UNITA has created a network of universities outside the European Unión, known as the Geminae Programme. The word Geminae comes from Latin. It is the feminine plural of geminus, which means “double” or “twin.” In Latin, geminae refers to “the twins,” in this case, the universities.
This network of “sister” universities, based on the quality of the institutions, is initially based on the active cooperation between outside European Union universities and UNITA’s partners, giving preference to institutions of romance language speaking countries.
What are the objectives of Geminae?
Geminae aims to be a growing community of universities that will continuously increase its partners as time goes.
The objectives are:
- To share best practices in research, teaching, mobility, administration and governance.
- To incorporate these universities in our agenda.
- To work together to achieve:
- The creation of international, flexible and customised programmes.
- Mobility and exchange of students and staff.
- Civic engagement.
- Collaboration in green and sustainable research and development.
What does UNITA offer?
Student mobility. UNITA will offer an important number of programs and destinations for students who prepare themselves through UNITA’s intercomprehension training. Thanks to these courses, incoming and outgoing students will move easily across Romance speaking countries as they will be able to communicate in French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Rumanian.
Research and innovation. Cultural heritage, renewable energies and circular economy represent the key thematic areas of UNITA, they are the link between the past and the future of Romance countries. They are critical areas to support the necessary economic transition for the prosperity of UNITA’s rural and mountainous regions, all while tackling climate change and sustainable development. UNITA expects to cooperate with its Geminae partners in developing research and innovation projects, teaching programs and micro-credentials involving teacher-researchers, in a mutually enriching dynamic.
Funding opportunities. To finance these partnerships, UNITA and its partners will participate in different calls for projects, such as Erasmus+ capacity building projects or initiatives from the “African Research Initiative for Scientific Excellence” (Arise).
Who are the Geminae Partners?
Africa
Algeria
Benin
Burkina Faso
2IE – Institut International d’Ingénierie de l’Eau et de l’Environnement
Cabo Verde
Madagascar
Marocco
Université Hassan II de Casablanca
Mozambique
Universidade Pedagogica de Maputo
Senegal
America
Argentina
ITBA: Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires
Universidad Nacional de La Plata
Brasil
Universidade Estadual de Campinas
Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
Universidade Federal de Viçosa
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
Universidade Regional de Blumenau
Canada
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
Cuba
Colombia
Universidad Católica de Colombia
Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Mexico
Universidad Autónoma San Luis Potosí
Dominican Republic
Asia
East Timor
