Strategic Anchor Points of the UA Ruhr in Latin America

[Astrid Bergmeister] Matthias Epple, you took over as director of the Ruhr University Alliance Liaison Office in Latin America in 2025. What are your plans?

[Prof. Dr. Matthias Epple] We can make a big difference in Latin America; through the Ruhr University Alliance, we have many strategic points of contact in the region. Latin America stretches from Mexico to Tierra del Fuego, making it bigger than Europe and home to a larger population – this represents significant potential, but also a vast region that we aim to engage with. Our goal is to work with Marcio Weichert, our experienced Managing Director, to use the Ruhr University Alliance liaison office as a hub for contacts with the three universities in Duisburg-Essen, Bochum, and Dortmund. Marcio Weichert previously served as Program Director of the German House of Science and Innovation (DWIH) in São Paulo. He brings a wealth of experience and numerous contacts in Brazil to the table. He is an excellent point of contact for our external cooperation partners, but of course also for anyone here who is interested in Latin America. Marcio Weichert also represents us at trade fairs in Latin America such as “Postdoc in Germany,” “EUROPOSGRADOS,” and “GAIN.”

Karen Shire, where do you see the office’s strongest strategic link to the international relations goals of the UDE?

[Prof. Karen Shire Ph.D.] The primary goal is to establish strategic international partnerships at all levels: from student recruitment—that is, building bridges during high school that may lead to students enrolling here as students—to exchange programs for undergraduates and mobility opportunities for graduate, and doctoral students, as well as postdocs. The focus is also on knowledge and technology transfer, faculty exchanges, and joint research proposals.

Is there a strategic goal for where the UA Ruhr Universities would like to be in five years with their liaison office?

[Prof. Dr. Matthias Epple] We are currently wrapping up the initial phase; an important milestone will be reached once we have identified the opportunities available in all relevant Latin American countries. To this end, we are compiling a list of contacts at all levels and on both sides to get a sense of what already exists. In the next step, we need to approach this systematically to identify areas of particularly high potential. Of course, we want to and will maintain and build collaborations with all locations on both sides of the Atlantic, but there will certainly be individual strong partners with whom we will agree on closer collaborations at the UA Ruhr level. Naturally, we will have to focus our efforts, if only for capacity reasons. What is crucial for us is the perspective along the Ruhr corridor: ideally, people from all three UA Ruhr Universities are involved in every collaboration project.

Is there a particular area that is of special strategic interest for a partnership? Ecology, the rainforest, climate issues, or environmental topics, for example? Do these issues play as important a role here as they do in Germany?

[Prof. Karen Shire Ph.D.] Transatlantic collaboration on the priority topics of the UA Ruhr Research Centers will certainly form a core component of our research activities in Latin America. This includes topics such as health, sustainability, cybersecurity, and the energy transition. At the UA Ruhr College for Social Sciences and Humanities, we have already involved senior fellows from Latin America in collaborative projects with UA Ruhr researchers. Discussions on higher education policy regarding academic freedom, diversity, and educational equity, as well as the further democratization of higher education, were also addressed with our partners at our opening ceremony. At UDE, the priority areas of water and environmental research, materials research, biotechnology, and the transformation of societies are being further developed in collaboration with partners from Latin America. One project already receiving funding focuses on the works of forgotten female authors in literary studies. In all these plans, the mobility of researchers in the early stages of their careers is becoming increasingly important. Joint study formats such as double-degree programs or mandatory study abroad years in engineering and computer science are also already in the planning stages. Our knowledge transfer activities are also expanding internationally with partners from Latin America.

What role does our Eurocentric perspective play in managing expectations?

[Prof. Dr. Matthias Epple] In fact, many people have internalized a Eurocentric perspective, assuming that we in Europe are part of the developed world and that Latin American countries benefit disproportionately from cooperating with us. Brazilian President Lula expressed this well during his visit to the Hannover Messe (Brazil was the partner country) when he said that Brazil should not be viewed merely as a supplier of raw materials. In fact, research on the Brazilian side is conducted on an equal footing with European research institutions; this applies equally to industrial research and artificial intelligence. And Brazil is just one part of Latin America! Therefore, I would like to emphasize here that mutual exchange and the resulting benefits are in the interest of both sides.

