UCR Promotes Internationalization to Strengthen Academic Development and Research

Manrique Vindas-Segura
24. 05. 18

The Office of the Vice Rector for Research promotes internationalization as a way to strengthen teaching, research, and social action at the University of Costa Rica (UCR).

On Thursday the 17th, the conference: "The university work as a platform for internationalization," was held with the participation of Dr. Marlen León-Guzmán, Vice Rector for Teaching (first left), and Dr. Fernando García-Santamaría, Vice Rector for Research, both from UCR.

Some of its contributions in this regard were presented by Dr. Fernando García-Santamaría, Vice Rector for Research and Dr. Marlen León-Guzmán, Vice Rector for Teaching, both from UCR, during the Jornadas de Internacionalización UCR 2017 [UCR Internationalization Workshops 2017] “Towards a University without borders.”

The activity was organized by the Office of International Affairs and External Cooperation (OAICE), from August 16 to 18, 2017 at the auditorium of the School of Education.

During the meeting, there were conferences, forums and experience exchanges with experts on the topic of university internationalization.

Dr. García, along with Dr. Marlen León-Guzmán, Vice Rector for Teaching, participated in the discussion: “The university task as a platform for internationalization.”

English Portal

Dr. García considers that an important condition for internationalization is that the UCR websites appear in at least two languages. In this regard, he highlighted the efforts of his office to have its official website both in English and Spanish. “After a great effort from the Vice-Rectory, we are launching our site (Research Portal) in English, so that those who are not Spanish speakers can read us, because we do not have Internet pages in English at the Institution,” said the Vice Rector for Research.

As another of the important efforts, he mentioned the support given to graduate students to do their internships abroad, within the study plans of the Institution.

In addition, students are being encouraged to complete doctoral studies outside Costa Rica and researchers to undertake internships abroad at intervals of two to six months or more, said the Vice Rector.

Another effort of the Vice Rector for Research is to support UCR scientists in the publication of scientific articles in international journals.

Efforts are also being made “so that our research can be accessed openly, for more researchers in different parts of the world to reach it,” he added.

He also explained that last July, UCR launched the postdoctoral program, which offers funds to scientists from the Institution who need to bring researchers from other countries with less than five years of having completed their doctorate degree, to come and do research with colleagues from UCR.

Next September 20, 2017 is the deadline to submit applications for these funds at the Promotion Unit of the Vice-Rectory for Research.

The projects must be registered in this Vice-Rectory and have a validity that extends for the period of time when the postdoctoral candidate will be hired, which may be one or two years.

International Research

Regarding the research carried out at UCR, Dr. García said: “the research units consolidated around a research topic have to work collectively, in a multidisciplinary way.”

He added that the Vice-Rectory for Research wants our researchers to form strong groups to work on very high level research as part of international partnerships.

 

Within the framework of these efforts, he mentioned the creation of the University Space for Advanced Studies (UCREA), which is a meeting point for discussion and exchange for UCR academic staff, in permanent interaction with academics from all over the world.

UCREA grants funds for transdisciplinary research projects. Dr. García mentioned that “it is a space for discussion to think like it has not been thought before. It's a different way of doing things.”

Regarding UCREA funds, he said that “this year the first call for transdisciplinary groups was launched. One of the requirements to participate for these contesting funds is that they must have a clear internationalization component.”

Another achievement in this regard, said the Vice Rector, is that “earlier this year we signed an agreement with the Max Planck Society from Germany, under which groups of scientists from UCR will be able to do basic research on natural sciences, but at a very high level at the institutes of this German society.”

“Through this, not only international relation contacts are made, but also UCR teachers will obtain their doctorates abroad within the framework of this cooperation,” pointed out the Vice Rector.

“This is how research is done in the rest of the world. This is how the research has to work. We are not inventing anything. We have to copy the models from other countries that have been extremely successful in the generation of knowledge,” Dr. García explained.

To sum up, he said that his office promotes an interdisciplinary, intercultural and international perspective of research topics. It also promotes the international experience of its researchers, so it implements mobility programs for researchers and graduate students.

Besides, it promotes the execution of research projects in collaboration with colleagues of other nationalities, which culminate with publications in collaboration with foreign institutions.

