Chile - Sweden platform launches joint doctoral courses program
Chilean and Swedish universities grouped on the ACCESS platform will participate in the joint call to promote doctoral courses for both countries. They want to boost the opportunities to reflect and solve problems in four areas of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Fifteen universities in Sweden and Chile decided to call for academics from both countries to teach doctoral courses. They will be related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 agenda promoted by the United Nations.
Grouped in the Academic Collaboration Chile Sweden platform (ACCESS), the program will focus on four SDGs:
- Health and Wellbeing
- Sustainable Cities and Communities
- Underwater Life
- Life of Terrestrial Ecosystems
The next step is for academics from universities in both countries to apply and propose doctoral courses taken jointly by students from Chile and Sweden.
"To overcome the challenges posed by the SDGs, only a combination of viewpoints from different countries and disciplines can lead to a better understanding of complex global problems and achieve better solutions. ACCESS also helps us to achieve one of the main tasks we have as a university: to generate pioneering research that responds to the needs of the community," said the Vice President for Research, Pedro Bouchon, during the meeting with representatives of the several institutions that are part of the platform.
The online meeting was held on June 22, and on behalf of UC Chile, were:
- the Vice President for Research, Pedro Bouchon,
- the Vice President for International Affairs, Lilian Ferrer,
- the Director of Research, María Elena Boisier,
- the Director of the Graduate School, Diego Cosmelli.
How are they going to work?
The courses must be carried out jointly by at least one Chilean and Swedish university, which participates in the ACCESS program. The achievements they expect for the doctoral students are:
- Developing and expanding knowledge in the field of sustainability.
- Learning skills in the area of international collaboration.
- Create a network of Chilean and Swedish doctoral students.
Applications opened on July 1, and the deadline is on September 25, 2021.
The universities agreed to support up to two courses each. It is estimated the program will last three years, with seven courses planned for this period.
The Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT) will match the number of funds provided by the universities. And it will support meetings and courses, as well as offer online pedagogical support.
The Director of the Graduate School, Diego Cosmelli, said:
"This program represents a unique opportunity to strengthen the internationalization of doctoral students. It will allow them to learn in an interdisciplinary environment and establish collaborative networks around significant current issues. It also contributes to diversifying doctoral training in Chile and Sweden, allowing the incorporation of different perspectives on common problems, thus contributing to the knowledge generated being truly global in scope."
Chile - Sweden: collaborating for a better education
Four universities created the ACCESS platform in 2016:
The main objective has been to facilitate and deepen academic relations between Sweden and Chile and allow researchers, professionals, administrators, and students to connect and collaborate in various fields.
Since its inception, two face-to-face meetings have been held, and eleven other higher education institutions have joined the program.
"Despite the geographical distance, Chile shares similar topics and characteristics with Sweden. Those allow us to enrich a very fruitful relationship," said Vice President Bouchon. He added that they could work together on relevant areas such as environmental issues, health, migration, and others.
