Secretaria de Relações Internacionais | Office of International Relations

This post is available in Brazilian Portuguese only. Please access the website in Portuguese to read it.

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.

From right to left: Prof. Luiz Carlos Pinheiro Machado Filho, Secretary for International Relations at UFSC, Prof. Susana Bleil, Prof. Daniel Ricardo Castelan, and Ana Carolina Franciosi Lucchetti, in charge of the Incoming Program at UFSC.

On 15 April, the Office of International Relations at UFSC welcomed Professor Dr. Susana Bleil, from Université Le Havre Normandie, France, and Professor Dr. Daniel Ricardo Castelan, Vice Dean of the School of Socio-Economic Sciences (CSE) at UFSC.

Professor Bleil teaches Portuguese and Brazilian Civilization at Université Le Havre Normandie. She is also an associate researcher at the Centre d’Études des Mouvements Sociaux (CEMS-EHESS) and a member of the Groupe de Recherche Identité et Cultures (GRIC). Her research focuses on the history of inequalities in Brazil, identity, culture, political transitions, and the sociology of collective action, employing methods such as interviews and direct observation.

Her visit at UFSC included a lecture and the promotion of her recent book MST: A Construção do Comum, based on her doctoral dissertation. During the meeting at SINTER, opportunities for academic cooperation between UFSC and Université Le Havre Normandie were discussed, particularly the undergraduate student exchange program. This semester, UFSC has received five students from the French university – one in the Law program and four in International Relations. This is the first time student exchanges have taken place between the two institutions.

Including the students from Université Le Havre Normandie, SINTER has welcomed a total of 29 students from French partner universities in the first semester of 2025. Altogether, UFSC has 75 international students enrolled in the Incoming Exchange Program this semester, representing a variety of countries.

To learn more about the Incoming Exchange Program, visit https://sinter.ufsc.br/intercambio-para-alunos-internacionais/.

This post is available in Brazilian Portuguese only. Please access the website in Portuguese to read it.

This post is available in Brazilian Portuguese only. Please access the website in Portuguese to read it.

This post is available in Brazilian Portuguese only. Please access the website in Portuguese to read it.

This post is available in Brazilian Portuguese only. Please access the website in Portuguese to read it.