Cultural relations between France and Latin American countries have traditionally been of great richness. All our ParisTech Schools already count among their numbers a significant amount of South-American students. Europe-Latin America education relations have steadily been multiplying in the context oh high-level exchanges. Thus, wishing to further increase the flow of students coming from and going to study in Latin America (both of which generally find it easy to adapt to the partner school's curriculum) we were naturally led to consider that outside Europe Latin America as Asia is a zone where we would make it a priority to increasingly develop international partnerships.
According to the general principles established for international development on the whole, four target countries were initially retained : Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico. These are emergent countries of an important size that already play a significant role in economic exchanges and show development in higher education in ParisTech's fields of interest. Efforts will focus on tying lively and continuing exchange relations.
The aim is to establish stronger and more sustainable relations for each country, by creating partnerships with four to six foremost universities. The collaboration and exchange offer will be varied, adaptable to the demands of each partner (Double Degree, Masters and Cosupervision of Thesis, Continuing education throughout professional activity...).
The important presence of French companies in Latin America, as well as the rather large numbers of "grandes écoles" former students in local companies, should help establish real tripartite in these growing countries.
The programme - 40i exchange programme - which was launched in 2004, is aimed at students exchange at graduate level. It has already allowed to tie promising contacts with our partners from Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Argentina.
Our relations will have to evolve as we will have to adapt to local needs. The current active network of twenty partners will be the strong base that will allow the ParisTech group to quickly strengthen and develop permanent relationships with them.