Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile: ACCESS platform launches joint doctoral course program
15 Chilean and Swedish universities will participate in the joint call to promote the completion of doctoral courses for students from both countries in four areas of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): Health and Well-being, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Underwater Life and Life of Terrestrial ecosystems.
With the firm intention of contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 agenda, promoted by the United Nations , 15 universities in Sweden and Chile decided to call for academics from both countries to jointly teach doctoral courses related to the ODS.
Grouped in the Chile Sweden Academic Collaboration platform (ACCESS) the SDGs that will be worked on in this joint program are four: Health and Well-being, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Underwater Life and Life of Terrestrial Ecosystems. The next step is for academics from the universities of the two countries to apply and propose doctoral courses that can be taken jointly by students from Chile and Sweden.
“We believe that, to overcome the challenges posed by the SDGs, a combination of perspectives from different countries and disciplines such as the arts, sciences and humanities can lead to a better understanding of complex global problems and better solutions. ACCESS also helps us to achieve one of the main tasks that we have as a university: to generate pioneering research that responds to the needs of the community ”, indicated the Vice-Rector for Research, Pedro Bouchon, in the meeting held remotely with representatives of the different institutions that are part of the platform. The UC Vice-Rector for International Affairs, Lilian Ferrer, the Director of Research, María Elena Boisier, and the Director of the Graduate School, also participated in this instance.
“We believe that, to overcome the challenges posed by the SDGs, a combination of perspectives from different countries and disciplines such as the arts, sciences and humanities can lead to a better understanding of complex global problems and achieve better solutions” – Pedro Bouchon, vice-rector for Research UC.
According to the requirements defined for the courses, it is established that they must be carried out jointly by at least one Chilean and one Swedish university, which participate in the ACCESS program. Among the expectations that are had for doctoral students is the one that allows them to develop and expand their knowledge in the field of sustainability, that they learn skills that can be transferred in the area of international collaboration and also provide a network of doctoral students Chilean and Swedish. Applications opened on July 1 and will have a deadline of September 25, 2021.
The universities agreed to support the completion of up to two courses each during the duration of the program, which was estimated to be three years. In total, a total of 7 courses are planned to be held in this period; The Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT) will match the amount of funds contributed by universities, and will support the holding of meetings and courses, in addition to providing online pedagogical assistance.
“This program represents a unique opportunity to strengthen the internationalization of doctoral students, opening up the possibility of learning in an interdisciplinary environment and establishing collaboration networks around topics that are of enormous current importance. Likewise, it contributes to diversifying doctoral training in both Chile and Sweden, incorporating different perspectives on common problems and thus contributing to the fact that the knowledge generated is truly global in scope ”, points out the director of the Graduate School, Diego Cosmelli.
“This program represents a unique opportunity to strengthen the internationalization of doctoral students, opening up the possibility of learning in an interdisciplinary environment and establishing collaboration networks around issues that are of enormous current importance” – Diego Cosmelli, Director of the School of Graduates.
Collaborative work
Created in 2016 by its founding members – the Catholic University, the University of Chile , the University of Lund and the University of Uppsala – the main objective of the ACCESS platform is to facilitate and deepen the academic relations between Sweden and Chile, as well as to allow the researchers, professionals and administrators and students, connect and collaborate in various fields. Since its inception, two face-to-face meetings have been held, as well as another 11 higher education institutions have joined the program.
“Despite the geographical distance that exists, Chile shares similar themes and characteristics with Sweden, which also allows us to enrich a very fruitful relationship,” said Vice Chancellor Bouchon, adding that there are very relevant areas that can be worked together on environmental issues. health, migration, among others.
“Despite the geographical distance that exists, Chile shares similar themes and characteristics with Sweden, which also allows us to enrich a very fruitful relationship” – Pedro Bouchon, Vice-Rector for Research UC