Top Managers’ Meetings at Universidad de Panamá

During the first week of April 2022, the IMPALA Team of the Universidad de Panamá, whose members are Dr. Yajaira Castillo, Deputy Secretary-General of the Universidad de Panamá; Dr. Maribel Gómez of the Academic Vice Presidency and Mgter. Marcela Ortega from the Office of International Cooperation and Technical Assistance; coordinated a series of meetings with the authorities of this institution of higher studies to let them know the latest progresses of the Erasmus Plus IMPALA Project.

In addition, one of the first meetings was with Mgter. Mayanín Rodríguez, Vice Student Affairs’s President of the Universidad de Panamá, who received the team in her office at this day of dissemination of the activities within the framework of the Erasmus Plus IMPALA Project.

Front left to right: Mgter. Mayanín Rodríguez, Vice Student Affair’s President; Dra. Yajaira Castillo, Deputy Secretary-General of the Universidad de Panamá; Dra. Maribel Gómez from the Academic Vice Presidency and Mgter. Marcela Ortega from the Office of International Affairs and Technical Assistance of the Universidad de Panamá.

Next, a meeting was held with Dr. José Emilio Moreno, Academic Vice President of the Universidad de Panamá, who knows very closely about the activities carried out in the IMPALA Project and will follow up the project’s sustainability actions through this Vice Presidency’s Office in our institution.

From left to right: Dra. Yajaira Castillo, Deputy Secretary-General of the Universidad de Panamá; Dr. José Emilio Moreno, Academic Vice President; Dra. Maribel Gómez from the Academic Vice Presidency y Mgter. Marcela Ortega from the Office of International Cooperation and Technical Assistance of the Universidad de Panamá

Similarly, a meeting was held with the President of the Professors Association of the Universidad de Panamá, Prof. José Álvaro, Coordinator of the CEFERE Project from the Regional University Center of San Miguelito.

Latin American Higher Education Institutions finalize the evaluation of their 3rd mission

On 16 March 2022, the partners of the IMPALA project met to finalize the evaluation of the 3rd mission of the Latin American universities. This event completed a process that started 18 months ago and concluded with the publication of 11 institutional reports, one for each Latin American institution of the consortium.

Based on the 3rd mission’s typologies from the Impact Assessment Framework, each coordinator consulted with the university managers in charge of these activities and completed a summary note with information on their development status, financing and results. This long, 10 months process, allowed the coordinators to identify numerous activities managed locally by professors or university managers but not yet compiled by the extension services. It also enabled to classify the activities by their effects on the beneficiaries of the institution’s socio-economic environment, and their benefits for the institution. In accordance with the university’s situation analysis, coordinators identified possible development axes and good practices for the strengthening in the 3rd mission in their institutions.

As coordinator of the project IMPALA and responsible for these activities, EFMD accompanied the partners throughout the process. 42 mentoring sessions took place in which theoretical concepts of management education were presented, as well as good practices from quality assurance and accreditation. European partners supported EFMD with this task sharing their expertise in managing their 3rd mission, in particular Universidade do Porto, Universitat Ramon Llull– ESADE and Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore.

Each coordinator will present the results of the reports to their top management (academic council or university’s extension department). This will support the redefinition of the 3rd mission strategies in the institution. EFMD will coordinate the publication of the book “Best practices in impact assessment in HEIs” with the aim of facilitating the replication of this initiative in other institutions in the region. The book will be presented during the project’s final conference in Havana in October-November 2022.

Cuban universities receive the equipment from the project IMPALA

On 3 November 2021, the Cuban universities of the project IMPALA received the equipment which will allow them to this ERASMUS+ project’s objectives and ensure the sustainability of its results.

The equipment will support the work of the departments in the University of Camagüey in charge of the institution’s third mission directly connected to the project IMPALA, in particular, for the project’s coordination and management, as well as the third mission’s tipologies. 

Equipment in the University of Camagüey “Ignacio Agramonte Loynaz”

It has been already used for the III International Scientific Convention Universidad central “Marta Abreu” de Las Villas, in online meetings related to the development of the Local University Centres, or for communicating with members of the university’s community. 

