The universities signed two collaboration agreements on 4th of February at the Rector’s Offices of the URV. The first agreement establishes doctoral training for the academic staff of the UVM within the framework of the URV’s doctoral programmes. The second establishes a framework for joint development cooperation and social innovation

Both agreements were signed by the academic Vice-Rector of the Chilean university, Marco Vega, on behalf of the Rector Juan Pablo Prieto, and the URV’s Rector, Josep Anton Ferré. They were accompanied by Meritxell Calbet, Director of Cooperation and International Projects at the Universidad Viña del Mar, the Vice-Rector for University and Society, Jordi Tous, the Director of the Postgraduate and Doctoral School, Francesc Díaz, and the Vice-Rector for Scientific Policy and Research, Josep Manel Ricart.

The Universidad Viña del Mar (UVM) plans to advance doctoral training with the assistance of external friends who share their aspirations to excellence. The doctoral programme agreement between the UVM and the URV establishes the conditions whereby the two institutions will cooperate to provide doctoral training university through distance tutoring sessions for the academic staff of the Chilean, thus enabling them to obtain a doctoral degree from the URV. Prior to fully implementing the training, the UVM will identify the research areas that are strategically important to their scientific progress. The URV will be responsible for providing dedicated thesis supervisors to undertake the doctoral training of the selected candidates. The doctoral students will carry out research with URV research groups affiliated to the doctoral programs to which they have been accepted.

The signing of the second agreement has established a collaboration framework between the Regional Centre for Inclusion and Social Innovation of Universidad Viña del Mar (CRIIS-UVM) and the “URV Solidària” Centre for Development Cooperation (CCD-URV). They will cooperate in academic training, the transfer of knowledge and technology and the execution of projects and will raise awareness in the areas of cooperation, development, inclusion and social innovation. Both centres will exchange information and experiences in these fields.