Policies
Policy for selection of foreign partners, considering that 70% (at least) of the resources should be reserved for partnerships with institutions based on countries that Capes maintains effective cooperation with (listed in Annex I of the call)
The policy of choosing foreign partners guides and regulates the relationships between UFES’s GPs and the international ones. It comes from the strategic objectives of the Institutional Internationalization Policy, that is, it is the delimitation of strategic and tactical issues. The basic policy guidelines for choosing international partners for GPs are: 1. Conduct joint research to answer common thesis questions; 2. Proposition of common strategic goals; 3. Division of expenses to carry out research, sharing the development and acquired knowledge; 4. Sharing / reducing risks and costs to exploit innovations; 5. Joint funding and sharing of research resources; 6. Offering courses, disciplines, and infrastructure of diversified laboratories. The focus of this proposal is on existing partnerships, to use them as a basis for prospecting new partners through projects with existing partners or related opportunities. Aiming to support GPs grade 5 seeking grade 6, a specific questionnaire was developed to collect data based on the guidelines above, containing questions divided into four sections: a. Identification of the program; b. Conception and justifications for internationalization; c. Strategies, initiatives, and partners for internationalization; d. Factors that facilitate the implementation of internationalization strategies and actions. The questions were mostly structured, but there were optional text fields where coordinators could add information and comments they deemed relevant. The results provided evidence regarding the importance of foreign partners and relationships for the expansion of networks of international cooperation and management of relationships of trust and mutual commitment, with attention to transparency in these relations. For the selected partnerships, the determining factors were common interest in the topic of research, excellence, interest in mobility (students and faculty), use or sharing of high quality research infrastructure, international funding, and prior collaboration experience.
Grant policy and internal selection process for specific actions, within the funding lines of the Capes-PrInt program. In the case of cooperation projects with foreign institutions, the proponent should specify the application of funds, the plan of activities, reciprocal funding, academic mobility, technical – scientific production, counterparts in the partner institutions, among others
As mentioned previously, UFES identified "Urban Environment for Today and Tomorrow" as its major research challenge linked to internationalization, being composed of 3 unifying sub-themes (Technology, Health, and Social Issues). Based on the public call rules, a Manager Group of the Institutional Internationalization Project was selected, composed of foreign professors and others from the institution in the areas related to the selected priority themes. The Committee is composed of 11 members, with the Coordinator (the Research and Postgraduate Officer), the Secretary of International Relations, and 3 professors for each selected priority topic (2 professors of the institution and 1 foreign professor in each of the areas related to each of the themes). Each topic has a management sub-committee that proposes specific actions and defines rules for the selection of beneficiaries, based on the basic guidelines defined by the Management Committee. The managing sub-committee coordinator of each topic is one of the members of the General Committee of UFES’s project. In UFES’s proposal, there are 3 GPs participating in each theme, with 3 representatives in each management sub-committee, one for each GP. The specific actions have already been reasonably designed the proposal preparation, however, it is still necessary to define the specific support beneficiaries or specific research projects within the lines and large projects of each theme. In this way, the Manager Group established as basic guidelines for selection that: 1. Actions should focus on transversal projects that benefit more than one GP, focusing on general strengthening of the research theme and its internationalization, not only one area of one of the GPs involved; 2. Each sub-committee managing the theme shall propose selection criteria for the internal calls for selection of beneficiaries. These criteria should be evaluated by the General Committee of UFES’s project. 3. Selection criteria should be based on academic excellence and adherence of the beneficiary's performance to the strategic planning of the GP and UFES’s Institutional Project and the impact on the internationalization of the Institution. 4. All students and professors working in the lines of research/projects related to the proposed topic may apply for scholarships and grants made available. It will be the responsibility of the General Committee of UFES’s project to approve the list of specific actions and beneficiaries, within the funding lines of the Capes-PrInt Program.
Policy for hiring faculty with recognized scientific performance at an international level
The hiring policy of professors with recognized scientific performance at an international level is based on the offer of vacancies of visiting professors, which prioritizes hiring of foreign teachers. UFES’s Graduate programs annually submit proposals for the reception of visiting professors based on their strategic plans for improving courses. Based on the requests, the Graduate Chamber annually prepares the allocation list of vacancies for visiting professors at the institution. There are currently 12 spots, with a stay period of up to 4 years for visiting foreign researchers or until their final admission. In case of professors with recognized scientific performance at an international level, it is recommended to the GPs that the areas of activity of visiting professors should be considered for the allocation of new vacancies (or vacancies), to enable permanent admission of the professor. Because it is a public competition subject to the current norms and laws, the institution’s criteria for hiring are
entirely academic, with no distinction between national and international candidates. However, an international scientific production profile with productions in the upper levels of the Qualis classification is significantly best scored. Candidates with recognized scientific performance have substantial advantage in the scoring worksheet of the selection process. In addition, one of the scoring items in the selection process is the professor’s work plan, where internationalization activities are a desirable factor. In addition to these actions, it is part of the institutional policy to disclose public calls for hiring permanent professors from other countries, through scientific associations or scientific promotion sites such as LinkedIn and ResearchGate.