Formal and Informal Spaces

For her part, Dr. Marlen León- Guzmán, Vice Rector for Teaching, stressed the importance of informal spaces, which are very creative and effective, as is the case of “academic networks.”

They have no form, they do not have a structure, and they are integrated naturally by a common interest in studying something in particular. And we have a lot of networks that are linked as a kind of big Internet. Among them there are also international networks.”

She explained that knowledge in our days is generated in academic networks, whether formal or informal, because new ideas are generated in a joint transdisciplinary work involving several institutions in different countries, which allows addressing increasingly complex issues.

Currently the work of isolated groups is no longer functional, rather the tendency is to create formal or informal academic networks, which are grouped smoothly, involving both academics, undergraduate, and graduate students, explained Dr. León.

She added that there are other spaces that function more formally “that have an international agreement and even a physical space, as is the case of the Confucius Institute, the Institute of Mexican Studies and international chairs that promote visits of teachers and lecturers.”

 Internationalization Strategy

UCR follows numerous international agreements, which are already more than 300, with prestigious universities around the world. It also has a large number of graduate students holding scholarships abroad, as well as several visiting professors and hundreds of international students, in addition to multiple research projects with international components.

All of the above contributes to fulfilling the mission and aspirations stipulated in the UCR Strategic Framework.

It states, among the aspirations of the institution, “to promote the generation of scientific, technological, sociocultural and innovative knowledge in all units of the University, among disciplines, as well as to join international academic networks, based on reciprocal recognition, respect and shared benefits, to strengthen academic culture.”

It also points out as an aspiration “to promote integration, alliances, social commitment, cooperation, solidarity, the dissemination of university work, and innovation in order to forge new spaces, to transfer and exchange the knowledge generated between the University and society.”

"To promote solidarity internationally through the development of academic networks and the mobility of teachers, students and administrative staff” is contemplated as well.

From this it follows that the internationalization of UCR, as part of a global trend of higher education internationalization, is a process that has been taking place in the institution for years and is part of a strategic plan that incorporates it as part of its substantive activities of research, teaching and social action.

In this strategic framework, UCR values internationalization as a tool to strengthen the institution and better meet its goals, since it allows improving the quality of education, as it enhances the preparation and skills of future generations of professionals in an increasingly globalized world.

Rankings and Internationalization

It is not by chance, then, that UCR has managed to place itself in positions of privilege among the best universities in the world. For example, in the QS World University Rankings 2016-2017, conducted by Quacquarelli Symonds Limited, the University of Costa Rica (UCR) moved up 30 places among the best universities and reached the select group of the best 500.

This classification annually evaluates three thousand higher education institutions worldwide to create a list of the best 900.

In the same ranking at the Latin American level, the QS University Rankings: Latin America 2016-2017, UCR climbed three places to be ranked 18th in the subcontinent, only surpassed by eight Brazilian universities, four Chilean, two Mexican, two Colombian and one Argentinean.

At the Central American level, it is the best placed in the ranking, which makes it the best university in the Region.

In this case, what happens is that internationalization helps to ascend in the rankings and rankings help internationalization, as they constitute one of the factors taken into account by academic institutions or international financial entities seeking to establish agreements or collaborations with universities and Costa Rican scientists.

It is also a factor taken into account to grant scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students, both for foreigners who study in Costa Rica and Costa Ricans abroad.

It is an aspect greatly taken into account by academic institutions, professors and foreign students, graduate and postgraduate, interested in doing internships or collaborations in national projects.

In recent years, these advances have led to an increase in the interest of people and academic institutions from other countries to participate in joint projects and activities with this University.

More information: Cultura de internacionalización en centros de enseñanza superior y el reto de hacerla crecer    Internacionalización: una ventana abierta más allá de las fronteras [Culture of internationalization in higher education centers and the challenge of making it grow Internationalization: an open window beyond borders].  

UCR 2017 Internationalization Workshops were held from August 16 to 18, 2017 at the auditorium of the School of Education at the University of Costa Rica, inaugurated by Dr. Henning Jensen-Pennington, UCR Provost, with the conference: "What is an international university?”