STRATEGIES IN SEARCH FOR INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS

Freitas, Denise de

doi:10.1590/0100-69912015S01008

Abstracts

Introduction:

Internationalization is the process which integrates universal, intercultural or global dimension in a program, in this case, postgraduate. It can be understood as the process of increasing participation in international operations.

Method:

To offer design and motivational logistics on how to run a process of international scientific relationship.

Results:

It is necessary to develop several different aspects to be reached internationalization: to know the fundamentals of internationalization; to have international vision; to promote strategy for internationalization; to know the characteristics of an institutional center of internationalization; and to understand the institutional advantages of internationalization.

Conclusion:

Internationalization is essential to aerate the Brazilian postgraduate and not mischaracterize or weakens the process. On the contrary, it contributes to increase its vitality and capacity for innovation. Today is not possible to imagine science without internationalization.

Education, higher; International cooperation; Quality indicators, health care; Education, graduate

Introdução:

A internacionalização é o processo no qual se integra dimensão universal, intercultural ou global em um programa, no caso, de pós-graduação. Ela pode ser compreendida como o processo de participação crescente em operações internacionais.

Método:

Apresentar concepção logística e motivacional de como executar um processo de relações científicas internacionais.

Resultados:

É necessário o desenvolvimento de vários e diferentes aspectos para ser alcançada a internacionalização: conhecer os grandes eixos da internacionalização; ter visão internacional; promover estratégia para a internacionalização; saber das características de um centro institucional de internacionalização; e conhecer as vantagens institucionais da internacionalização.

Conclusão:

A internacionalização é imprescindível para arejar a pós-graduação brasileira e não a descaracteriza, menospreza ou enfraquece. Ao contrário, contribui para aumentar sua vitalidade e capacidade de inovação. Na atualidade não dá para imaginar a ciência sem internacionalização.

Educação superior; Cooperação internacional; Indicadores de qualidade em assistência à saúde; Educação de pós-graduação

INTRODUCTION

Globalization is a set of changes in political, social, cultural and economic world visible from the late twentieth century. Internationalization is the process which integrates universal, intercultural or global dimension into a program, in this case, postgraduate. Internationalization can be understood as the process of increasing participation in international operations. It is a phenomenon that has created common ground among various aspects, including in science. Internationalization allows obtaining knowledge through the exchange of teachers and students of studying abroad or those who come here; allows the expertise exchange, enriches and streamlines the teaching, research, extension and becomes a competitive and current university.

The objective of this study was to present the possible mechanisms to be used in a process of creating international partnerships.

THE MAIN AXIS FOR INTERNATIONALIZATION

They are:

1) Bilingual Educational Environment, in which one should dominate and routinely use the English language as a second language, encouraging the use of English in disciplines of undergraduate and postgraduate programs, using the scientific events.
2) Scientific Internationalized Production and Technological, with world-class research center, with publication in international journals of high impact and free access to international journals.
3) International Visibility, with trilingual electronic sites, participation in congresses international scientific meetings with institutional centers of efficient internationalization, publication in international journals of high impact and stimulate the Brazilian journals to have international standard, without losing their identity and characteristics.
4) International Cooperation, sending students and teachers abroad, developing joint innovative research, airing thus the postgraduate with vitality and capacity for innovation. International cooperation should be good enough to attract international professors and students for the postgraduate program, and can be started with invitations to lectures, visits to the program, providing sabbatical periods for professor and visiting scholars to the programs.

International vision

The "International Association of Universities" (IAU), organization affiliated to UNESCO considers that internationalization is a process that integrates different activities as academic mobility, collaborative research, international development projects, unified curricular aspects or disciplines changes in programs and courses, general or specific. The IAU has been working to develop policies, guidelines, survey and monitoring activities and best practices of internationalization in all continent universities.

