Internacionalisation plays a central role in the Strategic Plan of the University of Cordoba (UCO).
The election of our partners abroad is carried out either at the request of the Dean's team of a Faculty or School, or through the Rector's Office, in search of strategic partners such as the University of Concepción in Chile, the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in the United States, the University of Messina in Italy and Hankuk University in South Korea. International inter-institutional agreements are monitored by the International Relations Committee before they are approved by the University Board of Governors and signed by the Rector.
With regard to the geographical area, and according to internationalisation global policy of the UCO, universities from all over the world are welcome to international cooperation with us, although Iberoamerica is the main strategic region for historical and cultural reasons. The UCO is nevertheless targeting the Asiatic area through different international programmes, having negotiated and signed some agreements with universities in Japan (Nihon University), China (Shandong University, SISU) and South Korea (Hankuk University, Seoul National University).
As for the targets groups, we intend to involve in our mobility activities the largest number of members of the academic community:
- Students can benefit from many mobility programmes, such as Erasmus study, Erasmus placements, Leonardo da Vinci, UCOGlobal scholarships (general scholarships, Asia programme, Leadership programme and Summer scholarships), UCO International and Cooperation Programme, Erasmus Mundus - Actions 1 and 2, Atlantis, etc.
- Teaching staff may also benefit from the Erasmus Programme (STA/STT), UCO Research Support Programme, UCOInternational and Cooperation Programme, UCO Doctoral Programme towards Excellence, English language courses at the VCU, mobilities under Erasmus Mundus- Action 2, TEMPUS and ALFA projects.
- Administrative staff: Erasmus STT, UCO International and Cooperation Programme, English language courses at the VCU.
- Researchers: UCO Research Support Programme, ceiA3 grants for researchers (Attracting Talent to the Agrifood sector, Doctors in research centres abroad) and scholarships for the international Doctorate mention awarded by the ceiA3 and IDEP postgraduate school.
Double/joint degrees are key pieces within the internationalisation strategy of the UCO. In this sense, 17 undergraduate and postgraduate double-degree agreements have already been signed with institutions from different countries (Italy, France, Polond, United States, Chile, Marrocco...).
An important step for the internationalisation and modernisation of our university is the creation of the Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (ceiA3). In line with the objectives set out in the ceiA3 Consortium Statutes, to perform its activities at the highest level of excellence, so that the universities belonging to the Campus become an international reference in the field of agrifood, as well as to enlarge and enhance the opportunities for students, teachers and research groups, the Internationalization Area promotes international exchange programmes and the relations with universities abroad. The internationalization of the Agrifood Campus of International Excellence supports the ceiA3 strategies of Training, R&D&I, and Innovation and Transfer.
By developing its Strategic Plan 2006-2015 the UCO intends to become a highly internationalised university at every stage and process. Internationalisation is one of the five strategic focuses in this Plan, which aims at:
- Setting internationalisation programmes for Master's and Doctoral Degrees, as well as offering degree programmesin a foreign language.
- Promoting the UCO academic offer abroad, and publishing in english the undergraduate and graduate courses' catalogue at its web.
- Gaining external financing for scholarships addressed to students from developing countries or economies in transition..
- Supporting research groups as part of the internationalization policy, in order to promote and ensure quality research, and to encourage the mobility of new doctors for training purposes.
- Promoting staff competent for carrying out the tasks in the framework of internationalization and a centralized crosssectorial structure for the development and management of mobility programs.
- Removing physical and socio-cultural barriers, as well as curricular, administrative and economic obstacles to the international dimension of the UCO.
The design and implementation of international cooperation projects is a priorities within the UCO Strategic Plan. Thus, the University plans to create a section or unit for the submission of proposals and management of international projects, formed by staff specialist in European and non-European projects.
The Projects' Unit will offer the following services:
- partner search,
- information on open calls,
- support for the preparation of projects,
- management of approved projects.
Projects' submissions will be monitored by the UCO International Relations Committee, as well as by the Research Committee and the Postgraduate Committee, if applicable, that will check if projects proposed agree with the UCO international policy. Therefore, according to our academic and research profile and the UCO flag institutions (Agrifood Campus of International Excellence, ceiA3, and Maimonides Institute for Biomedical Research of Cordoba, IMIBIC), it will be put a strength on projects in the fields of agrifood and biomedicine.
UCO is committed to give visibility to the results of awarded projects, using its web page and through working days that will be organised on the relevant topic, with the following objectives:
a) Diffusion of results.
b) To encourage teachers and researchers to participate in this kind of projects.
Within the main objectives of the UCO Strategic Plan, and directly related to one of the priorities set in the agenda for the modernisation of Europe's higher education systems, is the will to improve the quality and relevance of higher education by means of the diversification and improvement of international mobility programmes, in order to contribute to the global improvement of students’ and researchers’ training.
This action becomes essential when it is realized that students have higher levels of performance and greater motivation after an international stay. The variety of international mobility programmes and the availability of scholarships will increase the attainment levels to provide graduates and researchers according to the needs of the current European society.
As proposed by the EU, our university intends to reach before 2020 the proportion of 20% students having fulfilled an international stay. To this aim, the UCO own funds committed to internationalisation activities are to be increased. All obstacles to the recognition of credits awarded abroad must also be removed, trying to reach the highest complementarity among national systems. In order to deepen cross-border cooperation, as a mean to enhance quality in training and research, the UCO has planned to reinforce the role of the International Relations Office and to create a Projects’ Unit formed by specialists, who will support teachers and researchers in their search for partners and external funding.
With regard to the university relation to the environment, the UCO has decided to bet for a greater specialization in the field of agrifood, which is its highest potential. The Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (ceiA3) is a Consotium of Andalusian universities headed by the UCO. Among the ceiA3 priorities, to link higher education, research, and the local and regional entrepreneurial sector plays a key role. The ceiA3 Campus promotes collaboration agreements with companies, enhances applied research by introducing researchers that will finish their Doctorate in enterprises, and creates clusters able to give responses to the needs for research transfer of the agrifood sector.