UNTL who have only an undergraduate degree and need to seek for improvement. In addition, we have young people who recently completed their undergraduate teaching degree and are facing a shortage of options to pursue their studies.”
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