The University of Ciego de Ávila, Máximo Gómez Báez (UNICA), carries out an internationalization strategy that seeks to raise academic and scientific quality with the active participation of the university community, to continue contributing to the development of society; with the signing, so far this year, of more than 10 international agreements that strengthen relations of exchange, collaboration and cooperation with educational centers in Latin America and Europe.

As Dr. Cs. OruamCadex Marichal Guevara, director of International Relations of the Ciego de Ávila house of higher studies, explained to Invasor, it is about ensuring that internationalization mainstreams teaching, research and extension, three essential processes of Higher Education, to "promote that people from other countries see studying at UNICA as attractive because we are capable of providing quality services”.

For this purpose, since 2021, the institution has been committed to improving its position in the QL2 ranking, which, organized from Spain, includes all areas of the world and measures indicators linked to university management such as social impact, openness, excellence and presence, the latter through visibility and transparency.

In Marichal Guevara's opinion, the current position of Máximo Gómez Báez in this ranking is favorable, if one takes into account that when she joined it, in 2014, she had a number greater than 16,000. Based on the accreditation processes, managed to drop to 6000, and after all the work that has been done, at this time it is the 5040th university in the world, 22nd in the Caribbean area and number 7 nationally.

However, they aspire to continue climbing, who has shown them that they can achieve it, because in June of last year they came to position themselves in position 4994 at the international level.

In search of greater visibility in the Internet, efforts have also focused on the positioning of Ciego de Ávila`s professors in high-impact academic platforms, an indicator with a great impact on the ranking.

The numbers speak for themselves about the results: in January 2021, only 35 accounts were counted in Google Scholar, while now there are 434 visible accounts and around 270 professors are being cited.

Similarly, to support the visibility and presence of scientific activity, a contract was signed with Editorial Oriente, from Santiago de Cuba, the only Cuban publishing house that is visible in the academic publication indicators and that will be in charge of editing the Minutes Book of the XV International Scientific Convention UNICA 2022. On the other hand, thanks to an agreement with the Dialnet foundation, the repository of theses in option to the scientific degree of Doctor of Sciences developed in the academy is visible in this database.

Within the internationalization strategy that they implement, international virtual and face-to-face events play a fundamental role, where UNICA 2022 stands out, which, on this occasion, will take place from October 17 to 21 and will be the ideal space to outline development and collaboration strategies, as well as it will enable the exchange of experiences, knowledge and popular knowledge in the academic and research sector, from the commitment of Science and Technological Innovation for sustainable development.

The director of International Relations specifies that, as part of the internationalization of the curriculum, in addition to the agreements that have been signed in recent months with important academic institutions, they highlight the specific agreements for mobility that are being designed in the faculties of Economic Sciences and Business, Social Sciences and Pedagogical Sciences, so that foreign undergraduate students come to study for a semester at the house of higher studies, while they can do so in centers in other countries.

In the same way, he adds, the creation of a laboratory with conditions to give virtual conferences is being favored, since some Mexican universities, with which they maintain ties, are requesting the expertise of professors in the field of Law and Psychology.

Not satisfied with what has been achieved to date, the UNICA faculty, led by the recently constituted Advisory Committee for Internationalization, has set 15 goals related to academic mobility, agreements and the management of international projects, the latter with the objective of contributing to the training of professionals, research, postgraduate studies and university extension. Currently, the academy participates in four projects of this type, including Erasmus +, and has sent calls for another seven, of which one has already been denied, but they await the approval of the rest, according to Marichal Guevara.

Likewise, it details that the contribution of these projects speaks highly of the Agrecocaribe that recently concluded and, as part of which, they received a donation of technology valued at around 12,000 euros.

Since it was founded in September 1978, the University of Ciego de Ávila has signed close to 200 agreements, between assets and liabilities, with academic institutions from more than 20 countries. The first of which there is a record dates back to 1991.