Professor Joana Maria Venda da Graça Nery, Associate Professor at the University of Turin’s Department of Veterinary Sciences, represented UNITA during an institutional mission to the Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV) in Brazil. UFV is a UNITA partner through the GEMINAE network, which extends the Alliance’s cooperation beyond Europe.
The mission coincided with the Simpósio de Integração Acadêmica 2026 (SIA 2026), held across UFV’s three campuses from 19 to 23 October under the theme “Ciência Delas: Saberes em Conexão, Futuros em Construção”. The annual symposium brings together teaching, research, outreach, innovation and culture. Joana Nery evaluated student pitches in the Research Battle strand of the Batalhas de Ensino, Extensão, Pesquisa e Inovação, an initiative designed to make academic knowledge accessible to non-specialist audiences.
Internationalisation was another central focus. Nery contributed a UNITA perspective to a round table on UFV’s internationalisation strategies, discussing how institutional networks can support mobility, joint education and long-term academic cooperation. She also met Pro-Rector Raul Narciso Carvalho Guedes to discuss a double degree in Coffee Science and Technology, possible doctoral-level double degrees in other fields, and follow-up opportunities linked to the 2026 and 2027 international hackathons.
A series of departmental meetings translated these strategic discussions into concrete proposals. With Veterinary Medicine representatives, the agenda covered jointly supervised doctorates, KA171 mobility, visiting professorships, and participation in IntegraVet and European veterinary congresses. Discussions with representativesfrom Animal Science and the Department of Soils focused on doctoral mobility and co-supervision, virtual mobility through English-taught courses and participation in the UNITA BIP on Biodiversity in Mountain Ecosystems.
Joana Nery also attended SIA sessions addressing women’s participation in research, including “Building an Ecosystem for Women in STEM: The Polish Experience” by Magdalena Sikorska of the EUNICE Alliance and “Ciência delas e os rumos da pesquisa nacional: um bate-papo com Fernanda Sobral”. Together, these activities connected institutional strategy with inclusive science, public engagement and practical cooperation.
By combining participation in SIA 2026 with targeted academic meetings, the mission strengthened the partnership between UniTo, UNITA and UFV and established a practical agenda for future mobility, joint doctoral education, international events and research on animal sciences, soils and mountain biodiversity.
Watch the video of Simpósio de Integração Acadêmica 2026
