(05.12.18) After five years of successful cooperation between the DFG and the Colombian university Universidad de los Andes (UNIANDES) in Bogotá, the two institutions have decided to extend their cooperation agreement for mutual funding of German-Colombian research projects. Prof. Dr. Pablo Navas signed the renewed agreement on 13 November, during a visit by representatives from the DFG. Both sides wish to continue this constant and productive collaboration with the aim of providing researchers with optimum conditions to support excellent projects.

The agreement between the DFG and UNIANDES provides for the financing of bilateral projects in all scientific disciplines and, since 2017, approved projects have been carried out in the fields of electrical engineering, information technology, computer science and zoology. Besides the great interest among researchers in international cooperation, the funded German-Columbian research projects are also of outstanding scientific quality. In recent years, various institutions in Colombia have been making increasing efforts towards more intensive collaboration with Germany and the country has become a strategic region for the DFG.

The four-day visit to Colombia included meetings at a further three universities, a research institute and a discussion with the Colombian partner organisation COLCIENCIAS. The rector of the Universidad Antonio Nariño (UAN), Prof. Dr. Marta Losada Falk, invited the delegation for a campus visit in the Colombian capital. This also provided an opportunity for a presentation of interdisciplinary and innovative research and doctoral programmes, where basic research also plays an important role.

The next stop was Medellín, the second-largest city in the country and home to several major universities. During a meeting at the University of Antioquia, the most important university in the region, new steps towards intensifying the cooperation were discussed with the Vice-Rector for Research, Dr. Sergio Cristancho. The university has an exceptionally innovative strategy for expanding research activities and is distinguished, in particular, by its creative approach to needs expressed by both the scientific community and society.

Another institution that the DFG maintains close contact with is the Universidad Pontifícia Bolivariana. On 15 November, discussions took place here with researchers who presented their current initiatives with German partners and future cooperation plans.

The trip was concluded with a visit to the German-Columbian Peace Institute (CAPAZ). The research centre funded by the DAAD and the BMBF supports the peace process in the areas of research, teaching and advice. It acts as a cooperation platform between Germany and Colombia, promoting exchanges of knowledge and experience in the area of peace work through the creation of networks between universities, research institutions, civil society organisations and government institutions. The CAPAZ also conducts research, training and advisory activities designed to provide new perspectives on peace and conflict, disseminate knowledge in society and suggest answers to the many challenges faced by a society in transition.

The institute aims to expand funding for research projects and early career researchers in the area of peace and post-conflict research and therefore demonstrated great interest in the available DFG programmes - from the creation of international collaborations to individual grants and international Research Training Groups.