I want to highlight this because not everyone is always aware of it.

What motivates the interest of Latin American Universities in collaboration?

[Prof. Karen Shire Ph.D.] There is a great deal of interest in partnerships with Germany in general, and with the UA Ruhr in particular. As a University Alliance, we have become a more diverse and attractive partner. Already in our first year, we signed an MOU with the University of São Paulo (USP), the top university in Latin America. We are particularly interested in collaborations with public universities in the region that, like the Ruhr Universities, enrol a high proportion of students from non-academic families, and for whom educational equity and diversity are not at odds with excellence. As my colleague Matthias Epple has already emphasized: We are interested in partnerships on equal terms.

Which topics are the most popular?

[Prof. Dr. Matthias Epple] The research spans all fields, including physics, chemistry, earth sciences, the humanities, literary studies, computer science, medicine, and economics. The focus is on topics such as start-ups and technology transfer, as well as artificial intelligence, ecology, the environment, and aircraft and vehicle engineering. The potential is vast, and so is the interest on both sides. I see no limitations here for the broad range of offerings from the three UA Ruhr Universities. I am constantly surprised by the collaborations that already exist, of which I was previously unaware. Bringing these together and consolidating these is an important goal of the liaison office.

What should be considered when entering into a partnership?

[Prof. Dr. Matthias Epple] The recognition of academic degrees is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Another factor is language: Portuguese is spoken in Brazil, while Spanish is spoken in the rest of Latin America. English is not as widely spoken as it is in Germany. This sometimes leads to communication problems, even at universities. The Latin American approach to work and life is much more relaxed than ours in Germany. So a relaxed attitude surely helps to ensure successful collaboration. Perhaps that would do us in Germany some good from time to time. This is just a side note, but of course anyone who loves good food is definitely in the right place in Latin America.

Who benefits the most?

[Prof. Dr. Matthias Epple] Ideally, all student groups at all three UA Ruhr Universities will benefit from the liaison office in São Paulo. Our goal is not only to establish contacts with Latin American universities, but also with non-university research institutions.

Latin America is vast; it encompasses the American continent excluding the United States and Mexico. Given such a large area and our limited resources, our contacts cannot, of course, be comprehensive, but we will initiate strategically interesting collaborations at all levels, including, for example, for students on both sides of the Atlantic.

How is the liaison office organized?

[Prof. Karen Shire Ph.D.] We recently finalized the cooperation agreement between the three universities within the University Alliance Ruhr for the operation of the Latin America Liaison Office in São Paulo. This agreement establishes a Directing Board as the governing structure, comprising the three pro-rectors responsible for international affairs, our Managing Director Marcio Weichert, and Prof. Dr. Matthias Epple as the Academic Director. The Directing Board serves the function of a advisory board. Based on this, Matthias Epple and Marcio Weichert jointly determine which collaborations are most effective for us, where we present the UA Ruhr Universities, and whom we approach for this purpose. This works very well. We are pleased with the full support the liaison office receives from the three university rectors.

How do you assess the impact of Mercosur on the work of the liaison office?

[Prof. Karen Shire Ph.D.] Mercosur offers enormous opportunities to strengthen economic ties. At first glance, this may not seem to have anything to do with universities, but appearances can be deceiving. Economies grow through innovation and renewal. Basic research, the training of skilled professionals, and the transfer of knowledge to society—all core tasks of universities—play a decisive role here. In Europe and Latin America, the demand for experts and skilled professionals who understand the other cultural sphere will grow enormously. University education and research contribute significantly to this.

For more information about partnerships, programs, and events, as well as opportunities to get involved, please visit the Liaison Office’s website.