Strategic International Cooperation. Our Offices Abroad: Nodes in UNAM’s Alliances Network

This article documents, describes, and analyzes the model of UNAM’s Offices in the Eurasian region and their role as strategic liaison nodes for UNAM’s entities through alliances. Throughout this text we present the inter-institutional liaison work carried out by UNAM’s representations in Germany, China, France, Spain, and the United Kingdom through de facto and potential collaborations with higher education institutions (HEIs) and academic, governmental, business, and social Qualitative and quantitative indicators have been used; qualitative indicators include requests, previous experiences, opinions expressed during visits, current situations and others. Quantitative indicators include historical data on student and academic mobility, previous shared teaching experiences, joint publications, and impact on generating knowledge and thematic and infrastructure complementarity.

THE FIVE UNAM REPRESENTATIONS HAVE ESTABLISHED TIES WITH 124 HEIS AND 132 AGENCIES IN 16 COUNTRIES

UNAM’S POSITIONING IN THE EURASIAN REGION
The five participating UNAM representations have established ties with 124 HEIs in 10 countries. In some cases, the liaison includes the totality of collaborative actions, from mobility to collaboration in internationally funded research projects. Other ties may be modest but they are no less promising (see table 1).

Unlike UNAM’s entities and dependencies, which generally limit their collaboration to HEIs, UNAM’s Offices in the Eurasian region have found different kinds of agencies or institutions that promote international cooperation, including foundations, associations, Government secretariats, embassies, and organized civil society organizations. Altogether, relations with 132 agencies from 16 countries have been established.

Three conditions must be considered to understand the diversity of the work at UNAM Offices.

• In the first place, they experience contrasting situations in their different locations so that collaboration opportunities differ in their origins and magnitudes, and have alliances with diverse social actors.
• In the second place, conditions are very dynamic as environments are under geopolitical, cultural, and economic agreements that determine the importance that UNAM represents.
• The third condition derives from de different internal policies at UNAM, which strategic approach to internationalization changes naturally over time

Concrete examples can be visualized in this exercise based on three changes that UNAM’s Offices Abroad have undergone in the last two years. Brexit, when the United Kingdom separated from the European Union; the pandemic, which triggered an almost total isolation of China from the world; and the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, which reshaped European geopolitics. Given this, Mexico is viewed differently; UNAM has become a strategic educational institution as a gateway to Latin America.

As of 2012, with the creation of UNAM China, the UNAM’s representations vere redefined as Centers for Mexican Studies, excepting the three Extension Schools at San Antonio, Chicago, and Canada, with a vision of operating in universities with shared objectives and becoming nodes of internationalization. This ongoing transition demands a constant review of the work, locations, and operation. Although each office originated in a different context, their work has included HEIs and agencies of various kinds, including academic, cultural, and business institutions.

These ties have allowed to strengthen UNAM’s presence in the host countries, and to extend its presence to the countries of the region of influence where it is located.

UNAM China has extensive ties since it is the only representation in the Asian region; the office has established relations in eight countries. Based on its participation, UNAM has collaborated with 23 HEIs and 28 agencies. Since its creation, it has promoted academic exchange in various areas of knowledge, student mobility, and culture dissemination. Within the double degree academic programs, a shared master’s degree has been established between UNAM and BFSU for the postgraduate program in Latin American Studies, with the possibility of a double degree. The International Collaborative Ph.D. Program was recently created between UNAM and Dongguan University of Technology (DGUT), in which the postgraduate program in Engineering and the postgraduate program in Computer Science and Engineering participate (see pages XX in this issue).

In contrast, UNAM UK has focused its cooperation to its host country. To date, it has collaborated with 29 HEIs and 17 agencies. As a result of these ties, the seminar Tláloc, the Jaguar, and the Serpent: Art and Archaeology in Indigenous America, through which six modules on different topics have been organized, with more than twenty experts from other institutions and specialties. In 2022, the Continuing Education Network of Latin America and Europe awarded the seminar the Internationalization of Continuing Education award (see pages XX in this issue).

