On January 10, a delegation of five members from Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), led by Professor Ricardo Borges Alencar, Acting Associate Vice-President and Head of Central Coordination for International Cooperation, visited BUCEA. They engaged in in-depth discussions on topics such as joint student training, short-term exchanges, faculty visits, research collaboration, and the development of the Belt and Road Architectural University International Consortium (BRAUIC). BUCEA Vice President CHEN Zhaohui, along with heads of relevant departments and schools, participated in the event.
Vice President CHEN gave a warm welcome to Vice President ALENCAR and his delegation. She introduced BUCEA’s basic information, featured programs, notable research achievements, as well as its unique practices concerning the establishment and development of the BRAUIC. She also emphasized the solid foundation for cooperation in higher education between the two countries and expressed hope for expanding interdisciplinary and wide-ranging practical collaboration in new areas such as artificial intelligence, green and low-carbon technologies, and cultural exchanges.
Vice President ALENCAR thanked BUCEA for the warm reception and conveyed greetings from PUC-Rio President Anderson PEDROSO. He highlighted that PUC-Rio has always valued collaboration and exchanges with Chinese universities, government agencies, and enterprises. The Confucius Institute co-founded with China has been in operation for 14 years. He pointed out the significant potential for cooperation between the two universities in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, smart cities, and intelligent manufacturing, and expressed hope to strengthen ties between the professional schools and research centers of both sides.
Ms. Christine DUARTE, Partnership Supervisor at PUC-Rio, and Ms. Roberta DINELLY, Academic Secretary for Confucius Institute at PUC-Rio, introduced the international cooperation projects, student exchange programs, and featured programs of green energy, sustainable development, and artificial intelligence. They also extended a sincere invitation from President PEDROSO for BUCEA students and faculty to visit PUC-Rio in the future.
Representatives from the participating schools had in-depth discussions with the PUC-Rio delegation about their respective academic strengths and potential collaboration plans.
Before the meeting, the PUC-Rio delegation visited the library and laboratories of BUCEA.
Founded in 1941, PUC-Rio excelled in several areas in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2023. In Computer Science, PUC-Rio reached first place overall in the country. In Physical Sciences, the University became the national leader in the “Industry” and “International Outlook” indicators. In 2024, it was considered the best private institution in Brazil by the QS World University Rankings.