Portugal participated in NAFSA 2018, which took place in Philadelphia between the 28th of May and the 1st of June, with a Study & Research in Portugal stand. NAFSA attracts visitors from all over the world and is considered the largest international event for research and higher education internationalisation professionals.
The Ministry for Science, Technology and Higher Education endorsed the organization of the Study & Research in Portugal stand, that this year included the participation of 10 national institutions (Polytechnic Institute of Lisboa, University of Porto, University of Coimbra, ISCTE-IUL – University Institute of Lisbon, Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, ISEG – Lisbon School of Economics and Management, Lusíada Universities, ISG – Business and Economics School, NOVA School of Business and Economics e Lisboa City Council – Study in Lisbon), as well as the Directorate General for Higher Education and the Fulbright Commission.
NAFSA was followed by a Portugal-United States Higher Education and Science Forum, which took place in the Portuguese Embassy in Washington D.C.. It included presentations from Deborah Guido-O’Grady, of the Office for Academic Exchange of the Educational and Cultural Affairs US State Department, from Otília Reis, Executive Director of the Fulbright Commission in Portugal, and from the Secretary of State for Science, Technology and Higher Education, Prof. Fernanda Rollo. This forum was also the occasion for the Portuguese institutions to introduce themselves and establish new contacts.
The next edition of the NAFSA Conference & Expo will take place between May 26 and 31, 2019 in Washington D.C. and the focus will be on Global Leadership, Learning, and Change.
Some testimonials about the participation in NAFSA 2018 and a message from the Secretary of State for Science, Technology and Higher Education, Prof. Fernanda Rollo:
"I welcome the efforts of Fulbright Portugal, the Ministry of Higher Education, and of Portuguese Universities to expand their connections to U.S. universities and students, and was pleased to see the strong representation by Portugal at NAFSA this year. (…) I know that outreach efforts, including participating in NAFSA 2018, will continue to build awareness in the United States of the great opportunities here in Portugal and develop new partnerships between universities to increase exchanges of students."
Ambassador George Glass, USA Ambassador in Portugal.
“The participation of Polytechnic of Leiria on NAFSA was an important opportunity to strengthen partnerships with Institutions which the Polytechnic of Leiria already had some cooperation. Furthermore, connections were made with Higher Education Institutions, partners and entities that will collaborate with the Polytechnic of Leiria to attract and integrate international students. It was also possible to exchange experiences, trends and good practices provided by the numerous institutions present in the NAFSA.
The Polytechnic of Leiria also presented two posters: one alluding to the open online learning and the other to international students’ expectations and satisfaction.
This year was also particularly interesting, due to the opportunity that the Polytechnic of Leiria had to participate in the first Portugal / U.S. Higher Education and Science Forum (a Portuguese Embassy initiative in Washington). It was assessed the growing interest of several Portuguese entities in promoting an attractive image of Portugal, as a country of knowledge, capable to host foreign students and researchers.”
Rui Pedrosa, President of the Polytechnic of Leiria
"The participation in the Study in Portugal Pavilion has proved to be an important asset for our Internationalization Policy and the impact it has had on establishing new partnerships, both in the field of Student and Teacher mobility, as well as, in Research is notorious."
Teresa Damásio, Diretor of Internacional Relations, Grupo Lusófona.
“Lisbon Polytechnic networks with higher education institutions in the United States of America are greatly enhanced by the opportunity for personal contacts between the respective officials during the NAFSA. This contact is greatly strengthened by the institutional weight of participation in a Portuguese booth supported by the Portuguese government and by the support of a prestigious institution such as Fulbright.”
Ana Cristina Perdigão, Vice-President Polytechnic of Lisboa.
“(…)the participation in an international event of this dimension contributes to strengthen internationalization at an institutional level, to explore opportunities for collaboration and to develop of partnerships with strategic HEIs for U. Porto (…). In addition, it intensifies the attractiveness of the U. Porto, which can be reflected in the potential influx of students from international institutions (…).
It is also important to highlight the strengthening of the networking of Portuguese IES and the visibility of the country and of the higher education system, arising from the joint participation in the Study & Research in Portugal Pavilion and the bet on the promotion of Portugal as a privileged destination for academic experience.”
Barbara Costa, Director of the International Relations Office of the University of Porto
"The Fulbright Commission was once again a partner in organising the Portuguese participation in NAFSA 2018, which was a key opportunity to showcase the diversity and quality of Portuguese Higher Education Institutions, and increased the visibility of Portugal as a destination for international students and researchers, namely from the USA."
Otília Reis, Executive Director, Fulbright Commission Portugal.
"It was with great pleasure and a feeling of commitment with the purposes followed by NAFSA, of promotion of international education and exchange, as well as the development of policies and practices that guarantee a more interconnected and peaceful world for the present and future generations, that I participated in the meeting in Philadelphia last June.
The presence and the work, invaluable and persistent, of organization, undertaken by the Directorate General for Higher Education and the Fulbright Commission in Portugal, that I recognize and thank, and the participation of the Portuguese higher education institutions testify the same commitment.
The Portuguese Government recognizes the important role of the higher education institutions and the research centers as spaces that produce and share knowledge, creating environments that enable social, scientific, economic and cultural innovation.
The internationalization process of education promotes the growth of students’ and professors’ cultural capital, widens individual horizons and gives a more solid academic and professional preparation. On the other hand, the promotion of a more informed and sustainable scientific culture, values and widens its internationalization and appropriation context.
In a society where knowledge is central to the development and economic growth, the investment in innovation should occur with the investment in training and, consequently in the qualification of human resources and the investment in science. These are the two pre-conditions for us to build a path towards an economy and society based on knowledge.
Under the theme Study & Research in Portugal (www.study-research.pt), the higher education institutions converged in order to illustrate a country that is committed with knowledge, creativity and innovation, honoring and valuing its individual and collective action. The international recognition of these institutions, under various perspectives, reflecting, namely, in the increase of the number of foreign students and researchers, in their contribution to scientific production, or in terms of social responsibility, illustrates Portugal as a country that is ideal to study in and to do science.
Portugal is the country in Europe with the oldest political borders and has a vast cultural heritage that extends to the five continents. It is a country committed to people, investing in development and modernization, considering training and scientific knowledge as core elements build a society with better wellbeing and in harmony with the sustainable agenda. Looking at the challenges of the past and to the voyages that united the planet, we look forward to the future and new adventures, like for example artificial intelligence.
Scientific knowledge is a common asset that should be inclusive, accessible and available to all. To study and research in Portugal is also to find that involvement with society by producing science. Considering this, the role of higher education institutions cannot be understood strictly by its academic dimension, but as being integrated in a scientific mission with its social and civic vocation.
The institutions gain value and reinforce their places as structuring intervention networks in society, also benefitting from the presence in international networks of sharing and transfer of knowledge, more or less formalized, as the context of NAFSA represents so well."
Prof. Fernanda Rollo, Secretary of State for Science, Technology and Higher Education
