The joint work since 2010 has been formalized by this Agreement that made academic collaboration possible and offers new opportunities of linkage.

The Universidad de Alcalá (UAH) in Spain is among the best higher education institutions in Spain and the most ancient ones in Europe. It also is the most current partner of the Universidad de La Frontera, after the signing of a Collaboration Agreement.

The Agreement is a formalization of joint work that dates back to 2010 and that has created the possibility of academic collaboration. It has been signed by the Vice-rector of International Affairs, Miguel Angel Sotelo, of the UAH, in the presence of the Dean and the Vice-dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Forestry Science of the UFRO, Rodolfo Pihán and Adison Altamirano. The signing of the Agreement was one of a series of activities at that university in order to boost new actions of cooperation.

“This is an important Agreement, since it is the formalization of joint work that is ongoing since more than five years, with permanent exchange of academic staff, research, projects and publications, and also at the postgraduate level. Now, new international cooperation possibilities open up with a university of prestige and tradition and which is one of the best and most ancient ones in Spain”, the dean Rodolfo Pihán stated.

The UFRO director of International Affairs, Dr. Pamela Leal, appreciates this Agreement that contributes to “the internationalization of our University by strengthening joint collaboration and opens new opportunities for teacher and student mobility. It also creates the possibility to increase the productivity in publications and in the access to international funds for research. Apart from that, it also strengthens our networks with Spain, through the AUIP (Iberoamerican University Association for Postgraduate Studies), which both institutions are part of.”

MORE INTERNATIONAL LINKS

On the basis of this Agreement, the expectation is to promote new joint actions oriented towards joint research, the professional training, teacher and student mobility, and others.

The link with the UAH has been made mainly through the Faculty of Agricultural and Forestry Science of the UFRO, and the academic relation with one of the most renowned professors in Spain, Dr. José María Rey Banayas, who also is one of the creators of the International Foundation for Ecosystem Restoration (FIRE).

“One of the driving forces of this alliance is Dr. Rey Benayas with whom we were working on a MEC Project of the National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development (FONDECYT), in which we materialized a series of teaching, research and outreach and community engagement activities. Apart from that, we have a student of the Master in Natural Resource Management who went to Spain for his studies. This Agreement opens doors in the collaboration with other fields of the UFRO that can join us, especially through academic exchange and cotutelle doctorates, which they are very interested in”, Dr. Adison Altamirano, who is one of the promoters of this Agreement, specified.