According to UNESCO, the process of internationalization is in accordance to universities within the global context of globalization with economic, social, political and cultural rights for higher education, so that the two concepts complement each other. The new dynamics imposed by globalization has led universities to define new policies and strategies to be positioned with the new demands of society and the market in general.

In many universities there is no clear policy of internationalization and it actually occurs through individual initiatives of postgraduate programs, focusing on the international training of students and individual scientific cooperation agreements and not institutional. Often a specific partnership, with a particular postgraduate program can be expanded to the entire university, further solidifying its internationalization. When we send a student to sandwich doctorate or post-doctorate abroad, it can represent the "link" to future institutional international agreement.

Strategy for internationalization

It can put as strategic points for internationalization the following items: 1) discuss the issue, focusing its importance, existing models and future plans; 2) to promote scientific cooperation with international universities with improvement of research activities and postgraduate through the establishment of partnerships and international networks; 3) encourage students and professors to international exchange; 4) generate bilateral mobility of students and teachers in international exchange; 5) carry out international joint postgraduate programs; 6) encourage the joint development of research institutions and/or foreign researchers, as well as the search for joint funding resources; 7) maximize the use of information and distance learning technologies for the development of courses and other academic activities together; 8) increase the number of publications in international journals with significant impact factor; 9) promoting participation in international events; 10) establishment and/or improvement of infrastructure for sustainability of the internationalization process, including place for physical and emotional care of students and teachers; and 11) strong institutional centers of internationalization to be able to formulate procedures and operational flows for planning, execution, communication, reporting and monitoring of internationalization.

Characteristics of an institutional center of internationalization

It is important that these centers be efficient and well prepared for co-operation and improving already existing processes, as well as new, further expanding new possibilities. These institutional internationalization centers must: 1) establish continuous communication flows with faculty, staff and students on the subject; 2) proceed to the identification of development opportunities and establishment of exchange, visits, internships and scientific cooperation; 3) promote improvement actions of reception conditions and accommodation of teachers, researchers and foreign students; 4) establish mechanisms for monitoring, indicators, collection, organization and dissemination of information on internationalization activities and initiatives underway.

That is, the internationalization process requires the commitment of senior management, faculty, staff and students, all acting as a centripetal force and thus generating immediate results on the activities of teaching, research and extension of the institution.

Capes in its National Plan for Postgraduate (PNPG) 2011 to 2020 states in relation to internationalization that: 1) postgraduate programs should have a full doctoral program abroad with students contemplating excellent performance; 2) must occur change of rules in public universities to increase the recruitment of foreign teachers; 3) the restructuring and expansion of teacher programs and visiting researcher is required; 4) must occur incentive to recruit foreign students; and 5) support and encouragement to the double-diploma and collaborative projects of long duration.

The federal fomenting agencies - Capes and CNPq -, and the state ones - Support Foundations Research (FAPs) - provide various forms of financial support for Brazilians who want to conduct research abroad, as the full doctoral scholarships, doctorate degrees, postdoctoral, senior stage, among others. Still, there are scholarships for foreigners who want to develop research in Brazil, for example, the "PEC-PG," Students-Agreement Postgraduate Program offered by Capes

Institutional advantages of internationalization

The benefits of internationalization for an institution would be: 1) exposure of students and teachers to universal values, socio-cultural diversity and opening up new perspectives in their areas of research; 2) improvement of cognitive skills of the students involved in international programs such as critical thinking, information search, problem solving, decision making and ability to cope with change; 3) collaboration in teaching and research in their areas of interest and perhaps in other areas of interest, with prospect of incorporation or international focus and consequent reduction of endogeny; 4) the possibility of raising the academic standards and quality of programs and curricula; 5) qualification of human resources (faculty and staff) and qualified labor provision for the labor market, academic or not, through differentiated training of students; 6) strengthening and promotion of institutional image; 7) diversifying the sources of revenue generation; 8) establishment of strategic partnerships to expand the academic horizon and knowledge production.

CONCLUSION