UTSA and Tecnologico de Monterrey System establish education, research partnership

UTSA President Ricardo Romo with David Noel Ramirez Padilla, president of Tecnológico de Monterrey

By Joe Izbrand
Associate Vice President for Communications and Marketing

(March 3, 2014) -- The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and the Mexico-based Tecnológico de Monterrey System (ITESM) announced a 10-year agreement that will provide students and faculty from the universities the opportunity to participate in education, research and cultural exchange programs between the two institutions.

Under the agreement, each university will offer undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to study and conduct research at the partner university. Faculty and staff also will be invited to participate in a variety of teaching and research activities.

Additionally, the two universities will carry out joint research and continuing education programs, organize symposia, conferences and short courses on research issues, and exchange best practices in teaching, student development and research at each institution.

UTSA first signed an agreement of cooperation with the ITESM campus in Monterrey in 1997. However, the new agreement includes the entire ITESM system, comprised of 31 campuses throughout Mexico.

"UTSA and the Tecnológico de Monterrey have very similar research interests and have been wonderful collaborators for some time now," said UTSA President Ricardo Romo. "Expanding this relationship will strengthen our ability to offer top-tier opportunities to students and scholars for pursuing education, research and collaboration abroad."

"Our strategic partnership with UTSA will facilitate and support our internationalization goals for faculty and students. We are honored to work together and to have new avenues of collaboration," said David Noel Ramírez, president at Tecnológico de Monterrey.

This summer, the first ITESM students will arrive at the UTSA College of Business to study practices for launching a start-up business in the United States. Also this summer, the UTSA Office of the Vice President for Research, the College of Engineering and the College of Sciences will host the Monterrey Institute of Technology Research Immersion Camp, allowing ITESM students to explore opportunities in some of UTSA's research strengths including integrative biomedicine, cloud and cyber computing, and sustainable communities and critical infrastructures. The camp will offer one- to six-week programs with ITESM students housed on the UTSA campus.

UTSA researchers and faculty already are traveling to ITESM, and a timeline for UTSA students is being developed now.

As part of its efforts to increase international visibility and foster collaboration in Latin America, UTSA has similar agreements with 14 Mexican higher education institutions including the Universidad Nacional Autonóma México (UNAM), as well as agreements with universities in Asia, Europe, Africa and South America.