Author: mario de leon

49th Regular Session CONREVE

El Salvador City, July 10, 2023

Today the 49th ordinary session of the Regional Student Life Council -CONREVE- was held, being the body of the CSUCA, in charge of advising, promoting, strengthening and generating initiatives, programs and projects that promote the development of the Student Life area of the member universities; contributing to the comprehensive training of professionals who participate with social commitment, in the transformation, development and Central American Integration.

To start the session, Roger Arias, Rector of the University of El Salvador, said ?I want to wish you the best of success in this day of work, but above all the best stay in this land of Cuzcatleca, together we are building that great homeland, that homeland dreamed of by General Francisco Morazán?.

While Eduardo Flores, President of CSUCA and Rector of the University of Panama indicated "This meeting marks the beginning of the sports meetings that increase our ties as Central American brothers, we feel very pleased and happy for the extraordinary work that our vice rectors have done for take the delegations to the Salvadoran people, I know that the participation of our boys will be very successful, since more than winning medals, the importance is the friendship and connection that they can generate between them?.

For his part, Carlos Alvarado, Secretary General of CSUCA, mentioned ?It is an honor for me to be present at the 49th ordinary session of CONREVE, whose mystique of work guides the generation of programs and projects that promote the development of student life in our region. , higher education has a strategic role in building more resilient societies, as an academic university community we must take a qualitative leap to build a safer, more democratic and sustainable world for everyone?.

Jorge Cortez, President of CONREVE, expressed ?The greatest satisfaction we have as a Regional Council is the participation of Belize, which fills us  very proud, because it means that as a council we are working for that regional integration?

With an established quorum and unanimous approval of the agenda, the meeting had the approval of the minutes corresponding to the 48th ordinary session of CONREVE, as well as the presentation of reports by the CONREVE Presidency, Assistant Secretary for Student Affairs, Presidency of the Federation of University Students of Central America and the Caribbean and the Eighth edition of the Central American University Sports Games -JUDUCA-, which will take place at the University of El Salvador- del  July 11 to 16, 2023.

Likewise, the election and swearing-in of the CONREVE Steering Committee took place, being elected Jorge Cortez from the University of El Salvador re-elected as President, Astrid Montero from the Francisco Morazán National Pedagogical University as Vice President, Mayanín Rodríguez from the University of Panama as Member 1 and Oswaldo Castro from the State Distance University of Costa Rica as Vocal 2.

One of the topics developed within the activity was the planning and logistics of the Fifth Meeting of Health-Promoting Universities, which will take place at the University of El Salvador from November 13 to 15 of this year; as well as the Sixth Central American and Caribbean Volunteer Meeting organized by the University of San Carlos of Guatemala and the Fifty Ordinary Session of CONREVE and the Eighteenth edition of the Rubén Darío Regional Award for Academic Excellence, both activities organized by the universities of Costa Rica.

It should be noted that the council is planning the organization of the Twelfth Central American Interuniversity Festival of Culture and Art -FICCUA- to be held during the year 2024, based at the Technological University of Panama.

Creation of the commemorative logo for the 75th anniversary of CSUCA

Central America July 4, 2023

During the months of January to April of this year, the contest for the creation of the logo for the 75th anniversary of CSUCA was developed, an activity that summoned the community in general of the universities that make up the Central American University Confederation, with the purpose of commemorating 75 years of work for the integration of the Central American public university system that promotes the development of universities through cooperation and joint work with society and the State.

The call had the participation of 55 proposals, which were made by students, teachers and administrative staff of public universities in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and the Dominican Republic, where each of the participants was able to reflect in the illustration of a logo the institutional work of the CSUCA and what the institution represents for them in their daily life within the universities.

The selection of the logo had the participation of the Regional University Information and Communication System -SIREICU-, who through two rounds of voting managed to identify the six best proposals, being presented by Scarleth José Álvarez Márquez, student and Pablo José Alvarado Laguna, Professor from the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua -UNAN Managua-, José Adolfo Varela Zúñiga, student at the Francisco Morazán National Pedagogical University of Honduras -UPNFM-, Allan Andrés Vargas Arriola student, María Sofía Coronado Gaitán student and Henry Gioovanni Sipaque Chavarría graduated from the University of San Carlos of Guatemala -USAC-. Logos that were later analyzed by the CSUCA Administrative Committee for their selection.

