Strengthening academic and cooperation networks with international institutions remains an ongoing priority at Universidad de La Frontera (UFRO). In this context, Dr. Juan García, an academic from Universidad de Almería, Spain, recently visited UFRO to carry out activities within the Doctoral Programme in Psychosocial Intervention, where he serves as a visiting professor.
Dr. García has an outstanding track record in managing university cooperation initiatives. He currently serves as regional director of the Asociación Universitaria Iberoamericana de Postgrado (Ibero-American University Association for Postgraduate Studies, AUIP, its Spanish acronym) and coordinator of the Programa de Intercambio Académico y Movilidad (Academic Exchange and Mobility Programme, PIMA, its Spanish acronym), both initiatives aimed at promoting collaboration among universities through academic networks and student mobility.
In this context, a working meeting was held involving UFRO Director of Internationalisation, Dr. Víctor Beltrán, International Cooperation Coordinator Janina Hanswillemenke, Dr. Juan García, and Director of the Doctoral Programme in Psychosocial Intervention, Dr. Ricardo Pérez-Luco.
During the meeting, academic cooperation opportunities related to scholarship and mobility programmes were discussed, along with new initiatives promoted by AUIP, including the development of network-based doctoral programmes focused on international co-supervision.
In this regard, Dr. García highlighted the importance of this type of collaboration between universities with a strong public mission, such as UFRO and Universidad de Almería. “Internationalisation through cooperation means that we collaborate jointly; in other words, by cooperating, both institutions grow. That is the spirit behind the activities we carry out, as is the case with this Doctoral Programme,” he said.
International Academic Projection
Dr. García also noted that one of the challenges is to continue strengthening coordination among postgraduate programmes based on research lines of common interest, as has been the case with the Doctoral Programme in Psychosocial Intervention, where collaboration has focused on juvenile justice and intervention, while also incorporating multidisciplinary perspectives.
For his part, Dr. Pérez-Luco indicated that these networks create new opportunities for students in this UFRO postgraduate programme. Regarding the AUIP initiative of network-based doctoral programmes, he explained that students could participate through research stays at different universities within the network and, eventually, through co-supervision arrangements enabling them to pursue dual degrees, directly linking thesis supervisors at each institution.
This collaborative work has continued for more than a decade, a relationship that includes cooperation in research, teaching, mobility and participation in the publication of scientific works.
Jassna Sepúlveda Beltrán
Internationalisation Office