Policy to increase proficiency in foreign languages for students, postgraduate faculty and technical staff that have a direct relationship with the proposed Internationalization Project
The Institutional Policy of Internationalization defines, as a Strategic Objective, the language proficiency in the academic community, with the strategy of expanding the offer of language courses for UFES’s community, resulting in greater involvement of the academic community in the internationalization process. The actions in this theme are: 1. To offer foreign language courses to allow the academic community to interact in other languages; 2. To offer language courses for academic purposes to the academic community; 3. To offer foreign language assistance in other languages as well as to promote experiences in courses and activities in Portuguese or Portuguese as a Foreign Language; 4. To keep participating as a Language Center in the “Languages Without Borders” program; 5. To work in collaboration with UFES’s Language Center; 6. To support the implementation of the Linguistic Policy for Internationalization. Notably, this is one of the aspects that has advanced the most in recent years, with the approval of the Linguistic Policy for Internationalization by the Council of Teaching, Research and Extramural Activities, the work of the Language Center of UFES and the Coordination of Languages of the International Office. The Language Center offers foreign language courses (German, English, French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese for foreigners) to 5,103 enrolled students, for external and internal community. The Language Coordination acts aiming to increase language proficiency for the internationalization of the community, with emphasis on the “Languages without Borders Program”, which has 7 teachers and offers language courses for academic writing and preparation for classes, proficiency and levelling tests. In 2017, 720 TOEFL tests were offered and 1,750 students attended oral and written comprehension and production courses in English, French, Italian, and Spanish. In 2017, all the GPs’ webpages were translated into in English, automatically updated by the academic system of graduate studies, which means the pages are updated in real time, from the offer of disciplines to the publication of theses and dissertations. UFES has participated in programs of the Fulbright Commission and welcomed 2 teacher assistants. In 2017, to expand the offer in other languages, UFES had a project from the French embassy, and received a French lecturer. These native instructors developed different activities, among them, specific workshops and teaching material. 5. Policy for recognition of academic and scientific activities performed by faculty and students abroad. All Graduate Programs at UFES adopt credit recognition policies based on the academic and scientific activities carried out by professors and students, adopted in the cooperation agreements. There is a consensus in the GPs that this is one of the main mechanisms for the internationalization of the curriculum, which is established as one of the institution's strategic objectives in its Institutional Plan of Internationalization. The strategic objective of the internationalization of the curriculum goes beyond the recognition of credits only in subjects and/or courses, because it promotes the possibility of recognition on a complete emphasis, such as cotutelle and double degree. This is to improve existing research collaborations and promote new ones with the same partners. In 2011, UFES approved its first double diploma agreement at the undergraduate level, and since then, seven more have been signed. These eight agreements are concentrated in the engineering courses, in campus Goiabeiras, in Vitória, and all with France. In 2013, UFES approved its first double degree agreement in a graduate course, since then, other 07 have already been signed. Currently, several Graduate Programs of the institution are committed to the development of double degree or cotutelle agreements.
Policy for hosting and support of foreign faculty, researchers and students
The Institutional Policy of Internationalization defined as one of its strategic objectives the adequate reception and monitoring of foreign professors, researchers and students. The strategies in this topic aim at welcoming actions and adaptation to daily life, with a cultural perspective, in a way to include foreigners in the daily life of the university, allowing an internationalization of academic knowledge, living and culture concepts. In this concept, the Institutional Policy of Internationalization foresees the following actions: 1. To update and disclose the Researcher and International Student Guide in the institutional website and in the International Office website; 2. To linguistically support foreigners through courses and actions of Portuguese as a Foreign Language (PFL) before arrival and during their stay at UFES; 3. To disclose abroad and in the institutional website the program of support and integration of foreigners called "Angels in UFES"; 4. To disclose “aid programs” for the accommodation and support of foreign students; 5. To create mechanisms to support actions that allow UFES to offer the Certificate of Proficiency in Portuguese for Foreigners (CELPE-Bras) in its premises and with its seal; 6. To develop a database of information on the activities of foreign professors/ researchers and students who were at UFES, to register and share internationalization activities developed; 7. To promote diplomatic and civic activities; 8. To disclose scientific research and collaboration networks involving highlighted countries; 9. To promote international cuisine at the university restaurant meals; 10. To promote the international culture through music, plays, dance, literature, and art. 7. Policy for the appropriation of knowledge and experience acquired abroad by the beneficiaries of the actions of the Institutional Internationalization Project. The policy for appropriation by the Institution of the knowledge and experience acquired abroad is centered in the dissemination of the acquired knowledge. In this context, actions are taken to prepare individuals before their departure to be aware about sharing knowledge with the institution even before departure. After returning, the Institutional Policy of Internationalization points to two main actions: 1. To promote seminars with UFES’s professors/students and foreigners about experiences and academic results of research conducted in partnership; 2. Commitment of the professor supported by the institutional programs of internationalization in offering seminars and/or courses in foreign languages, when returning. In addition to the actions related to sharing knowledge in seminars and courses, UFES considers it important to have funding to guarantee appropriation of knowledge. Often, a new technique, procedure or technology requires low investment to be routinely used/appropriated by the institution. At UFES, part of research activity is funded by an institutional grant from research and innovation projects with companies and governmental entities (3% of the total amount). The Senior Office of Research and Graduation Studies submitted a project to use resources in strategic activities, such as support for this stage of internationalization, to the University Council (Senior Council that acts on the finances and administrative norms of the institution). This will soon be another support tool, in addition to traditional external funding sources.
