Tomás León Sicard is a Professor at the National University of Colombia (UNAL) and project leader of DSSP for the Colombian partners
ZEF and the National University of Colombia (UNAL): A high-performing cooperation
We have benefited from this arrangement in many ways. First of all, we have improved our capacity in many areas. Not only our logistical capacity to organize courses, but also our capacity to do research, especially interdisciplinary research, in so many areas. We work by combining different fields and offer a study program with a very comprehensive approach. With ZEF, we share the same
philosophy of what the environment is. For us, the environment includes the relationship between ecosystem and culture, between nature and society. We show these relationships in our research, but also in our academic courses.
How young researchers and students in the Global South benefit from international collaboration
Students have had the opportunity to share knowledge, for example, by writing a term paper in groups of three students with different academic backgrounds. The SDG program has also improved our ability to publish our academic results in scientific journals. In addition, with the support of the SDG program, we have published three to four books in other fields, such as agro-biodiversity. Finally, we have been able to discuss the concept of sustainable development from an interdisciplinary approach. As a result, our students are able to understand life in a better way.
Impulses for further cooperation
What could be improved in the future is the exchange at the professorial level, with more Colombian professors and lecturers going to Germany, and not just the German colleagues teaching in Colombia. This would allow a real exchange and discussion of experiences and enrich the perception of Latin American studies.
The ZEF-led German-Colombian Doctoral Studies Support Program (DSSP) is funded by the German Exchange Service (DAAD) in the framework of its seven SDG Graduate Schools program. More info about DSSP: https://dssp-colombia.org/
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