History

Internationalisation of Higher Education

The process of internationalisation in higher education has emerged as one of the most significant outcomes of globalisation in recent decades. Consequently, institutions are faced with a range of new skills and demands necessary to establish a meaningful presence in both local and global contexts.

Following these developments, UFES launched the International Relations Office (SRI) in 2012, through Resolution No. 009/2012/CUn/UFES of its University Council. The new department became responsible for formulating the institution’s internationalisation policy, promoting and expanding its international activities, as well as advising the Rector, central bodies and teaching and research units in the area of international academic cooperation.

Since the formal founding of the SRI, internationalisation at UFES has become more active, with the expansion and strengthening of international partnerships and a consequent increase in interest in international academic mobility within the university community.

Institutional Internationalisation Policy

Basic guidelines:

1. Integration with the Institutional Development Plan;
2. To act as a guiding framework for UFES’s Internationalisation Language Policy;
3. To provide mobility opportunities for the UFES academic community;
4. To support the development of teaching, research and outreach projects in collaboration with foreign institutions;
5. Supporting lecturers, researchers and students from foreign institutions in activities at UFES;
6. Fostering agreements for teaching, research and extension activities in collaboration with foreign institutions;
7. Actively promoting initiatives aimed at raising the profile of UFES on the local and global stage.

Internationalisation Plan

Strategic objectives:

1. Consolidating existing international partnerships and networks, and establishing new partnerships and cooperation projects in research, teaching and outreach;
2. Involving academics with international experience in activities at UFES;
3. Promoting the internationalisation of the curriculum;
4. Preparing staff and students before and after their time abroad;
5. Language proficiency for the academic community;
6. Welcoming and supporting foreign staff, researchers and students;
7. Integration by the Institution of the knowledge and experience acquired abroad.

In order to accomplish these objectives, the SRI has been working in partnership with the institutional management, contributing to the improvement of processes related to internationalisation.

SRI Sectoral Strategic Planning

The sector's mission, vision and values, amongst other initiatives, have been defined.

Mission: to promote and manage the internationalisation of the Federal University of Espírito Santo.
Values: commitment to institutional development; respect for others; transparency of information; commitment to pluralism and ethnic and cultural diversity; social responsibility; internal cooperation and cooperation with partners outside the University.
Vision: to be an agent for the consolidation of a culture of internationalisation at UFES.

Structure

In 2012, the basic organisational framework of the SRI consisted of (Resolution No. 009/2012/CUn):

• Secretariat for International Relations
• Administrative Secretariat
• Exchange Division
• Cooperation Agreements Division
• Standing Committee on Internationalisation.

In 2014, (Resolution No. 27/2014/CUn/Ufes) the structure became:

• Secretariat for International Relations
• Administrative Secretariat
• Coordination of Mobility for UFES
• Coordination of Mobility Abroad
• Language Coordination
• Coordination of Cooperation Agreements
• Permanent Commission for Internationalisation

On 9 July 2019, Resolution 22/2019, regarding the organisational restructuring of the university, was approved by the UFES University Council. Since then, the SRI has been composed as follows:

• International Relations Office
• International Mobility Division
• Mobility Division at UFES
• Language Division
• Cooperation Agreements Division

Head of Departments

Prof. PhD. Jane Méri Santos - from founding until Sep/2016.

Prof. PhD. Patrícia Alcântara Cardoso - from Oct/2016 to Sep/2020.

Prof. PhD. Yuri Luiz Reis Leite - from Oct/2020 to Feb/2025.

Prof. PhD. Felipe Furtado Guimarães - from Mar/2025 to the present.

All former and current SRI teams are available here.