FLAD will finance in 105 thousand euros five projects of Portuguese Higher Education Institutions that aim to develop partnerships for the internationalization of these institutions, in partnership with universities in the United States. This support will be provided under the UP – Higher Education Program, a FLAD program created to promote and encourage the internationalization of Portuguese Higher Education Institutions.

In this edition of UP, FLAD received more than two dozen applications. The jury selected five internationalization projects of Portuguese Higher Education Institutions that demonstrate a commitment to the objective of promoting deeper institutional ties between institutions in Portugal and the United States, and to the internationalization of their institutions.

The Portuguese institutions distinguished are the Universidade de Lisboa – Faculdade de Medicina Dentária, Universidade de Lisboa – Instituto Superior TécnicoNOVA Escola Superior de Saúde de Santa MariaISCTE Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa – Escola Superior de Comunicação Social and NOVA University Lisbon – NOVA FCT (in conjunction with the CEABN-Instituto Superior de Agronomia) that will develop their initiatives in partnership with American institutions.

Learn more about the projects below:

Project 1: “Advancing Oral Health Education in Portugal and USA”

The project represents a relevant collaboration between Faculdade de Medicina Dentária da Universidade de Lisboa and West Coast University in Orange County, United States. The main objective is to strengthen academic cooperation and research activities in oral hygiene, covering academic, clinical and community components. We intend to develop joint graduate programs in oral hygiene and begin efforts toward common academic degrees in the near future. We will also train and develop skills for teachers and students and promote oral health education through international online collaborative learning (COIL), thus covering undergraduate and graduate students and faculty in oral hygiene.

Project 2: “HOPTEC”

The project is the result of a collaboration between Instituto Superior Técnico (Técnico Lisboa) and Johns Hopkins University (Hopkins) and its main objective is to advance joint scientific research in priority areas, as well as to increase opportunities for master’s and PhD students from both institutions. It is intended, through this project, to cement the existing dynamics and share them with the Hopkins and Técnico = HOPTEC communities. The sharing will be achieved by giving stage to students, through joint seminars, the holding of an annual symposium to take place on a rotating basis, and a competition that should result in financial support for more students to benefit from a period of study and research at the partner institution. It is intended to foster opportunities for joint research and knowledge transfer; To drive scientific advances through interdisciplinary work and international presentations that will benefit both institutions.

Project 3: “International Healthy Ageing Course”

The International Course on Healthy Aging was developed in partnership by the Escola Superior de Saúde de Santa Maria – ESSSM (Porto, Portugal) and the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University – FranU (Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA). It is a multidisciplinary course, developed as an optional curricular unit, for final-year students of the Nursing and Physiotherapy courses, from both institutions. FLAD’s support will allow an edition of this course to be held in the USA, enhancing the international mobility of 8 students. This project is part of ESSSM’s vision of being recognized in the area of active and healthy aging and the strategic objectives of increasing internationalization and promoting cultural, scientific and technical cooperation and exchange.

Project 4: “Digital Communication and Digital Marketing: a cross-cultural learning experience between PT and USA”

Focusing on internationalization, this project seeks to develop and consolidate the partnership between Escola Superior de Comunicação Social (ESCS-IPL) and the University of Southern California (USC Marshall – USC). In this sense, 3 major objectives/actions were defined: adoption and use of technology through the creation of a COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) program in Digital Communication and Digital Marketing that aims to promote intercultural understanding, foster global citizenship and provide a unique educational experience for higher education students in Portugal and the United States; Teacher training and development, taking the form of short-term stays and immersive training in both countries and institutions involved; Joint research through the development of a project focused on intercultural communication and the cultural role of digital influencers in the lives of young students.

Project 5: “Urban and peri-urban forests as nature base solutions for mitigating the effects of climate change (URBFOR)”

The main objective of this proposal is to develop a partnership between a consortium of two Portuguese higher education institutions, NOVA School of Science and Technology, and Universidade de Lisboa, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, and Northern Arizona University, School of Forestry, USA, for the implementation and sustainable management of urban and peri-urban forests, as a low-cost global solution for climate change mitigation. The changes that are influencing the planet have a global scale and require concerted responses and actions from the international community to be effective. In fact, increasingly, the commitment to the climate crisis is a collective challenge. This proposal arises in this context. In addition to fostering the joint research of scientists and students from both countries and the curricular articulation and thus contributing to the internationalization of the institution, this proposal will contribute to a global objective, which reinforces the “universal” character of the institution.

FLAD will distribute 105 thousand euros among the five projects for the implementation and development of the planned initiatives.

Many congratulations to all and good work!