After two days of work, the XXVII Meeting of the Association of Portuguese Language Universities (AULP), held at Unicamp, ended on Wednesday morning (12). During the ceremony, directors and members of AULP highlighted the importance of expanding multilateral cooperation between higher education institutions in Portuguese-speaking countries, with the objective of generating knowledge that brings benefits to society.
According to rector Marcelo Knobel, increased collaboration between the institutions that make up the AULP is important because it allows the exchange of experiences between countries that have similarities, notably those provided by language, but also differences. “Unicamp has a tradition of partnerships with Portuguese universities, but needs to extend this model to other institutions in the Portuguese-speaking community. The set of these higher education schools has an important scientific production, capable of seeking solutions to the demands of different populations”, he considered.
Ebed to preside over the AULP for the next three years, the rector of the Mandume Ya Ndemufayo University (Angola), Orlando Manuel da Mata, declared that the Association's main challenge will be to consolidate ties between universities, in order to promote and disseminate knowledge among Portuguese-speaking countries. “We are 260 million Portuguese speakers. We have an emerging scientific community, but with great potential to develop research aimed at the common good of our people,” he stated.
President of AULP for the last three years, Rui Martins, vice-rector of the University of Macau, said goodbye to his role, giving a brief review of his management. According to him, the entity's activities remained stable during the period, with an increase in the number of its members. The next AULP meeting will take place in Angola, in 2018. The event held at Unicamp was sponsored by Santander Universidades.
The association
Founded on November 26, 1986, AULP is an international non-governmental organization that promotes cooperation and exchange of information between Universities and Higher Institutes. It has 140 members from eight Portuguese-speaking countries - Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, Timor and Macau. Its mission is to facilitate communication between members for the collective development of teaching and the Portuguese language in the world.
