27/03-09   -   Press releases

The University of Surrey in New Deal With Universidade de Sao Paulo in Brazil

The University of Surrey has signed an important new partnership arrangement with the Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP) in Brazil, which is the latest step in a bold internationalisation strategy to build a Global Partnership Network (GPN) between universities across the world. The GPN will be characterised by in-depth, research-led collaboration and offer through its connections, heightened flexibility and responsiveness to opportunity.

USP is the third institution to join the partnership following North Carolina State University. The latest agreement centres around five research clusters: tourism, bioscience, chemistry, mathematics and energy. With Banco de Santander/Abbey funding, the University of Surrey will also actively support student and faculty travel to USP, four USP postgraduate taught students on study programmes at their Guildford campus and offer Portuguese language tuition for students and faculty to prepare them for short programmes.

The Universidade de Sao Paulo is Brazil´s pre-eminent university and with 86,000 students and 15,000 staff it dwarfs most British universities. It has enormous reach and influence in Latin America and the partnership opens up opportunities for a new world of meaningful connections between students, academic staff and the many companies associated with each area. "We are delighted that of all the universities in the UK, USP has chosen to partner with us because of our record in delivering research that makes a social and economic impact", says Professor Colin Grant, Dean of International Relations at the University of Surrey.

USP recognises the complementary nature of the strengths between the institutions in the network and is confident that partnership will serve to enrich the capabilities of each partner. Professor Oswaldo Massambani of USP says, "We´re interested in collaborative development and the transfer of courses between the partners, but a big attraction is the potential for joint research programmes and associated entrepreneurial activities, including the promotion of international technology transfer."

The aim of the GPN is to add a small number of partners of world renown in research and education. Surrey has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Seoul National University and is in advanced negotiations with a university in China. "There are signs", says Professor Nigel Seaton, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Surrey, "that we are entering an age of the ´new multilateralism´. The GPN is very much a part of that and Surrey´s commitment to ´deep internationalisation´ means achieving effective global reach across the continents. It´s a commitment we are utterly determined to deliver on."

Notes to Editors

The University of Surrey is one of the UK´s leading professional, scientific and technological universities with a world class research profile and a reputation for excellence in teaching and research. Ground-breaking research at the University is bringing direct benefit to all spheres of life - helping industry to maintain its competitive edge and creating improvements in the areas of health, medicine, space science, the environment, communications, defence and social policy. Programmes in science and technology have gained widespread recognition and it also boasts flourishing programmes in dance and music, social sciences, management and languages and law. In addition to the campus on 150 hectares just outside Guildford, Surrey, the University also owns and runs the Surrey Research Park, which provides facilities for 140 companies employing 2,700 staff.

The Sunday Times names Surrey as ´The University for Jobs´ which underlines the university´s growing reputation for providing high quality, relevant degrees.

Media enquiries: Madeleine McGowan, Press Office at the University of Surrey, Tel: +44-(0)1483-689314 or E-mail: m.mcgowan@surrey.ac.uk