UNAM Germany consolidates its strategic ties with eight German partner HEIs and two partner HEIs in the Netherlands. The work has been completed with two double degrees in all areas of knowledge: one with the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and the other, recently, with the Technische Universität Brunswick in Germany. As with the HEIs, there are very close ties with nine agencies. The case of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, with whom a joint call was published for the first time in 2022 to promote bilateral research projects, stands out.

UNAM France has focused on strengthening ties with French and Belgian HEIs , working with 34 of them plus eight agencies. The collaboration has led to the creation of the UNAM-Sorbonne Université Chair of Excellence, which aims to materialize in more joint publications. It has also allowed the double degree program of the Vision Sciences Master, whose agreement was recently renewed; the two-way promotion of student mobility at all academic levels, from high school to postgrad; the fostering of summer schools and academic workshops with different topics related to scientific research, humanities, and arts; the continuous organization of dissemination events, and the inclusion of the Sorbonne Université as one of its ten privileged partners in the world.

One of the initial objectives by which UNAM Spain was founded was to promote multilateral projects of international scope tied to the Spanish language and the Ibero-American cultural space. In addition to fostering academic interaction with Spanish HEIs in terms of student and faculty mobility, double degrees, co-tutoring, co-publications, and joint courses or extraordinary chairs, one of the priorities of the office is to organize cultural and academic activities in the fields of science, humanities, and arts in collaboration with various entities throughout Spain. To this end UNAM Spain has collaborated directly with 24 HEIs and more than 70 agencies, developing more than 400 activities with an audience of more than 35,000 people.

THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE
Two more trends to consider among factors
experienced by HEIs are contrast in their enrollment trends and priority research topics. HEI enrollments continue to increase in Asia and Latin America while decreasing in Europe and North America. And major research topics are increasingly transdisciplinary, complex, and global in scope.

UNAM’s Offices in the Eurasian region have undergone a major transformation in response to significant changes. They have adopted the internationalization of higher education as an investment strategy to develop the social capital of the present. This development will enable the creation of societies with high social, economic, and environmental resilience. This is the fundamental character of the work of universities, which argue the principle of constant renewal based on the evidence of scientific knowledge.

However, the internationalization of higher education requires a framework of intertwined synergies among the various social groups that are part of a university community. The potential for international collaboration is not exclusively for UNAM’s Offices Abroad; it requires proactive leadership and intra- and inter-institutional collaboration by the different entities involved in the education field. Based on shared interests, the UNAM’s representations define joint cooperation agendas based on shared interests of global scope, intellectual, cultural, and logistical complementarity under the principle that science obeys neither administrative nor cultural boundaries. Aligning interests with the highest respect for academic freedom and collegial life as the cornerstones of university autonomy contributes to the desire to have an institutional synergy articulated toward the internationalization of UNAM’s work. UNAM’s Offices in the Eurasian region seek to function as a synergic network of nodes in UNAM’s international networking, where the various social groups have precise communication and information about the strategies taken to maximize the results of their work.

