Mexico City, August 13, 2026.—In a milestone for the consolidation of its network of international scientific partnerships, the Universidad Panamericana and the University of Notre Dame officially announce the results of the first call for proposals for the UP-ND Bilateral Research Fund (ND-UP Joint Research Grant).
This initiative, designed to promote scientific cooperation in areas of strategic importance, marks the culmination of a joint institutional planning effort that began in July 2025, when Dr. Abraham Mendoza Andrade, rector of the Guadalajara campus, and Abraham Baltazar León Soto, M.A., Panamericana’s Chief Research Officer, visited the Notre Dame campus in Indiana to lay the groundwork for this strategic alliance.
The fund was launched virtually on February 23, 2026, before an audience of nearly 100 scholars from both institutions, formally ushering in a new era of scientific collaboration between Mexico and the United States.
Beyond Borders: The Challenge of Binational Collaboration
The success of this funding call is measured not only by the funds allocated, but also by the extraordinary response and commitment of the academic communities at both institutions. In total, 16 joint research projects of the highest quality were submitted.
Behind these proposals lies an invaluable human resource: more than 60 top-tier researchers, including 37 faculty members from the Universidad Panamericana , and 28 from the University of Notre Dame.
All of them enthusiastically accepted the challenge of stepping outside their comfort zone, seeking out international partners who spoke a different language, breaking down geographical and cultural barriers, and working intensively for months to co-design projects with a focus on high scientific and social impact.
For the “ Universidad Panamericana,” the four winning projects—which span our institution’s three campuses— are a source of pride and an example of excellence. These teams embody the vision of purpose-driven science, capable of generating tangible solutions for the care of our common home, human well-being, and technological innovation.
A stepping stone to external funding and academic mobility
Far from being an end goal, the UP-ND Bilateral Fund is designed as a seed platform. The selected projects will not only generate cutting-edge knowledge but will also serve as a robust proof of concept for scaling up this research and applying for funding from major international funding agencies; such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), Mexico’s Secretariat of Science, Humanities, Technology, and Innovation (SECIHTI), or the prestigious Fulbright-García Robles Program (COMEXUS) fellowships.
Furthermore, one of the most significant legacies of this program will be its direct impact on future generations of scientists. Through faculty exchanges and student participation in short-term research stays at both institutions, the fund aims to break down academic barriers, enriching the international and personal development of undergraduate and graduate students.
Institutional Acknowledgment
This achievement would not have been possible without the dedication and daily support of key facilitators within the internationalization ecosystem. The International Office ( Universidad Panamericana ) extends its most sincere thanks to the Notre Dame Mexico office , under the leadership of María Mercedes Salmon, whose strategic guidance, support, and leadership were essential to consolidating and expanding this international academic bridge.
In celebrating the results of this call for proposals, both institutions reaffirm their shared commitment to scientific research that is methodologically rigorous, truth-seeking, and actively committed to social transformation.
Selected Projects:
- From Food Waste to Water Purification: Biopolymer Design for PFAS Removal
- Researchers: Dr. Pia Berger (UP, Aguascalientes Campus) and Dr. Kyle Doudrick (ND).
- Dehydration, Heat Exposure, and Productivity in Physical Labor
- Researchers: Dr. Akito Kamei (UP, Mexico Campus) and Dr. Santosh Kumar Gautam (ND)
- Modular Coastal Desalination and Re-Pumping Systems Under Public–Private Partnership (PPP) Models for Climate-Resilient Water Supply
- Researchers: Dr. Francisco Moreno Abril (UP, Guadalajara Campus) and Dr. Tengfei Luo (ND)
- A Multimodal Technology for Cross-Cultural Engagement in Gamified Motor Rehabilitation for Pediatric Oncology Patients
- Researchers: Dr. María de Lourdes Guadalupe Martínez Villaseñor (UP, Mexico Campus) and Dr. Sugana Chawla (ND)
