The role of CCISP in a Sustainable Cooperation between the Portuguese Polytechnics and the European and the Brazilian Higher Education Institutions

The international cooperation and the promotion of internationalization activities are major pillars of the sustainable development for most of the Portuguese Higher Education Institutions (HEI), specially the Portuguese Polytechnics (Professional Higher Education Institutions, PHEI). This statement can be found in many of the strategic plans of Portuguese HEI.
An overview of CCISP (Coordinating Council of Portuguese Polytechnics, www.ccisp.pt ) international activity, comprising important issues that are included in the international agenda, will be presented and briefly discussed, reflecting, at the time, on what should be the most convenient strategy that an umbrella organization like CCISP (or CONIF in Brazil) should have to assure a sustainable international cooperation of its members, having simultaneously the engagement of the community. Relevant data and appropriate results will be shown and analyzed to better support the presentation and the discussion.
CCISP policy regarding internationalization is ruled by distinct and complementary strategic lines:
• One major line of CCISP international policy has been participating in governance bodies of global international PHE associations, like EURASHE - www.eurashe.eu, UASnet - www.uasnet.eu, or WFCP – www.wfcp.org . Some of the main topics that have been addressed and discussed in the recent years, with active participation of CCISP, were transformed in international projects, financially supported by EU. Examples: HAPHE project - http://haphe.eurashe.eu; EQUIP project - http://www.equip-project.eu; SAPS project - https://learntowork.eu.
• Another important strategic line that CCISP has been following in the international field, is the coordination of some international activities for its members. The project entitled “The Internationalization of PHE in Portugal” is the highest expression of this. Some updated and relevant results will be presented and discussed.
Also under this strategic line, one can mention the special relationship with CONIF, supporting the cooperation between the Portuguese and the Brazilian PHEI that has been progressively increased in the last years. A brief balance of this cooperation, supported in concrete actions, and the projection on the future, will be highlighted during the presentation.
The leitmotiv of this presentation will be: “Learning from the past, looking at the present but always focusing on the future. Analyze, debate and contribute to a more sustainable international cooperation with global community engagement.”