International Affairs - Relations Internationales - EPFL

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Cooperation@epfl has established the following specific objectives for its first
years of activities with a view to placing the EPFL in a better position in Switzerland
and abroad within the area of scientific cooperation for development training and
research:
participate in relevant research and educational networks on scientific cooperation
for development issues, both in Switzerland and abroad;
launch the MAS DTS and support the Technology and Sustainable Development
postgraduate course in India;
coordinate scientific cooperation activities conducted by EPFL Schools and
laboratories and foster synergies with other Swiss universities;
launch major Inter-School and interdisciplinary scientific cooperation for
development projects at the EPFL in partnership with scientific institutions in
emerging and developing countries;
introduce and implement a coherent global fundraising strategy for scientific
cooperation for development activities, conducted by the EPFL and its partners
and also reinforce the links with bilateral and multilateral cooperation for
development agencies;
encourage EPFL researchers to promote and reinforce scientific cooperation
with partners in emerging and developing countries, which is also promoted
by an annual Seed Money Call;
represent and promote the EPFL cooperation sector in all scientific institutions
in Switzerland and abroad;
deal with the SDC and other Swiss and international cooperation donors;
establish a scientific and strategic partnership with the Secretariat of State for
Education and Research (SER), thereby enabling the latter to define the priority
countries and institutions where the EPFL will act as a driving force in their
relations with Swiss universities (e.g. India, Chile, Brazil, South Africa);
develop an approach and a methodology for scientific partnerships with institutions
in emerging and developing countries;
continue managing the two scientific cooperation for development SDC programs:
the EPFL-SDC Fund and the ISCB.
Cooperation@epfl will operate a 2+4 year schedule during the first phase with a
view to establishing long-term structuring and effective strategy. This first phase
will begin with a 2 year short-term strategic operational period (2007-2008)
aimed at establishing all the elements of the strategy and putting them in place.
After this period, a 4 year mid-term strategy (2009-2012) will consolidate
Cooperation@epfl and this will complete the first phase. In 2012, the
Cooperation@epfl unit (or whatever it may be called then) will have established
itself, both within the EPFL and externally, as a centre that is recognized and
respected for the quality of its research and training as well as for its technological
and scientific contribution to the understanding and resolution of sustainable
development problems in the South.
In addition to the evaluation provided on a yearly basis by the International
Scientific Advisory Board (ISAB-COOP), overall strategy evaluations are expected
at the end of 2008 (the end of the short-term period), and also at the end of 2012
(end of the entire first phase) in order to assess its achievements and its position
as a reputed centre for scientific cooperation for development.
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