Interinstitutional Academic Partnerships

 Mixed-Nature Projects

Within its research activities, PPGGeo/UFC has recently developed several noteworthy initiatives:

a) Prof. Adryane Gorayeb has coordinated a strategic project funded by CNPq under the Nexus I Call, focused on the integrated assessment of water, energy, and food security in the Brazilian semi-arid region. The project involves the University of Bath (United Kingdom), led by Prof. Mirella Di Lorenzo, with co-funding from the Global Challenges Research Fund. Other international partners include Pablo de Olavide University (Spain), represented by Prof. Pilar Paneque; Texas A&M University (USA), represented by Profs. Wendy Jepson and Christian Brannstrom; and, more recently, Lincoln University (New Zealand), with Prof. Chris Rosin, who has contributed research on food sovereignty.

b) Profs. Eustógio Dantas and Fábio Matos participate in the national research network responsible for developing the National Qualification Plan in Tourism, funded by the Ministry of Tourism (MTUR) and nationally coordinated by the University of Brasília (UnB). Within this project, the professors lead studies related to the Route of Emotions, with the collaboration of program alumnae Dr. Luana Holanda and Dr. Maria Natacha.

The Program also develops projects on a global scale, with academic partnerships across several continents. Highlights include:

c) EUROBROADMAP – An international project funded by the European Union that analyzed students’ representations of Europe and the world. Prof. Eustógio Dantas participated alongside institutions from Brazil (USP, UFC, UFRGS, UFAM) and other countries, including France, Belgium, Portugal, Sweden, Malta, Romania, Turkey, Cameroon, China, and India. The project resulted in the publication A visão da Europa no Brasil: as especificidades dos olhares alencarinos (2013).

d) PAEC OAS/GCUB – In 2014, UFC joined the Partnership Program for Education and Training, promoted by the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Coimbra Group of Brazilian Universities (GCUB). Doctoral scholarships were allocated to foreign students, including Diana Tovar (Colombia, 2015, advised by Prof. Jeovah Meireles) and Gloria Bolívar (Venezuela, 2016, advised by Prof. Adryane Gorayeb).

e) Mozambique–Italy–Brazil Cooperation – A joint project with Eduardo Mondlane University (Mozambique) and the Università degli Studi Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria (Italy), involving Prof. Flávio Rodrigues. Entitled Application of Remote Sensing and GIS in Formulating Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies to Water Scarcity in Arid and Semi-arid zones of Mozambique, the project is funded by the Italian university.

The Program’s international actions are guided by seven strategic principles:

• Encouragement of postdoctoral research internships abroad.

• Symmetrical relations with institutions of excellence and external funding (e.g., Fundación Carolina, Fulbright, NSF).

• Training of foreign master’s and doctoral students (e.g., students from Colombia, Venezuela, and Cape Verde).

• International co-supervisions and co-tutelle arrangements, with reception of postdoctoral researchers (e.g., Spain).

• Promotion of doctoral sandwich programs (Portugal, Argentina, Spain, USA).

• Integration of visiting professors (e.g., Prof. Jean-Pierre Peulvast – Univ. Paris; researchers from TAMU-Texas).

• Expansion of international scientific visibility through English-language publications and editorial participation with Springer.

f) FUNPEC-RN – Prof. Rubson Maia participated (2012–2022) in the project Faults, fractures, facies, and flow in karst systems, funded by Shell through the Rio Grande do Norte Foundation for Research and Culture (FUNPEC-RN). The project investigated karst areas in the Potiguar Basin (Rio Grande do Norte) and the Irecê Basin (Bahia), focusing on diagenetic processes and permeability–porosity analysis. The activities were carried out in collaboration with researchers from the University of Parma (Italy), the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and Delft University of Technology (Netherlands), fostering intense international scientific interaction.

g) TropiCool Project – Conducted between 2019 and 2023, the project was funded by the Copernicus Climate Change Services (C3S) and nationally coordinated by Prof. Elisa Zanella, with contributions from collaborators at the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI).