Unite! and Magalhães Network take first step towards closer cooperation
Unite! and the Magalhães Network are joining forces to explore new opportunities for academic cooperation between Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Their ambition is to create initiatives that go beyond individual university partnerships, bringing institutions from both networks together around shared priorities in education, research and innovation. A Letter of Intent signed at the Magalhães General Assembly in Mexico marks the first concrete step towards this goal.
The letter was signed during the recent General Assembly of the Magalhães Network, hosted by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). It formalises both networks’ commitment to identifying areas for joint activities and building on the academic connections already established between their member universities.
“We want to build on what our institutions already do together, while giving more members of our communities the opportunity to participate. For students, researchers and university staff, the potential benefits include new opportunities for international mobility, joint educational and research projects, and access to expertise and research facilities across the two networks.”
Roberto Zanino, Rector’s Senior Advisor for International University Networks and Unite! at Politecnico di Torino, who recently completed his second term as President of Magalhães, welcomes the agreement as a natural development of the existing links between the two networks.
“Given Magalhães’ focus on engineering and architecture, and the fact that six of Unite!’s nine members also belong to the network, cooperation with Unite! was a natural direction to pursue. I am very pleased that we have now reached this first concrete milestone”
The next step will be an online matchmaking event, jointly organised by the steering committees of both networks in 2027. It will bring interested universities together to identify common research and educational interests, connect teams and explore potential joint initiatives. The outcomes will help determine the priorities and next stages of cooperation.
About the Magalhães Network
Established in 2005, the Magalhães Network promotes academic exchange and cooperation between Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. It brings together faculties and schools specialising in technology, engineering and architecture at public and private universities. Its activities include supporting student mobility, sharing good practices in internationalisation and providing a platform for developing joint projects among member institutions.
Six of Unite!’s nine member universities are also represented in the Magalhães Network: Aalto University (Finland), Grenoble INP – UGA (France), Politecnico di Torino (Italy), Instituto Superior Técnico at the University of Lisbon (Portugal), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech (Spain), and KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden).