Mexico City, February 11, 2025.- As part of the Universidad Panamericana-UniSabana 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 allow researchers from both institutions to discover opportunities for joint work, share ideas and find strategic partners to address global challenges with a regional focus.
Promoting interdisciplinary research
Universidad Panamericana-UniSabana Bilateral Fund was conceived to finance research to adresses common problems between Mexico and Colombia.
Following the success of this initiative, the Brokerage Events emerged as meeting and matchmaking spaces around the global challenges previously identified: biomedicine and health, environment and biodiversity, 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 the generation of projects with an interdisciplinary vision. Due to this approach, many researchers have identified potential collaborators and created new research ideas that integrate different disciplines and visions.
Dynamics of Brokerage Events
Each Brokerage Event was structured in three phases:
- Introduction and addressing doubts on the call.
- Matchmaking guided by global challenges with facilitators from both institutions.
- Closing and feedback of the sessions
Role of facilitators
Professors from Universidad Panamericana and Universidad de La Sabana took on the role of facilitators, in charge of energizing the discussion rooms and encouraging the participation of all researchers. This work was key to breaking down disciplinary barriers and promoting the generation of interdisciplinary proposals to address the challenges identified.
“Our mission was to make it possible for researchers to engage in a natural conversation without barriers, finding connections between their lines of research and global challenges,” said Professor Mirabell Moscote, coordinator of International Cooperation and Visibility of 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 momentum towards the deadline of the call for proposals
Brokerage Events are a critical milestone in the Bilateral Fund’s calendar, preparing researchers for the final stage of the application process, whose deadline is 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 knowledge to address the priority needs of Mexico and Colombia.
“These events allowed us to turn ideas into concrete collaborations. The synergy between diverse areas and the international perspective is the DNA of this Bilateral Fund,” said Professor Abraham Baltazar León Soto Institutional Research Coordinator of Universidad Panamericana.
Join this great initiative!
Universidad Panamericana and Universidad de La Sabana invite scholars who have not yet defined their proposals to take advantage of the resources and interdisciplinary networks generated during the Brokerage Events.
Interested parties can consult the global challenges described in the white paper and contact the participating researchers to explore additional collaborations. For more information, or in case of 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 and Universidad de La Sabana are grateful for the participation of all the scholars who contributed to strengthen this international alliance, promoting interdisciplinary research and innovation in higher education.
