The Corridoio Produttivo Turistico Culturale Italia –Argentina has been launched with the aim to encourage or strengthen economic, cultural and social relationships between Argentina and Italy, in particular between the Apulia Region and Argentina.

Mr Nicolas Moretti, Councillor of the International Association named ‘Pugliesi nel Mondo’ and President of ‘Pugliesi from La Plata’ is actually leading the Corridoio that has its legal headquarter in the city of La Plata (Street 530 no. 1633, Postcode 1900, La Plata, Province of Buenos Aires, tel. 0054 -221- 4240288/4225120, email: [email protected]), and the city of Bari at the Universus Csei Consortium.

The Corridoio counts on the participation of several private as well as public Authorities and organizations.
Activities provide, inter alia, the organization of two seminars a year to be held one in Italy and one in Argentina.
In 2008 the University of Foggia joined the Corridoio and in May of the same year hosted the 2nd International Seminar.
On last 5 and 6 November 2009, prof. Giuliano Volpe, Rector of the University of Foggia, and his delegation consisting of prof. Annunziata Giangaspero, full professor at our Faculty of Agriculture, and dr. Valeria Puccini, Head of the Department for International Relations, attended the 5th International Seminar on ‘Territory Management and Development’.

On such occasion they have:

• signed new cooperation agreements;
• tested and evaluated the existing cooperation activities;
• explored further opportunities of scientific and didactic collaboration through the exchange of teachers and students, submission of joint projects, joint organization of seminars, business initiatives, etc.

Also, fruitful and positive have been their meetings with local entrepreneurs, members of local academic and cultural institutions, of the City Hall, etc.

Our Delegation met with Deans and Representatives of Universidad Nacional de la La Plata, Universidad Catolica de la Plata and Universidad de Mar del Plata; common interests in the field of zootechnics, food technology, packaging have emerged along with a shared idea to develop and deliver joint cooperation programmes in field of archaeology, archaeology of landscapes, marine archaeology, etc., through a mutual exchange of undergraduate students, Ph. D students, teachers.

Besides, considering how relevant tourism is for both Argentina and the Apulia Region, great attention has been paid to the promotion and implementation of its activities; i.e. the Faculty of Economics of Universidad Nacional de La Plata wishes to realize a joint Master Course in the Economics of Tourism.

The Director of La Plata Museum of Natural Sciences has shown positive feelings towards the idea to make use of the “Apulian Cultural Heritage Mapping Project” that, started in September 2007, aims to create a thematic cartography in order to archive, map and describe in detail the cultural heritage of the regional territory. This will help map the cultural heritage of the Region of La Plata.

Such initiatives contribute to strengthen the existing relationships between enterprises from both Argentina and the Apulia Region.

A vital interest of people from Argentina, many of Italian origin, into our culture, language, products, the number of university cooperation agreements signed, the contacts established with local authorities and businesses in Argentina testify of tangible and effective opportunities of development and cooperation; distance is only geographic because a common culture and shared values and beliefs provide the same feelings towards internationalisation and the revitalization of academic relations.

The Compostela Group of Universities is a non-profit association aimed at fostering cooperation and promoting dialogue in all fields related to higher education. An initiative of the University of Santiago de Compostela, the group currently brings together more than 70 members worldwide, convinced that diversity is a keyword in the profile of 21st century universities. In their common journey, they share the path to knowledge and the goal of improving higher education for a better society.

The Compostela Network believes in a common European space where languages and cultures are mixed.

The Compostela Network has launched, inter alia, the Stella Programme that provides mobility opportunities for the administrative personnel from both Europe and Latin America.

The University of Foggia joined the Network in August 2009; two of its administrative staff members have already realized a short-term mobility period abroad under the Stella Programme. Foreign destinations have been: Porto University, Portugal, and Universidad Catolica Pontificia de Perù. Other colleagues will leave in September.

Since 2008 the University of Foggia has been partner of the EMUNI University Network.

The Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI University) based in Slovenia is one of the six priority areas of the Union for the Mediterranean. It was established as international network of universities (142 members from 37 countries, GA 2009).

The mission of University includes: approving the quality of higher education through the implementation of postgraduate (master's and doctorate) study and research programmes, with a special focus on cultural diversity.

The Euro-Mediterranean University contributes to the understanding among people and encourage cooperation in higher education, following up on the objectives of the Catania Process and of the First Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on Higher Education and Scientific Research (Cairo, June 2007).

Through the cooperation network of partner institutions and existing universities from the Euro-Med region, the Euro-Mediterranean University is seeking to develop postgraduate and research programmes and thus contribute to the establishment of the Euro-Mediterranean Higher Education, Science and Research Area. Partner Universities are encouraged to make full use of possibilities offered by existing higher education cooperation programmes. Particular attention is being paid to enhancing quality and to ensuring the relevance of vocational training to labour market needs.

Since November 2009 the University of Foggia has joined the UNESCO Peace Programme of academic cooperation with the Palestinian universities, that was taken at an international solidarity conference convened by several European universities - members of the Coimbra Group - at the University of Sienna in August 1991, when most Palestinian universities were closed.

PEACE is based on the principles of the right to education and the right to culture. The Network counts at present (March 2010) 61 members: 50 European and 11 Palestinian universities. It cooperates closely with the major NGOs of higher education: the International Association of Universities (IAU) the International Association of University Presidents (IAUP), the European Association of Universities (EAU), the Association of Arab Universities (AARU), the Community of Mediterranean Universities (CUM), etc. As an interuniversity network which seeks to promote international academic cooperation with the Palestinian universities, PEACE focuses its action on those areas in which international cooperation has made full proof of its efficiency, notably by contributing to raising the quality, efficiency and relevance of teaching and research at Palestinian universities and enhancing their institutional and staff development. This is accomplished mainly by facilitating study abroad for Palestinian graduate students and for young academics who are able to upgrade their training and return to teach at their universities of origin. It also facilitates staff exchanges and helps set up academic programmes at Palestinian universities. In keeping with the spirit which led to its foundation, PEACE seeks to play also a much wider role as a means of international opening for the Palestinian universities, of overcoming difficulties and isolation and of removing entrenched tensions and animosities that have accumulated during long years of turmoil. The PEACE programme pursues these goals in a spirit of genuine academic solidarity, with the aspiration to make a contribution - as suggested by its acronym - to the peace process in the Middle East.

The Magna Charta of the European Universities is the final result of the proposal addressed from the University of Bologna in 1986 to the oldest European Universities. The idea of the Magna Charta was enthusiastically accepted. During a meeting in Bologna (June 1987) the delegates of 80 European Universities elected an eight members board. The aims of this document is to celebrate the deepest values of University traditions and to encourage strong bonds among European Universities. Having the Magna Charta Universitatum an universal inspiration, any third-country University has the opportunity to join it.

The University of Foggia has recently joined the Magna Charta Consortium of Universities; this of course represents an important step forwards for the process of cooperation and the internationalization of relations. On 17th September, at Bologna University, the University of Foggia represented by its Rector Prof. Giuliano Volpe, participated to the Ceremony of the Signature of the Magna Charta Universitatum.

UNIMED - Unione delle Università del Mediterraneo