Table 1. Ties of UNAM’s Offices with HEIs in the Euroasian region

Office	Country	HEI
UNAM Germany	Germany	Freie Universität Berlin Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin Humboldt Universität zu Berlin Universität Kassel Technische Universität Brunswick Universität Heidelberg Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Technische Universität München
	Netherlands	Rijksuniversiteit Groningen Universiteit Leiden
UNAM China	China	Academia de Cine de Beijing Conservatorio Central de Música de China Universidad de Estudios Extranjeros de Beijing Universidad Tecnológica de Dongguan Universidad de Tsinghua Universidad de Pekín Universidad de Fudan Universidad de Sichuan Universidad de Estudios Internacionales de Shanghái Universidad de Chongqing Universidad de Estudios Extranjeros de Sichuan Universidad de Hubei Universidad Tecnológica de Hubei Universidad Normal de Hebei Editorial de la Universidad Normal de Guangxi Planetario de Beijing
	Philippines	Universidad de Filipinas, campus Diliman
	Japan	Universidad de Estudios Extranjeros de Tokio Universidad de Estudios Extranjeros de Osaka Universidad de Estudios Extranjeros de Kioto Universidad Sofía
	Singapore	Universidad Nacional de Singapur
	Vietnam	Universidad Phenikaa
UNAM Spain	Spain	Universidad de Hanoi Universidad de Alcalá Universidad de Alicante Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Universidad de Barcelona Universidad de Cádiz Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha Universidad Carlos III de Madrid Universidad de Barcelona Universidad de Cádiz Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha Universidad Carlos III de Madrid Universidad Complutense de Madrid Universidad de Córdoba Universidad de Extremadura Universidad de Granada Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo Universidad de La Laguna Universitat de Lleida Universidad de Murcia Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia Universidad Nebrija Universidad del País Vasco Universidad Pontificia de Comillas Universidad Popular Segoviana Universidad de Salamanca Universidad de Sevilla Universidad de Valladolid
UNAM France	Belgium	Ichec Brussels Management School Université de Liège Université de Mons
	France	École supérieure des sciences économiques et commerciales Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 Université de Montpellier Université de Pau et des Pays de L’Adour Université Grenoble Alpes Université Paris 8 Vincennes – Saint-Denis Université Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne Université Paris Nanterre Sorbonne Université Université Paul Valéry Montpellier III Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès Université Paris-Est Créteil Val de Marne Université de Poitiers Institut d’études politiques de Paris Université de Bordeaux Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3 Université Paris-Saclay Aix-Marseille Université École polytechnique Sciences Po Lille Cy Cergy Paris Université Université Gustave Eiffel ECAM Lasalle L’Institut Agro Montpellier Supagro École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs Université de Tours Institut national de l’audiovisuel École Supérieure d’Art et Design Toulon Provence Méditerranée Paristech Paristech Académie de Paris Académie de Créteil Lycée Diderot Lycée Montaigne Lycée Moliére
UNAM UK	United Kingdom	King’s College London University of Aberdeen University of Bath Bath Spa University Birkbeck, University of London University of Cambridge Cardiff University University of Edinburgh University of Glasgow University of Leicester Loughborough University The London School of Economics and Political Science The University of Manchester Manchester Metropolitan University Newcastle University Northumbria University University of Nottingham The Open University University of Oxford Queen Mary University of London Aberdeen’s Robert Gordon University University of St Andrews SOAS University of London University of Sussex UCL - London’s Global University York University The Warburg Institute Global Academy of Liberal Arts Instituto Cervantes Londres

