Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana

Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana (UNILA) is a new public institution of higher learning, proposed in 2007 by president Luiz Inácio da Silva of Brazil, to open it's doors and to receive it's first class in 2009. As of 2008 this initiative is awating final approval in the National Congress of Brazil.

Professor Hélgio Trindade, former rector of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), has been nominated head of the implementation commission, the "Comissão de Implantação da UNILA".

According to plans, the main mission of this new university will be to graduate students with specialty in the "integration" of Latin America, especially of the member-coutries of MERCOSUL (i.e. in such fields as culture, natural languages, human rights, politics, economy, and technology).

The goal of the "Ministry of Education of Brazil" (MEC) is to have a total of ten thousand students enrolled eventually, offering them bachelor's-, master's- as well as doctorate degrees. An estimated five hundred Latin American professors should join the institution, half on a full-time and half part-time basis. A budget of R$ 135.9 million Brazilian reais (BRL), circa 40 million pounds sterling, has been set aside for the project.

Strategically, UNILA will be located in the southern city of Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, at the tri-national border shared by Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.

See also

* List of universities in Brazil

External links

* [http://www.agenciabrasil.gov.br/noticias/2007/12/12/materia.2007-12-12.3936300767/view "Projeto de lei que cria Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana é assinado". Agência Brasil/Brazilian news agency (2007)] (in Portuguese)

* [http://www.brazil.org.uk/newsandmedia/pressreleases_files/20071212.html "University of Latin American Integration (UNILA) created". Embassy of Brazil in London, UK (2007).]