EU projects in the region are recognised by leading world organisations and by the local partners, as being impactful and standing as reasons for hope to growth and development. Through cross-fertilization, EU can reinforce its footprint in the higher education systems in the region. Panama is a small and dynamic country receptive to modernisation, and willing to introduce a regional approach. Involving Cuba - isolated so many years - is an important step towards integrating the higher education on the island in a regional context. The Cuban Ministry of Higher Education is a partner in the project and is willing to promote a comprehensive introduction of higher education internationalisation in the country.To achieve concrete results and avoid opportunistic behaviours with uncertain long-term benefits, universities need to engage in a structured internationalisation process.FORINT aims to integrate the international dimension into the teaching, research and service functions of Cuban and Panamanian higher education system, and to strengthen the universities' capacities for education and research and improve their academic quality and standards. The project will use a comprehensive methodology directed at the target audiences of universities ( faculty, administrators and students), addressing a full spectrum of internationalisation objectives, including raising awareness, increasing the visibility of institutions within the region and establishment of international contact points in each partner university.Measurable results will be achieved during the lifetime of the project, visible as concrete international partnerships enabled by the partners’ participation in international and regional conferences.The outcomes of the projects will be turned into guidelines accessible to all institutions in the region willing to replicate the process. The FORINT portal will extend the impact of the project beyond its lifetime, facilitating international cooperation.

Latin American countries face the challenge of transforming into knowledge-based societies. Adaptation to these challenges has prompted universities to revise their traditional functions and assume a proactive role in contributing to economic and social development of the society. TETRIS general objective is to enhance to building trust in academic research and in university-industry collaboration by improving the effectiveness of Technology Transfer activities at the Partner Country HEIs. The project aims to improve the level of institutionalization of the ‘third mission’ of the partner universities from Latin America. The development of innovation schemes at institutional level will facilitate and encourage university-industry partnerships. More systematic efforts are required to unlock the potential of research and innovation results. The project will address the regional priority by a carefully designed set of capacity building actions targeting two intervention areas: i) institutional policies on IP and technology transfer and ii) institutional set-up and mechanisms for technology transfer and innovation. The project has three phases: the initial phase is about detailed assessment of Technology Transfer performance and will result in individual development needs. The next phase is the design and development of organisational, operational models and technology transfer mechanisms. The last phase is dedicated to the implementation: universities will adopt and implement elements of the previously developed models that suits best the institutional strategy and capability. Upskilling professionals and improving the knowledge transfer function together will allow them to actively engage with the innovation ecosystem and will have a multiplier effect on research and education. The project will contribute to increase openness and transparency by developing a technology transfer innovation scheme.

The aim of RecoLATIN project is to favour and to increase the quality of vertical and horizontal student mobility within Latin America and European higher education systems. Partners intend to improve competencies and skills of credential evaluators by defining common practices and realising common tools among European and Latin America national bodies and HE institutions, starting from the experience of European HE institutions in relation with the Bologna Process and practices adopted by NARIC centres. Recognition procedures and practices are not only related to technical issues, but are influenced by the structure of each HE system and their cultural approach. The theme of recognition takes into account all the aspects of a HE system (i.e. QA; accreditation/recognition of institutions and programmes; access to courses; etc.): in order to evaluate a foreign qualification we need to know different elements and to consider the purpose of this evaluation procedure (i.e. academic or professional recognition). The activities of the project are placed both at national (official bodies) and institutional level (HEIs). The Latin America countries signed the UNESCO Recognition Convention in 1974 and their recognition practices are based on previous concepts not influenced by the Lisbon Recognition Convention criteria. For that reason we intend to create operational national recognition centres and to provide training activities on recognition practices for their staff. We will draft National Reports of each partner country involved in the project in order to present their HE systems in the view of recognition purposes. We will focus our attention on controversial recognition cases and sectors as TNE and international institutions, distant learning qualifications and non-traditional degrees. Each result of the project will be disseminated through two final seminars organised in the two respective areas as an impulse for both other countries and their HE institutions.

