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 to identify opportunities for collaboration, share ideas, and find strategic partners to address global challenges with a regional focus.
Promoting interdisciplinary research
Universidad Panamericana Bilateral Fund was established to fund research aimed at addressing issues of common concern to Mexico and Colombia.
Following the success of this initiative, the Brokerage Events emerged as a platform for matchmaking spaces around global challenges previously identified: biomedicine and health, environment and biodiversity, the digital divide, energy, food security and nutrition, and family welfare, among other key issues for the region.
Throughout the three sessions of Brokerage Events, more than 120 professors from both institutions participated, showing great interest in developing projects with an interdisciplinary approach. Thanks to this approach, many researchers have identified potential collaborators and developed new research ideas that integrate different disciplines and perspectives.
Dynamics of Brokerage Events
Each brokerage event was organized into three phases:
- Introduction and addressing questions about the call.
- Matchmaking guided by global challenges with facilitators from both institutions.
- Closing remarks and feedback on the sessions
Role of facilitators
Professors from Universidad Panamericana Universidad de La Sabana served as facilitators, responsible for energizing the discussion rooms and encouraging the participation of all researchers. This work was key to breaking down disciplinary barriers and fostering the development of interdisciplinary proposals to address the identified challenges.
“Our mission was to enable researchers to engage in a natural conversation without barriers, identifying connections between their areas of research and global challenges,” said Professor Mirabell Moscote, coordinator of International Cooperation and Visibility at La Sabana. “The goal was not to lead the conversation, but to create the right environment for high-impact, interdisciplinary projects to emerge,”he added.
A decisive push as the deadline for the call for proposals approaches
Brokerage events are a critical milestone in the Bilateral Fund’s calendar, preparing researchers for the final stage of the application process, which is due March 31, 2025.
It is hoped that the collaborative work in these sessions will result in solid and viable proposals, capable of combining different areas of expertise to address the priority needs of Mexico and Colombia.
“These events allowed us to turn ideas into concrete collaborations. The synergy between diverse fields and the international perspective is the DNA of this Bilateral Fund,” said Professor Abraham Baltazar León Soto, Institutional Research Coordinator at Universidad Panamericana.
Join this great initiative!
Universidad Panamericana Universidad de La Sabana invite scholars who have not yet finalized their proposals to take advantage of the resources and interdisciplinary networks established during the Brokerage Events.
Interested parties can review the global challenges outlined in the white paper and contact the participating researchers to explore further collaboration opportunities. For more information, or if you have any questions about the call, please contact:
- Professor Abraham Baltazar León Soto (UP) – ableon@up.edu.mx
- Professor Mirabell Moscote – investigacion.internacional@unisabana.edu.co
Universidad Panamericana Universidad de La Sabana are grateful to all the scholars who contributed to strengthening this international alliance by promoting interdisciplinary research and innovation in higher education.
