Secretaria de Relações Internacionais | Office of 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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