Since 2017, SGroup has run the ICon Programme (The InterContinental Academic Exchange Programme), a mobility scheme which offers grants to full-member universities of SGroup to visit institutions outside Europe to establish/further cooperation.
Professor Joaquín Romero (Universitat Rovira i Virgili), received one of the ICon grants for Latin America to visit Universidad Técnica de Ambato, Ambato, Ecuador and shared more about his fruitful experience in April 2022:
“The ICon grant has given me the opportunity to visit Universidad Técnica de Ambato (UTA) and experience first-hand some academic, administrative and social aspects of an institution that differs in significant ways from the reality of European universities. During my visit, I have met with both academics and administrators, who share a vision for higher education in Ecuador, but do not always have the same perspective on how to achieve specific goals and objectives. I have also had the opportunity to spend some time with a number of students from the degree in Pedagogy of National and Foreign Languages, who showed a lot of enthusiasm at the opportunity of sharing their hopes and concerns regarding their future and the opportunities for growth that can come from our collaboration.
The main purpose of the mobility was to create synergies between the two institutions, especially as regards the possibility of setting up shared programs at the master's level as well as the potential for mobility exchange of faculty and students. In this respect, I was able to discuss specific proposals in both areas, which I believe show a lot of potential for development in the short term. While a lot of the focus during my stay at UTA was on how they could benefit from our expertise and resources, we also explored ways in which faculty and students from my home university could take advantage of the unique characteristics of some of their programs, such as bilingual education and language and development, which can result in a fruitful exchange of ideas and the development of joint projects in the future.”
Check the page of the ICon Programme for all info on applications and functioning: https://sgroup-unis.eu/project/icon-programme.
