In 2013, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture received nearly 250 foreign visitors, including leaders, faculty members, researchers and undergraduate and postgraduate students. Throughout the year, 36 delegations coming from all around the world visited ESALQ's research laboratories, exchanged experiences on ESALQ's fields of specialization or visited its academic and administrative facilities.
In 2013, these internationalization efforts resulted in new agreements or renewal of the 71 active cooperation agreements. Between May, 2011 and November, 2013, 45 new agreements were established with foreign institutions, all of them having an ESALQ faculty member in charge.
ESALQ received representatives from Africa (Zimbabwe), North America (U.S. and Canada), Central America (Barbados and El Salvador), South America (Colombia, Chile and Peru), Europe (France, Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland and Germany), Asia (Japan and China) and Oceania (Australia and New Zealand). The enhancement of networks between ESALQ and foreign universities results in an increased number of undergraduate students who have the opportunity to go abroad to update or supplement their education. In 2011, 76 ESALQ students attended courses or training in a foreign institution. In 2012, this index almost doubled (136) and 130 students from ESALQ were abroad up to August, 2013. On the other hand, ESALQ received about 65 foreign students yearly in the last three years.
Opportunities – ESALQ students can take advantage of double degree (DD) programs and Science without Borders (CsF) scholarship programs to have an experience abroad, which may count as undergraduate credits. For DD, Agriculture and Food Science students may study for up to two years in French schools which have double degree agreements with ESALQ. For Agriculture students, the double degree program was approved in 2005 and involves ESALQ and the French institutions AgroParis Tech, École d’Ingénieurs de Purpan-Toulouse, École Supérieure d’Agricultura-Angers, Institut Polytechnique La Salle Beauvais, Institut Supérieur d’Agriculture de Lille and Institut Supérieur d’Agriculture et d’Agroalimentaire Rhône-Alpes-Lyon. Currently, 13 ESALQ students and 6 French students are enrolled. From the beginning, 42 ESALQ students and 25 French were awarded the double degree diploma.
For Food Science students, the DD program began in 2011, which includes a partnership with Écola Nationale Vétérinaire, Agroalimentaire et de L’Alimentation Nantes-Atlantique (ONIRIS). This program has graduated one foreign student, and nowadays one ESALQ and one French student are enrolled.
This year alone, ESALQ students have applied for CsF undergraduate international scholarships in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada (CBIE and CALDO), China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, USA, UK. Among many grantees, Luiz Fernando Pereira Bispo, a third year Forestry student, is in Sydney, Australia. Mariana Coutinho, a third year Food Science student, was awarded a CsF scholarship to study at Florida Agricultural Mechanical University (FAMU), Tallahasse, Florida, USA.
Through ESALQ's International Office (SVAInt), the Committee for International Affairs provides support to foreign visitors, faculty, students and representatives who come to ESALQ with an interest in culture and knowledge. Information on scholarships and international academic opportunities can also be found on SVAInt. Learn more at www.esalq.usp.br/svaint.