Climate change (CC) has become a structural phenomenon which will imply severe and irreversible impacts. In this context, tourism has received increased attention as a high-energy and often environmentally destructive sector, significantly contributing to the pollutants that are causing CC. This is particularly true in many LA countries, where tourism is of undisputed importance for employment generation. It is clear that this sector must adapt, as must the research, teaching and training associated with it. HEIs have a role to play in innovating curricula related to tourism, so that it addresses CC needs and proposes dynamic solutions that graduates can bring to market. HEIs also have a role to play in continuous professional development, as most tourism professionals need upskilling to best address the changes in the sector caused by CC. CLIMAR aims to link inter-disciplinary research, innovation & knowledge transfer to HE curricular development and continuous professional training, so as to prepare the tourist sector to best face climate change and to mitigate its impacts. It targets specifically HEI in Colombia, Panama, Argentina and Mexico and has the following specific objectives:i) Support the creation of transnational and multidisciplinary research groups specialized in CC, Circular Economy & Tourism (CC&T), among HEIs from EU and LA and reinforce their capacities to increase regional knowledge on CC&Tii) Promote research-based collaborative teaching in CC&T, via the development of a transversal study module that can be inserted in different courses at the postgraduate leveliii) Enhance university-NGO-industry-public administration knowledge transfer so as to contribute to sustainable development and new employment opportunities, via a professional development course in CC&Tiv) Ensure sustainable academic relations and strategic partnerships among HEIs from EU and LA, based-upon multi-disciplinary approach

The IRUDESCA project (from its Spanish acronym, Integración Regional, Universidad y Desarrollo Sostenible en Centro America) aims at strengthening relations between Central American and European universities and the social and economic fabric, as part of a new way of understanding economic models, based on cooperation, sustainability, respect for the environment and people as well as the role and responsibility of universities in the training of professionals and entrepreneurs committed to a smart economic growth of their countries. IRUDESCA focused on entrepreneurship education by providing training to entrepreneurs giving special attention to contents related with business cooperation, the creation of sustainable value chains at the regional level, and the improvement of productivity and competitiveness of micro, SMEs and cooperatives. The project proposed new methods of practical training and real case studies in business and industry (through the Work Package 2.4: Double Coach Assistance (GA) that aims at supporting the development of innovative ideas for sustainable projects and students international exchange between Central American partner universities and countries involving the companies related with the Business Entrepreneurship Projects), with a strong focus on regional integration. In short, IRUDESCA proposed University-Business Cooperation and new university guidance and tutoring services for the students, in collaboration with the business sector.The project focused its approach on the articulation of a European and Central American Universities Network that act in coordination in the definition and implementation of a common modular training program connected with the business and productive sectors of the participating countries.Thus, the project created two new modules of 90 hours each (with a 2 CAC - Central American Academic Credits - each), a transversal module of 45 hours (1 CAC), and an online training course for 24 teachers from the Project partners in Central America. Through these new modules, 240 students (20 students per University, 40 per country) have been formed. The modules focused on the topics of business innovation and value-chains development, creating eco-sustainable SMEs and innovative managerial skills. The modules had, as an educational methodology, the development of Business Entrepreneurship Projects (PEE, from its Spanish acronym). A Network of Coaches was organized based on a system of coaching structured with 2 coaches (1 academic + 1 business) with the role of advising students in the definition of the PEE and its implementation in the real economy of their countries. Students were divided into groups of 5 and each group will develop one Project (4 groups and 4 PEE per University). From the total of 48 Projects, the top 12 (1 Project per University) were selected by an Academic Committee (CA, from its Spanish acronym) and the students involved in these projects participated in an International Internship Program (PIP, from its Spanish acronym). IRUDESCA’s results have been transferred to other universities in Central and Latin America as well as companies and organizations in the productive sectors. This was accomplished (i) with the support of 6 National Working Groups (GTN, from its Spanish acronym) that established for the Project, (ii) through the dissemination of a Project’s Newsletter (Spanish + English + Portuguese), and the organization of 12 Communication Conferences (2 in each partner country) during the Project’s lifetime and a Final Regional Conference.