University experts
Latin American and European women participate in event at Unicamp

International debate seminar S&T and sustainable development

Clayton Levy

O process of internationalization of higher education institutions and the role of Latin American universities in consolidating sustainable development are among the main themes of the “1st International Seminar on Science and Technology in Latin America: the university as a promoter of sustainable development”, which the Unicamp promotes on July 30th. The meeting, which will be opened by rector Carlos Henrique de Brito Cruz and will feature the participation of experts from Latin America and Europe, will be a parallel event to the 12th General Conference of the IAU (International Association of Universities - http://www.unesco.org/iau/gc-brazil/index.html), organized by USP, Unicamp, Unesp, UNIFESP and UFSCar and hosted at the University of São Paulo (USP) from July 25th to 29th. The 12th IAU Conference will have the theme “The Richness of Diversity - The Role of Universities in Promoting Dialogue and Development!” In an interview with Jornal da Unicamp, the coordinator of the Coordination of Institutional and International Relations (CORI), Luís Cortez, talks about the objectives of the debate.

JU - How do Latin American universities participate in the debate on sustainable development?

Cortez - Discussing the inclusion of this concept in undergraduate and postgraduate curricula. Proposals for extension courses on this topic for the community are also discussed, as well as courses for employees of the universities themselves. Regarding the implications of the concept of sustainable development at the international level, it does not make sense, for example, to study a river basin only on the Brazilian side, since the other side is also important for environmental balance. This regional integration is, therefore, very important.

JU - Why hold an event following the IAU event with the participation of only Latin American universities?

Cortez - Because certain issues that will be debated at the 12th General Conference of the IAU in São Paulo, particularly concern Latin America, such as the internationalization of higher education. This will imply the entry of universities from developed countries into Brazil, as well as throughout Latin America. This is a critical point in the discussions. In the perception of important groups, the privatization process associated with internationalization will accelerate the deterioration of higher education.

JU - Does Unicamp share this vision?

Cortez - Unicamp shares the view that the presence of private institutions cannot be predatory. We cannot oppose private higher education. However, certain rules must be obeyed. There are, for example, private institutions that have a very large social concern. Ideally, the state would be able to meet all demand. Currently, however, around 75% of vacancies are in the hands of private education. This is worrying.

JU - Is this situation repeated in other Latin American countries?

Cortez - I am not aware that in other Latin American countries there has been an expansion of private institutions as fast as in Brazil. Perhaps Mexico presents a similar situation. In some countries, such as Chile, there is considerable progress in international private institutions. There was an important change in public universities there. They now have paid education, with a significant part of the budget already made up of school fees. It is almost a situation of an “entrepreneurial state”, different from our philosophy, which defends free education and university autonomy. But I don't believe this will happen on a large scale in Brazil. I believe that foreign institutions that happen to operate in Brazil will be looking for market niches. I don't believe we will see large universities offering a significant number of places.

JU - Does this increase in the privatization rate make relationships between Latin American universities difficult?

Cortez - It makes it difficult because we start to speak different languages. Participation in work networks, such as AUGM, suffers negative impacts. Chile has practically not participated, probably because Chilean public universities reason in terms of budget. This even makes student exchanges difficult. The relationship between institutions has become more limited, basically between Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. The “private” way of managing the public university can lead to a blockage in the exchange process, especially student exchanges.

JU - Could internationalization be useful for technological innovation?

Cortez - From this point of view, the partnership is interesting. The Politecnico di Torino, for example, has an innovation program in the area of ​​wireless technology. This is a partnership that interests us very much. We had contacts a year ago to strengthen relations. Another hub that interests us in terms of partnership is the group of universities and research centers in Montpelier, France. This internationalization process is just beginning. Brazil made a great effort in the 70s and 80s to train doctors abroad. Most of these people came back and replicated this process, which made it possible to create good postgraduate programs. Now we have to continue the process by creating conditions for technological innovation.

JU - As you said, Brazil already has good postgraduate courses, which enable the training of eight thousand doctors per year. Even so, the knowledge generated is still not transformed into wealth. Is this situation also repeated in other Latin American countries?

Cortez - For sure. We have great resource potential but we still need to develop appropriate technologies to add value to products.

JU - Is there a prospect for Latin American universities to work together to increase joint projects aimed at technological innovation?

Cortez - This is already being done. There is, for example, a growing exchange between Brazil and Argentina in the area of ​​technology. But it is necessary to consider the enormous disparity that exists between Latin American countries. Brazil could make this type of coordination more easily with just a few countries, such as Mexico, Chile and Argentina.

JU - What is the role of Latin American universities in this articulated process of technological innovation?

Cortez - One way is to encourage the inclusion of students who have just defended their theses in business incubators. We need people with a lot of energy. The more we invest in micro-entrepreneurs who established their business from a technology-based company, the greater the prospects for leveraging innovation and obtaining products. I also believe strongly in the segmentation of incubators. Initially, it is natural to emphasize incubators that house companies from various segments. But secondly, it would be interesting to encourage the emergence of thematic incubators. In the same way that we already have, for example, Softex, we can also have incubators focused on agribusiness, for example.

JU - In May last year, Unicamp hosted the 35th meeting of the AUGM Council of Rectors. At the time, participants defended the creation of a regional forum capable of discussing science and technology and higher education policies. In what aspect was it possible to advance from then to now?

Cortez - We have advanced in numerical terms. We increased the number of exchanges, mainly with Argentina, both in terms of student exchanges and joint projects. We already have 400 students from other Latin countries studying at Unicamp. It is a growing process. Maybe now it would be a good idea to try some partnership with Argentina to implement business incubators.

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