Canada needs to devote more resources for exploiting opportunities with Brazil

Education mission a first step

The pending release of a major report on international education presents an ideal opportunity for Canada to strike while the iron is hot to boost research and education ties to Brazil — provided significant resources are forthcoming — say the heads of the country's main university and college associations. An eight-day Canadian higher education mission in late April and early May demonstrated just how important Brazil can be to Canada's education system, the research community and the economy as a whole.

Headed by governor general David Johnston, the mission visited four Brazilian cities and numerous research institutions. It forged 75 partnerships between Canadian and Brazilian post-secondary institutions worth $6.7 million, including deals between seven Canadian universities and FAPSEP, the Sao Paulo Research Foundation. In addition, Mitacs announced $10.3 million for new undergraduate internships and graduate fellowships.

But the Canadian commitments are extremely modest in comparison to Brazil which is currently investing vast sums into its research and education sectors. It recently launched a massive, $2-billion Science without Borders program to fund more than 100,000 students to study abroad by 2015, primarily in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Canada has been allotted 12,000 student scholarships.

South America's largest and only Portuguese speaking country recently passed the UK to become the world's sixth largest economy with US$2.5 trillion in GDP.

"Brazil wants to fund excellence and collaboration that's not limited geographically ... It's like a gold mine of opportunities for Canadian researchers and universities. Brazil hasn't thought seriously about Canada yet but it's becoming very interested," says Paul Davidson, president of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC). "The point of the mission was to show the role universities can play in building bridges around collaboration and education. There's an opportunity to do bigger things at scale."

The sheer scope and value of the Science Without Borders program has captured the attention of other nations, many of which are lining up to broker reciprocal deals. A challenge to the Brazilian private sector to contribute to the initiative also yielded impressive results, expanding the breadth and budget of the program.

The Canadian mission boasted nearly 60 people, including the presidents of 28 universities, two Cabinet ministers, four MPs and representatives from the Canadian Light Source synchrotron.

"The Brazilian government is fully funding 75,000 scholarships and Brazil's private sector quickly added another 26,000. Canada is getting 12,000 which is second only to the US," says Davidson, adding that the financial support goes beyond university tuition fees and includes rent money and stipends. "The AUCC has been working hard with its Brazilian counterparts to make it happen."

international education strategy in the works

The Advisory Panel on Canada's International Education Strategy was announced in the 2011 Budget and funded with $10 million over two years to develop and implement a strategy to "reinforce Canada as a country of choice to study and conduct world-class research", according to budget documents. The Panel followed a three-stage process including consultation, engagement through a series of roundtables and finally a collaboratory held in Toronto last January.

The release of its report — which was submitted June 15th to the ministers of finance and International Trade but won't be unveiled until later this summer — should land in fertile ground. It arrives in the wake of a Senate committee report which contains 10 recommendations on ways to intensify strategic partnerships with the "new Brazil".

The May/12 report of the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade prominently mentions the recent education mission and Brazil's Science without Borders program. It recommends that the federal government "focus its attention in its relations with Brazil on education, science and technology, investment and trade, infrastructure, and regional and global partnerships".

Canada's private sector is also formally engaging with its Brazilian counterparts through the Canada-Brazil CEO Forum, a government initiated body whose secretariat will be hosted by the Canadian Council of Chief Executives.

While there is clearly serious thought going into developing strategies to exploit Brazil's ambitious research, education and trade aspirations, the latest federal Budget appears to be pulling in the opposite direction.

The austerity cuts delivered through the latest Budget has resulted in the axing or reduction of several international education programs. These include the elimination of the Commonwealth Scholarships program and a 40% reduction in international scholarships offered by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the Students for Development program delivered by the AUCC and the elimination of the International Student Mobility program.

In contrast, Germany has invested €19 million over two years in Brazilian scholarships for its students and has a physical presence in Sao Paulo with the German House of Science and Innovation to promote and intensify the scientific exchange between the two countries.

Canada does have a bilateral R&D program through International Science and Technology Partnerships Canada but with only $1 million available on the Canadian side, the opportunity for expanding R&D collaboration is limited.

"We need more ambitious international engagement. It's got to be a two-way street. We have to link education policy to an S&T and innovation strategy — link the dots," says Davidson. "Programs like ISTP Canada let you have the first conversation but those countries will talk to people who are prepared to invest substantially … As with any opportunity with emerging countries, Canada has to show seriousness and intent. With the (international education) strategy coming out this fall, there will need to be tangible commitments in the next Budget to real action."

colleges key

While the governor general-led mission was primarily focused on the university sector, Canadian colleges were also represented by Seneca College president David Agnew and Jim Knight, president and CEO of the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) .

Knight says colleges here have already benefitted from the Science without Borders program with the first batch Brazilian students sent to Canadian colleges.

"Canada is getting about 12,000 students and a good number will go to our colleges. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. We signed up for 1,500 and they will return home and report on their experiences," says Knight. "Brazil is short on language skills training and there are also opportunities in many other areas including fashion and automation."

ACCC has been working closely with its Brazilian counterpart — the Brazilian National Council for Federal Professional, Scientific and Technological Institutions (CONIF) — and is participating in a broad Brazilian initiative to use education to lift millions of its citizens out of poverty and into the middle class.

One program funded by the Canadian International Development Agency and managed by ACCC aims to assist one thousand disadvantaged Brazilian women in personal, professional and social development by exposing them to the college system.

"Brazil is wealthy and they are building federal institutes (colleges) rapidly. They are opening about one college a month and have several hundred now," says Knight.

Knight says the forthcoming report on international education strategy will also represent college interests and precipitate discussion on increasing the modest amounts Canada spend in this area.

"We must be more energetic in giving Canadian students offshore experience. We have not done as much and we need to do much more. A number of programs have been cut," says Knight. " We need to work harder to make our leaders understand the importance of these exchanges and initiatives. Countries expect us to reciprocate. This is a good export for us ... We need to internationalize our post-secondary education system to a much greater degree."

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