Equipment in the Central University “Marta Abreu” de Las Villas

The University of Holguin (UHo) and the Agrarian University of Havana “Fructuoso Rodríguez Pérez” (UNAH) will seek to give continuity to the process of creating a new third mission activities’ impact evaluation framework, and continue the support to the various training activities of the IMPALA project.

Equipment in the University of Holguin

It is important to mention that all institutions received this IT equipment when activities and meetings had to be held online, due to the epidemiological situation caused COVID-19.

Equipment in the Agrarian University of Havana “Fructuoso Rodríguez Pérez”

IMPALA as a best practice for internationalisation during the CICT-UC

On 24 November, the project IMPALA was presented as a best practice for internationalisation of the 3rd mission in Latin America, as part of the International Scientific and Technological Convention of the University of Camagüey. The convention aimed at sharing best practices and information in a world of constant challenge, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals of the Agenda 2030 of the United Nations. 

During the session, Ms. Marta BUSQUETS from Universitat Ramon Llull – ESADE, Dr. Madalena FONSECA from Universidade do Porto and Mr. Jean-Baptiste MAILLARD from EFMD presented the theoretical background of internationalisation, shared practical examples based on collaboration projects between the European Union and Latin America (among which, FORINT – Fortalecimiento de la Internacionalización entre las unviersidades europeas y latinoamericanas) and how internationalisation was present in the 3rd mission activities, as identified in the institutional reports of the IMPALA partners. 

The Convention was the first occasion to present the conclusion of the institutional reports published as part of the work package 3, with the identification and analysis of the 3rd mission activities in each university. In the first quarter of 2022, partners will organise a round-table to exchange and reflect on the process. This will also pave the way for the publication of a best practice book, sharing the experience of the IMPALA partners and advice on how to engage in this process. The deliverable is expected for October 2022. 

Pilot of the second project beings at the Catholic University of Colombia

The Catholic University of Colombia has started the pilot of its second project, which is part of the typologies assistance services, cultural management and community actions. This project is called “Construction of Culture and environmental awareness with children and young people in some sectors of the 57 Zonal Planning Unit (UPZ by its acronym in Spanish) Gran Yomasa from 2016 to 2020”.

The main objective of the aforementioned project is to promote in girls, boys and young people the awareness of caring for the environment and responsible pet ownership as a contribution to the education processes to provide for the improvement of living conditions in the micro-territories involved.

To measure this objective, the following subprojects worked, among others, are taken into account:

  • Reforestation of riverbanks for the conservation of the Bolonia stream associated with the Rincón de Bolonia community in the locality of Usme.
  • Selection of structural alternative for the fog catcher project to use at the Ofelia Uribe de Acosta District School.
  • Technical-social support for the development of sustainable energy projects at Ofelia Uribe de Acosta School – Yomasa, Bogotá D.C.
  • Environmental waste management program for the community of the San Marcelino Champagnat Pastoral Service Center.
  • Urban agriculture in Yomasa: “Sembrando Futuro”.
  • Efficiency of wind energy in Yomasa “pilot test Ofelia Uribe de Acosta School”.
  • Design of a wind turbine to generate electrical energy at the Ofelia Uribe de Acosta school, Yomasa community.
  • Agrimation 1.0: automated agricultural prototype of sprouts at the San Marcelino Champagnat Center.
  • Water Collector 1.0: development of a water collection system.
  • AGRODROYD: monitoring system for the care and irrigation of agricultural products in urban crops.
  • Manual for the monitoring and stability of the slope at Ofelia Uribe de School.
  • Grooving of water supply for the greenhouse at the Ofelia Uribe de Acosta School.
  • Strategies for the recovery of the round of the Yomasa stream.
  • Home systems for collecting rainwater.
  • Piping and management of fog catcher water, Ofelia Uribe de Acosta School, Usme locality.
  • “Huellitas al Rescate” Project

These subprojects register approximately 80 activities carried out with the community and around 200 girls, boys and young people trained in caring for the environment.

Measuring the repercussion of this project will allow the university to know how much it has managed to transform this community.