Table 2. Ties of UNAM’s Offices with agencies in the Euroasian region

Office	Country	Agency
UNAM Germany	Germany	Fundación Alemana para la Investigación Servicio Alemán de Intercambio Académico Fundación Alexander von Humboldt Centro Universitario de Baviera para América Latina Cámara Mexicano-Alemana de Comercio e Industria Embajada de México en Alemania Embajada de Alemania en México Embajada de México en los Países Bajos Red Global de Mexicanos en el Exterior – Capítulo Alemania y Capítulo Baviera
UNAM China	Australia	Embajada de México en Australia Instituto Cervantes de Sídney
	China	Centro de Transferencia de Tecnología de China - América Latina y el Caribe (Centro LAC) Consorcio GAFSU (Alianza Global de Universidades de Estudios Extranjeros) Consorcio de Estudios de Países y Regiones Consorcio FLAUC América Latina Cámara de Comercio de México en China Academia China de Ciencias Sociales Institutos de Relaciones Internacionales Contemporáneas de China Ministerio de Educación de China Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología de China Ministerio de Seguridad del Estado Embajada de México en China Asociación Nacional de Escritores de China Red de Investigadores China-España (RICE) Red de Hispanas en Asia-Pacífico Festival de Cine y Cultura Baturu Instituto Cervantes de Pekín
	Korea	Embajada de México en Corea del Sur
	Philippines	Embajada de México en Filipinas
	Indonesia	Embajada de México en Indonesia
	Japan	Instituto Cervantes de Tokio Red de Talentos MX Capítulo Japón
	New Zealand	Embajada de México en Nueva Zelandia
	Singapore	Embajada de México en Singapur
	Thailand	Embajada de México en Tailandia
	Vietnam	Academia de Ciencias Sociales de Vietnam Embajada de México en Vietnam
UNAM Spain	Spain	Academia Internacional de Música de Barcelona Acción Cultural Española Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo Anagrama Editorial Asociación de Hispanismo Filosófico Ateneo de Madrid Aula Internacional Siglo de Oro – Clásicos de Alcalá Ayuntamiento de Mejorada del Campo – Consejería de Educación y Cultura CaixaForum Madrid Casa de América Casa Amèrica Catalunya Casa Árabe Círculo de Bellas Artes de Madrid Centro de Cultura Contemporánea La Térmica Centro Cultural Inca Garcilaso del Perú (delegación en Madrid) Centro Extremeño de Estudios y de Cooperación con Iberoamérica Centro Sefarad Israel Colonia Mexicana en Madrid Consejería de Cultura, Turismo y Deporte de la Comunidad de Madrid Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) Conservatori del Liceu de Barcelona Diputación de Málaga Donostia International Physics Center Embajada de México en Egipto Embajada de México en España Embajada del Perú en España Embajada de Colombia en España Espasa Editorial Feria del Libro de Madrid Festival Centroamérica Cuenta Festival Cine por Mujeres Festival Iberoamericano de Creación Sonora Festival Iberoamericano del Siglo de Oro Festival Ñ Festival de Poesía de Madrid Festival de Teatro Clásico de Almagro Filmoteca de Catalunya Filmoteca de Madrid Fondo de Cultura Económica (filial España) Foro de Coproducción Audiovisual MestizoLab Fundación Casa de México en España Fundación Francisco Ayala Fundación Iberoamericana FIBED Fundación Juan March Fundación Ramón Areces Fundación Santillana Fundación Telefónica Galaxia Gutenberg Editorial Hay Festival Segovia Instituto Caro y Cuervo de Colombia (delegación en Madrid) Instituto Cervantes Instituto Cultural de México en España Instituto Universitario de Investigación Ortega y Gasset Instituto Quevedo del Humor La Madraza Centro de Cultura Contemporánea Librería Iberoamericana Vervuert Librería Juan Rulfo Librería Rafael Alberti Libros del Asteroide Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación de España Ministerio de Universidades del Gobierno de España Museo de América Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos (OEI) Pública – Encuentro anual de Profesionales de la Cultura Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando Red Global MX – Capítulo España Revista Cultural Turia Residencia de Estudiantes Secretaría General Iberoamericana Secretaría de Estado para Iberoemérica The Conversation España
UNAM France	France	Muséum National D’histoire Naturelle Embajada de México en Francia Fondation du la Maison du Mexique Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Centre National D’etudes Spatiales Instituto Francés para América Latina, IFAL Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura UNESCO Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)
UNAM UK	Uited Kingdom	British Council Red Global de Mexicanos en el Exterior, capítulo Reino Unido Fundación Chevening Newton Fund Cámara Mexicana de Comercio en Gran Bretaña Embajada de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos en el Reino Unido de Gran Bretaña e Irlanda del Norte Sección Consular de la Embajada de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos en el Reino Unido de Gran Bretaña e Irlanda del Norte Millennium Seed Bank de los Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Mexican Society of King’s College London The British Library Westminster Libraries Festival CASA de Arte Latinoamericano Galería Somers Asociación para la Enseñanza del Español como Lengua Extranjera Mexican Cultural Centre MexSocUK, Society of Mexican Students in the United Kingdom British Mexican Society

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