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TU Dortmund University and the Federal University of Minas Gerais Sign Agreement on Academic Mobility

Prof Maximiliane Wilkesmann (TU Dortmund University) and UFMG Rector Prof Alessandro Fernandes Moreira sitting at a table signing the agreement. © Raphaella Dias​/​UFMG
Prof Maximiliane Wilkesmann (TU Dortmund University) and UFMG Rector Prof Alessandro Fernandes Moreira signing the agreement.
In early September, a delegation from UA Ruhr visited the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). As part of the discussions, UFMG Rector Alessandro Fernandes Moreira and TU Dortmund University’s Vice-President for International Affairs and Diversity, Prof. Maximiliane Wilkesmann, signed an agreement on September 10 to expand institutional relations and opportunities for cooperation.

The agreement is based on the institutional cooperation agreement signed in June 2025 by the then-rector of UFMG, Prof. Sandra Almeida, and the rectors of the three universities of the University Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr) on the occasion of the reopening of its liaison office in Brazil. It is initially valid for five years and includes provisions to promote exchanges among students, researchers, and faculty members. A call for applications under the CAPES.Global program also invites doctoral candidates and visiting faculty to spend time at UFMG and the program’s partner universities.

According to the Deputy Director of International Relations at UFMG, Prof. Bárbara Orfanó, the German delegation’s visit to the Pampulha campus was the result of mutual efforts over the past few years to strengthen ties between the institutions. “UFMG has already had various opportunities for exchange with representatives from TU Dortmund University and, more broadly, the UA Ruhr. In 2025, a memorandum of understanding was signed between UFMG and the UA Ruhr, and in January 2026, the then-UFMG rector, Sandra Goulart Almeida, visited TU Dortmund University. On that occasion, concrete possibilities for academic and scientific collaboration were already discussed,” she explained.

According to Orfanó, international collaboration is of great importance to the university for pooling scientific expertise and expanding research networks. It also offers students and researchers an international environment for their education, thereby strengthening the institutions’ ability to tackle global and interdisciplinary challenges. “In the case of UA Ruhr, this is particularly relevant, as the partnership connects UFMG not only with a single university but with an academic ecosystem consisting of three major German universities and research centers that collaborate closely.”

With provisions regarding the duration of stays abroad, costs, language proficiency, and other factors, the agreement generally opens up opportunities for all areas of higher education and research, although the universities may set their own priorities. UFMG and TU Dortmund University share numerous common areas of study and research, including engineering, natural sciences, biotechnology, computer science, energy, and sustainability, as well as journalism and education. For further information, interested parties at UFMG and TU Dortmund University should contact the International Offices at their respective universities.

At the same time, the INTER-NÓS network, coordinated by UFMG as part of the CAPES.Global program, has published calls for applications for doctoral student mobility for research stays as well as for visiting lecturers—both outgoing and incoming. The application deadline is October 25, and the calls are limited to specific research areas.

The calls for applications are available exclusively in Portuguese, as applications—including those for incoming guests—must be submitted by the proposing visiting faculty members. Interested faculty members and researchers at UA Ruhr should contact their partners or the International Offices of the network’s participating universities (UFMG, UFRN, UFCSPA, UNIFAL, UEA). Link to call for applications: https://www.ufmg.br/redeinternos/chamadas/chamadas-2027-2/  

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