Interinstitutional Academic Partnerships

Internationalization has been one of the hallmarks of the Graduate Program in Geography at the Federal University of Ceará (UFC), consolidating partnerships with academic institutions in several countries over time. Since its creation, PPGGeo has strengthened ties of scientific and academic cooperation that reflect both the founding tradition of Brazilian Geography and the pursuit of symmetrical and collaborative relationships with foreign institutions.

This process can be understood in two main phases: a foundational phase, characterized by asymmetrical ties and the influence of the French School, and a phase of consolidation and diversification, in the context of graduate studies, which significantly expanded the geographic and thematic scope of international partnerships.

In 2018, PPGGeo achieved one of its greatest milestones: coordinating the Institutional Program for Internationalization (PRINT/CAPES). This achievement enabled the expansion and strengthening of international partnerships between 2018 and 2024, securing funding and scholarships for sandwich PhDs, academic missions, and visiting professor grants.

In the same year, the Program was awarded support through the CAPES/FUNCAP Call No. 04/2017 — Support for Scientific Cooperation Strategies, which sustained international activities until 2021. With this funding, sandwich PhD scholarships were granted to institutions in Spain, France, Mexico, and the United States; visiting professor grants were awarded for Spain, France, and New Zealand; and researchers from Poland, France, Spain, the United States, Argentina, and New Zealand participated in national-scale events promoted by the Program.

PPGGeo’s international engagement has stood out for establishing symmetrical and collaborative relationships, centered on synergy between research groups and networks focused on globally relevant themes and on addressing scientific challenges aligned with the international research agenda. Over more than two decades, internationalization has consolidated itself as a key strategy for institutional strengthening, reflected in high-quality scientific production, established academic collaborations, and the Program’s prominence as the highest-rated graduate program in Geography in Brazil’s North and Northeast regions, with international recognition for its excellence.

This trajectory has provided valuable experience and a deeper understanding of the main challenges facing northern Brazil, contributing to the attraction of new international partners, researcher mobility, joint supervision of theses and dissertations, cotutelle agreements, and the securing of funding and scientific cooperation projects.

At the national level, PPGGeo/UFC participates in network programs (CNPq), develops research and innovation projects (FUNCAP), and engages faculty in planning policies across different scales, with emphasis on projects funded by the Fortaleza City Government and the Government of the State of Ceará.