Strengths
Internationalization Policy stablished since 2012 along with integrated strategic actions between the International Office and the Senior Office of Research and Graduate Studies
Justification
UFES’s Internationalization Policy began to be constructed in 2012, with the implantation of the International Office (IO). Its strategic objective is to guide and institutionalize activities regarding internationalization of higher education within UFES, comprising not only mobility, but also funding, monitoring of cooperation agreements, development of foreign language proficiency, and inclusion of international and intercultural aspects in teaching and extension, in order to insert UFES in the international context, to become an international destination for students and foreign researchers, and promote partnerships with national and international companies, and local agencies. Internationalization was a process already initiated individually by the Graduate Programs, however it became central as a strategic action of the HEI (Higher Education Institution) in the conduction of the process. Once the internationalization activities are fundamental for graduate studies and vice versa, the IO operates in an integrated way with the Senior Office of Research and Graduate Studies (PRPPG) since its creation, working in the same office space. The funding policy through calls released by the IO, in partnership with the PRPPG aims to institutionally strengthen research groups through stimulating cooperation with excellence groups in foreign institutions, funding mobility of researchers and research projects in cooperation. Besides the usual funding calls, various strategic actions for increasing internationalization have been accomplished, aligned to the Institutional Strategic Planning. Such actions range from supporting translation and review of papers, to welcoming foreign students and increasing of mobility of students going abroad, and also defining a linguistic policy for backing up internationalization, with an expressive offer of language courses for Brazilian and foreign students.
Professors with academic education abroad and existence of international partnerships in development and in expansion
Justification
Approximately 29% of Graduate professors from UFES have had academic education abroad in their PhD or post doctorate level. The main countries are: United States, England, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Canada, Australia, Germany, and Holland. There are various ongoing collaboration research groups, which involve a significant number of collaborative publications. According to data from SCOPUS, in 2017, 24% of UFES’s publications in indexed journals were collaborations with foreign authors (among these, 33% United States, 22% Spain, 11% United Kingdom, 10% Portugal, 10% Canada, 9% France, 9% Italy, 8% Australia). In 2010, only 13% of UFES’s publications in indexed journals were collaborations with foreign authors. In addition, UFES has 116 active cooperation agreements with universities abroad, involving collaboration research, student/professor mobility, and cotutelle; the top 10 partners are France (15), Portugal (16), Spain (11), United States (8), Italy (8), Germany (7), Mexico (6), United Kingdom (5), Canada (3) and Argentina (3).
Language Policy for supporting internationalization
Justification
UFES’s Language Policy for Internationalization has strategies such as: (i) qualification and expansion of the offer of language education for the whole UFES’s community; (ii) insertion, in its pedagogical projects, of subjects in other languages and activities that involve student/professor mobility; (iii) teaching of Portuguese as a Foreign Language; (iv) institutional activities with languages in the services, as well as proficiency tests, translation of papers, websites and institutional documents; (v) appreciation of workers who have access to language education and use that competence for the internationalization of the university; and (vi) creation of official documents in foreign languages, as demanded for cooperation with other institutions. Regarding language courses offer, UFES has a Language Center that offers foreign language courses (German, English, French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese as a foreign language) for 5,103 students enrolled in 204 groups, reaching the academic and external community. Besides the language courses, the Language Center also has reading Proficiency Tests (Spanish, French, English, Italian) e for students’ mobility (2,051 assisted in 2017). Apart from the Language Center, the IO also has a Language Coordination which provides various actions related to the increasing of language proficiency for the internationalization of the local community. Among them, the “Languages without Borders” Program is highlighted, it offers language courses for specific purposes (such as academic writing or class preparation), beyond free proficiency and levelling tests for UFES’s community. There are 7 scholarship teachers in the LwB Program. In 2017, 720 TOEFL tests were offered and 1,750 students were assisted in courses of oral production and comprehension, writing essays in English, French, Italian and Spanish. UFES has 2,898 active students in “My English Online”. Other actions related to internationalization are part of the Language Center, such as the training for the community of professors and support through translation workshops, academic writing in English, subtitling in MOOCs and EMI, training for professors from excellent Graduate Programs, promoting and supporting conduction of research projects that contribute to scientific production. Besides that, the Language Coordination backs up the Graduate Programs in preparing their websites, calls and cooperation agreements in foreign languages.
Internal calls with own resources for funding of internationalization activities and FAPES (Foundation of Support to Research of Espírito Santo), committed to the excellence of the Graduate Programs (GPs)
Justification
Since 2014, UFES has been releasing internal calls with its own funding to finance internationalization initiatives linked to institution’s researchers in missions abroad, visits of foreign professors to UFES, aiming to develop research projects in collaboration or cotutelle. Notably, the last call asked for researchers involved to submit a project proposal collaboratively to an international funding agency (Newton Fund, Horizon 2020 and others). Besides the internal calls for internationalization activities, the Foundation of Support to Research of Espírito Santo (FAPES) releases a R$ 17.5 million public call known as PROPEX (Plan for Excellence Graduate Programs), specifically destined to support Graduate Programs that currently are graded 5 in their strategic plans to reach grade 6, the internationalization activities are one of the central topics of interest. Releasing date in May 2018, this call provides support to the GPs for 4 years. Resources can be used to fund short term visits of Brazilian professors abroad or scholarships for foreign visiting professors/researchers.
Procedures to support incoming and outgoing mobility of consolidated students in constant expansion
Justification
In 2017, 31 undergraduate students participated in the Program of International Academic Mobility and accomplished their studies in 20 foreign institutions in 8 countries, 39 PhD students participated in PDSE (a national program funded by CAPES for sandwich doctorate). UFES has been welcoming about 45 PEC-G students and 15 PAEC students a year, coming from Germany, France, Colombia, Portugal, Argentina, Bolivia, Ghana, Italy, Mexico, Namibia, Peru, Cape Verde, Cuba, Ecuador, Haiti, Honduras, Uruguay, and Venezuela. UFES usually releases calls for student mobility. Besides, there are internal calls with external funding for undergraduate and graduate student mobility, such as CAPES-PDSE, Santander, Brafitec and International Degree Program. Specifically, for graduate studies, the redistribution of internal quotas of CAPES-PDSE scholarships is aligned to the prioritization guidelines of the Institutional Plan of Internationalization (grade 5 programs that have plans to become grade 6 in CAPES are preferred). Aiming to a better preparation of professors and students for activities abroad, the IO created exclusive teams for preparation of the student in his/her stay abroad (Outgoing Mobility Coordination) and for welcoming foreign students (Incoming Mobility Coordination), which organizes meetings/seminars for promotion, orientation, monitoring and support. Among the welcoming activities, the program “Angels in UFES” is highlighted, it aims to monitor students/professors/researchers welcomed by the university through a collaborative action articulated with the IO, students and workers who volunteer and commit to escort a foreigner, helping in his arrival, adaptation, and day by day matters. The Incoming Mobility Coordination welcomes students, selects and trains the “angels” to participate in the program. The program is not an activity for teaching/learning languages between the parties (“angel” and foreigner), but it promotes interaction that can help improving knowledge on the preferred language informed by both participants. The selection of “angels” in 2018 had 145 submissions of UFES’ss students/workers and it reached UFES’s 4 campi: Alegre, Goiabeiras, Maruípe, and São Mateus.
