Mexico City, February 11, 2025.— As part of the Universidad Panamericana Bilateral Fund, launched on November 27, 2024, both institutions organized three brokerage events on January 24 and 31, and February 7. These meetings promoted the internationalization of research, fostering the development of interdisciplinary projects with a regional focus.
These activities were designed to enable researchers from both institutions not only to identify new opportunities for collaboration, but also to share ideas effectively and to identify key strategic partners with whom to address global challenges comprehensively through a regional approach.
Promoting interdisciplinary research
The Universidad Panamericana Bilateral Fund was established to fund research addressing issues of common concern to Mexico and Colombia.
Building on the success of this initiative, Brokerage Events emerged as venues for meetings and matchmaking around previously identified : biomedicine and health, environment and biodiversity, the digital divide, energy, food security and nutrition, and family well-being; among other key issues for the region.
Over the course of three sessions of Brokerage Events, more than 120 faculty members from both institutions, demonstrating the great interest in developing projects with an interdisciplinary approach. Thanks to this approach, numerous researchers identified potential collaborators and developed new research ideas that integrate different disciplines and perspectives.
How Brokerage Events Work
Each Brokerage Event was structured in three phases:
- Introduction and Q&A session regarding the call for applications.
- Matchmaking guided by global challenges with facilitators from both institutions.
- Closing remarks and feedback on the sessions.
Role of the facilitators
Faculty members of the Universidad Panamericana and La Sabana University took on the role of facilitators, taking charge of livening up the discussion rooms and encouraging participation from all researchers. This work was key to breaking down disciplinary barriers and fostering the development of interdisciplinary proposals that address the identified challenges.
“Our mission was to enable researchers to converse naturally and without barriers, finding connections between their lines of research and global challenges,”, said Mirabell Moscote, M.A., coordinator of International Cooperation and Visibility at La Sabana. “The goal was not to steer the conversation, but to create the right environment for high-impact interdisciplinary projects to emerge,”, she added.
A decisive push as the application deadline approaches
Brokerage Events are a key milestone in the Bilateral Fund’s calendar, preparing researchers for the final stage of the application process, which is due on March 31, 2025.
It is hoped that the collaborative work begun in these sessions will lead to solid and viable proposals, capable of combine different fields of knowledge to address the priority needs of Mexico and Colombia.
“These events allowed us to turn ideas into concrete collaborations. The synergy between different areas and the international perspective are at the heart of this Bilateral Fund,”, noted Abraham Baltazar León Soto, M.A., institutional research coordinator at the Universidad Panamericana.
Join this great initiative!
The Universidad Panamericana the Universidad de La Sabana invite academics who have not yet finalized their proposals to take advantage of the resources and interdisciplinary networks generated during the Brokerage Events.
Those interested may review the global challenges described in the official document and contact the participating researchers to explore further collaboration opportunities. For more information, or if you have any questions about the call for proposals, please contact:
- Abraham Baltazar León Soto, M.A. (UP) – ableon@up.edu.mx
- Mirabell Moscote, M.A. – investigacion.internacional@unisabana.edu.co
Both institutions would like to thank all the scholars who contributed to strengthening this international partnership by promoting interdisciplinary research and innovation in higher education.
The Brokerage Events reaffirm the strong partnership between the two institutions and represent another step toward the creation of transnational and multidisciplinary research projects that transform global challenges into opportunities for sustainable progress.
Learn more about the Universidad Panamericana research activities at: https://www.up.edu.mx/investigacion-noticias/
