Ortelius programme for interuniversity collaborations

UAB and Banco Santander signed an agreement to promote the Ortelius programme, a new common higher education area aimed at increasing both academic and research collaborations between universities in Asia, Latin America and Spain.

30/11/2010

The agreement, signed on 29 November by UAB Principal Ana Ripoll and José Antonia Villasante, Director-General of Banco Santander and Director of Global Santander Universities Division, will promote a new programme to facilitate collaborations with universities in Asia and Latin America.
The objective is to increase mobility among students, teaching and research staff, and administration and services staff. It seeks to establish links between the three continents by creating joint undergraduate programmes, double degrees and master's degrees. Joint doctoral programmes and research projects will also be created.

Relations with Latin America and Asia play a strategic role in UAB's internationalisation project. UAB already has signed several collaboration agreements with prestigious universities in Latin America and students from these countries are enrolled in a variety of UAB postgraduate programmes. This past June the university also participated in the 2nd International Meeting of Universia Presidents held in Mexico.

With regard to Asia, UAB was one of the first universities in Spain to offer a degree in East Asian studies and is the first university to open offices in Shanghai, China, and Seoul, South Korea.

The success of the Erasmus programme and recognition as a Campus of International Excellence has also spurred UAB to look towards the creation of new international networks for mobility and exchange programmes.

The name of the programme pays homage to Abraham Ortelius (1527-98), Belgian geographer considered to be the first modern cartographer. His work Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (Antwerp, 1570) represented the first modern atlas to include not only Europe and Asia, but also the Americas.

Ten years of collaboration

UAB and Banco Santander have collaborated in projects under the bank's Global Santander Universities Division since 1999. Banco Santander's financial support in the past ten years has made it possible for UAB to implement several interuniversity mobility programmes with universities in Latin America. One of its most important programmes is aimed at doctoral students from around the world with excellent academic records interested in collaborating with the university. Other international teaching and research programmes have been created with institutions in Eurasia and East Asia.