Policy for management and operationalization of the Institutional Internationalization Project
As mentioned previously, a Management Group of the Institutional Internationalization Project was selected, composed by foreign and institution’s professors of the areas related to the selected priority themes. The Committee was composed by 11 members, the Coordinator (the Research and Graduate Studies Officer), the Secretary of International Relations, and 3 professors for each selected priority theme (2 professors from the institution and 1 foreign professor in areas related to each one of the themes). Each topic has a subcommittee manager that proposes specific actions and defines norms of selection of the beneficiaries, based on the basic guidelines defined by the Management Committee. The coordinator of the subcommittee managing each theme is one of the members of the Project Management Committee. In UFES’s proposal, there are 3 Graduate Programs participating in each theme, with 3 representatives in each management subcommittee (one from each GP). Specific actions have already been reasonably designed in the elaboration of the proposal, but definitions regarding the beneficiaries of the support or specific research projects among the lines and large projects of each theme are still necessary. Thus, each subcommittee that manages the theme should propose selection criteria for the internal calls of selection of beneficiaries, based on the guidelines of the General Management Committee of UFES’s project. These criteria should be evaluated by the General Management Committee of UFES’s project and should be based on academic excellence and adherence of the beneficiary's performance to the strategic planning of the GP and the Institutional Project. The General Management Committee of UFES’s project will approve the list of specific actions and beneficiaries. The operationalization of the Institutional Internationalization Project will be carried out by the Senior Office of Research and Graduate Studies and the International Office. The PRPPG will operationalize aspects related to granting and management of grants and scholarships, academic regulations, cotutelle, double degree, departures and other academic activities related to the academic aspects of the GPs involved. The International Office will be responsible for aspects related to cooperation agreements (Coordination of Cooperation Agreements), reception of professors and students (Coordination of Mobility for UFES), meetings/preparatory courses for mobility and support during mobility (Coordination of Mobility), language preparation/proficiency (Language Coordination) and other internationalization activities.
Policy for monitoring and internal evaluation of the goals of the Institutional Internationalization Project
The Institutional Project Management Group will follow goals and numerical indicators provided by the Institutional Project, analysing the number of students and professors in mobility, the number of cooperation agreements and publications originally planned, and their evolution over time. At the beginning of each year, the subcommittee responsible for each topic should indicate the detailed budget, actions to be implemented and beneficiaries of the actions, with due justification, including critical analysis of their alignment with GPs strategic planning and UFES’s Institutional Project, as well as the impact on the internationalization of the institution. On a semi-annual basis, the subcommittee responsible for each theme shall submit to the Institutional Project Management Group financial reports and partial technical reports, so that progress and effectiveness of the probable corrective activities may be carried out. In addition, as provided in the public call, the Institutional Project Management Group shall be responsible to Capes, after approval by the Permanent Committee of the Internationalization Policy (a body delegated by the Institution's Teaching, Research and Service Council), for accountability: a) annual financial reports; b) partial (biannual) technical reports; c) final technical report.
Policy for the conciliation of national development programs supported by Capes to the internationalization effort
The Graduate Programs included in the PrInt Program will not participate in institutional quotas in CAPES’ public calls, as PDSE, for example. Since the funds received under CAPES PrInt are sufficient to meet actions related to strategic internationalization plans, such GPs will not be prioritized to receive internationalization resources in the period. On the other hand, for GPs graded 5 that are committed to obtaining grade 6, there will be institutional support for participation in external calls in areas and efforts not directly related to internationalization, to keep alignment with its Strategic Institutional Planning 2015-2019, which contains the institutional goal of concept 6 GPs in the next evaluation, drawing up strategic actions, policies and specific projects to ensure the excellence of these GPs.
