Mexican Embassy at the Russian FederationEmbajada de México en la Federación de Rusia

МЭСИInternational partners: Collaboration between Latin American

Universities and Russian Universities, current issues

Educational cooperation between México and the Russian Federation: Past and Future

Diego Rivera, Man at the crossroads, 1934

The current agreement between Mexico and the Russian Federation considers an annual quota of 15 scholarships per country for BA, MA and PHD applicants, as half as the average 30 years ago.

Currently, the Mexicans apply to study in Russia mainly on the following areas of specialization:

1. Medical sciences (mainly Surgery)2. Economical sciences (mainly International Economics)3. International Law4. Engineering (all sorts)5. Theoretical physics6. Aero-space sciences7. Music (mainly Vocal and Instrumental specialization)8. Dance (both choreography and ballet)

Currently, the Russians apply to study in México mainly on the following areas of specialization:

1. Anthropology and Archeology (mainly on Mayan culture, both ancient and modern)

2. Sociology3. Political science4. Spanish philology5. Latin American history6. Mexican and Latin American literature7. Visual Arts

Nowadays, the strengthening of the educational collaboration must be closely related to long term strategic development planning. We need to work together - Diplomatic representations, public institutions, universities and private sector – in order to foresee and define the potential areas for development and mutual benefit. Also, we must consider development in the widest sense: economical, social, cultural…

Siqueiros, Centro Médico Nacional

An agreement between México and the Russian Federation related to the recognition of graduate and post-graduate studies, is by now in process of

validation. This agreement is going to stimulate the number of applications and the cooperation between educational institutions.

Moreover, in order to stimulate the educational cooperation, we need to promote the following initiatives:

1. To strengthen the collaboration between institutions of both countries in order to have a wider broadcast of the bi-national programs among educational institutions and aspirants.

2. To promote long term bi-national projects of professionalization, based in strategic development planning of mutual benefit.

3. To support the agreements between universities of both countries, related to long term research projects.

4. To support the established centers of Russian and Spanish languages and promote new ones.

Both the Structural Reforms recently decreed in México, and the new global economical scenario, allows to foresee new scopes for educational collaboration, mainly in the fields of specialized professionalization, such as:

Potential fields of interest for Russian students and institutions:

- Bio-chemistry- Bio-genetics- Agronomy- Environmental science- Geology and Mining Engineering- Alternative sources of energy- Oceanography- Cultural and Art industries and management- Gastronomy- Tourism management

Potential fields of interest for Mexican students and institutions:

- Tele-communications- Aero-space industry- Petroleum engineering- Petrochemical engineering- Naval engineering- Public transportation management- Railway engineering

Through the Mexican Agency for International Development (AMEXCID), the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) offers a wide spectrum of scholarship programs for foreign students,

from undergraduate courses to postgraduate studies.

http://amexcid.gob.mx/index.php/oferta-de-becas-para-extranjeros/1737

http://amexcid.gob.mx/index.php/en/scholarships-and-training-courses

AMEXCID programs for scholarships include 75 Mexican universities and polytechnic institutes – both public and private. There are hundredths of areas of specialization considered (Sciences, engineering, humanities…). Besides the tuition expenses, the scholarship includes a monthly support for the student (between 590 USD and 740 USD) and medical insurance.

Siqueiros, Universidad Nacional

“Russia and Latin America: new perspectives on the educational cooperation”

In September 17th, 2014, the Mexican Embassy hosted a meeting of the diplomatic representatives of Latin America and the Caribbean, jointly with members of Russian educational institutions and rectors of Russian Universities, such as Boris Zhelezov, delegate of the International Department of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science, and Mikhail Fedorov, Rector of the Russian State University of Economics at the Urals.

“Russia and Latin America: new perspectives on the educational cooperation”

The goal of the meeting was to establish a working group devoted to stimulate the collaboration between Russia and Latin America in educational programs. The group agreed to work together towards this goal, using as guidelines the following 10 issues:

1. To elaborate a diagnosis of the current state of the educational collaboration.

2. To promote an increase of the number of scholarships.

3. To define clear goals for the educational collaboration, founded in strategic

plans.

4. To stimulate the channels of communication between institutions for the

promotion of the scholarships and other educational programs.

5. To diversify the programs in order to include fields as sport sciences and

crafts.

6. To collaborate in a wider broadcast of the scholarship programs.

7. To assist the applicants and the selected students.

8. To have a scope of Latin America as a Multi-cultural region.

9. To promote the establishment of centers to learn Russian language in Latin

America and of Spanish and Portuguese in the Russian Federation.

10. To maintain regular meetings devoted to educational collaboration.

“Russia and Latin America: new perspectives on the educational cooperation”

Felguérez, Museo de Antropología