Luso-American Foundation awards two Católica projects with grants for internationalisation
The Universidade Católica won two of the four scholarships awarded by the Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD) under the UP – Higher Education Programme, which aims to strengthen internationalisation and develop partnerships with universities in the United States of America (USA).
The Leadership in Nursing Knowledge Exchange (LINK) project, from the Faculty of Health Sciences and Nursing (FCSE) in collaboration with Boston College, and the Dual Degree in Emerging Media and Digital Transformation project, developed by the Faculty of Human Sciences (FCH) and the College of Communication and Information at Kent State University, were the winners, receiving up to €30,000.
‘These are flagship projects,’ said the president of Universidade Católica Portuguesa at the ceremony to present the winning projects from Católica.
‘The relationship with the United States has been very important to the Catholic University for many years, at all levels, from mobility to value creation through knowledge networks,’ said Isabel Capeloa Gil, noting that ‘science is not done in silos and universities, in their very name and designation, are international by definition.’ ‘It is essential that universities act as bridges connecting us to the great science being done on the other side of the Atlantic, but also showcasing the great science we do on this side,’ reiterated the president.
FLAD administrator Michael Baum highlighted the role of the UP Programme, which acts as ‘seed funding for new ideas for internationalisation.’ He also emphasised that the grants awarded are ‘votes of confidence’ that enable ‘certain bureaucratic barriers within institutions to be overcome.’
According to the director of the PhD programme in Nursing at FCSE, Sílvia Caldeira, the LINK project, already underway, ‘aims to improve the internationalisation of the PhD programme in Nursing at Universidade Católica Portuguesa’. It mainly focuses on the areas of teaching, mobility, innovation and research, involving teachers, researchers and students, she explained on the same occasion.
Taking advantage of the existing relationship with Boston College and the work developed in partnership by the two institutions, both belonging to the Strategic Alliance of Catholic Research Universities (SACRU), the aim is now to strengthen international cooperation in doctoral education in Nursing through joint curricular activities, faculty and student mobility, intensive training sessions (Winter and Summer School), co-supervision of doctoral students, and scientific production.
As for the FCH's Dual Degree in Emerging Media and Digital Transformation project, in collaboration with Kent State University's College of Communication and Information, the goal is to ‘create the first dual degree master's programme in the field of Communication Sciences and Technology in Portugal,’ revealed Nelson Ribeiro, director of the doctoral programme in Communication Sciences.
With this course, which combines media studies, programming, data analysis and information visualisation, students will receive two degrees: a Master of Arts, awarded by Católica, and a Master of Science, awarded by Kent State University.
With these two projects, the Universidade Católica Portuguesa expands its international presence, strengthens strategic ties with leading institutions in the US, and promotes mobility, cross-cutting skills, and scientific cooperation, reinforcing its commitment to excellence and innovation in global higher education.