The winning proposal of said contest was the one made by Henry Giovvanni Sipaque, graduated from the Communication Sciences career of the University of San Carlos de Guatemala, which has the representation of the geographical map of Central America and the Dominican Republic within the elements graphics that make it up ?thus representing the integration of a single region, integrated within two rings that end up closing, this interpretation. The lines represent the dynamism that the institution has for the interrelation of the academic sectors. The geometric shapes that are in the final part of the seven reinforce the union and the feeling of integration? expresses Henry Sipaque.

On June 29 of this year, the award was delivered, which consisted of a diploma of recognition for outstanding participation, as well as a check valued at $500 (American dollars), representing the effort made for the creation of said unpublished material. It should be noted that the logo will represent the image of CSUCA during the next year (July 2023-June 2024), as well as it will be the official logo representing the different activities that arise within the framework of the institutional framework.

It should be noted that the Central American University Confederation, represented by its highest authority the Central American Higher University Council -CSUCA- is the first institution to work for the integration of the Central American region, being created in the City of San Salvador on September 20, 1948, through the development of the First Central American University Congress.

Holistic libraries facing a changing world

Central America June 30, 2023

Today the day of dialogue of knowledge was developed? Holistic libraries in front of a changing world? with the purpose of strengthening the processes of integrated and innovative services of the universities and incorporating new knowledge in the management of information for research, under the organization of the Central American Integrated Documentary Information System -SIIDCA-.

The activity began with words from Carlos Alvarado Cerezo, Secretary General of CSUCA, who mentioned that "University libraries must be a fundamental support to strengthen the academic work of universities, which must remain in constant acquisition and renewal of bibliographic material that keep the physical and digital collections updated, with the capacity to be dynamic, stable, innovative and agile that interact with the reality of societies?.

Based on the fact that libraries foster collaborative spaces that allow the university community to interact and generate new ideas and proposals, the dialogue of knowledge featured different conferences such as ?Holistic libraries against artificial intelligence?, ?Visibility of information for the research?, ?Copyrights: a look at the protection of their intellectual creations?, ?Radio digital project for Libraries: UES experience?, ?Open Access: Journal Portal, Repository and OPAC-SIIDCA?, ?Academic integrity : metric of similarities in research papers, UNACHI experience? and ?Perspectives on artificial intelligence in university libraries: experiences at UNAH?.

To culminate, Maritza Vallecillo, Coordinator of SIIDCA, pointed out the main results obtained within the dialogue of knowledge through its different conferences, recalling that promoting the training and updating of human resources is one of the main objectives of SIIDCA, a system that is made up of 22 University Libraries, belonging to the same number of universities that are part of the Central American University Confederation.

Virtual panel ?Experiences and good practices on the management of funds for research in the Universities of Central America and the Caribbean?

Central America June 6, 2023

With the purpose of promoting a space for the exchange of experiences and good practices on the management of funds for research by the CSUCA member Universities, the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua -UNAN Managua- organizes a virtual panel, with the support of the Secretariat General of the Central American Higher University Council -SG CSUCA-.

The activity began with words from the UNAN Managua Vice-Rector General, Luis Alfredo Lobato, who pointed out ?This panel will shed light on the strategies and methodologies to obtain better financing, for the development of research related to the needs of our peoples. ?.

For his part, Francisco González, President of CSUCA and Rector of the National University of Costa Rica -UNA-, mentioned ?The panel will be fruitful in the exchange of ideas, being a space to strengthen the arms and communication channels that we have through the universities of our region?

While the Secretary General of CSUCA, Carlos Alvarado indicated ?When we talk about fund management, our institutions must demonstrate the installed capacity that they have, so that the cooperators can see the work of our universities, providing a broader panorama of the actions What should be done and improved, adapting to the needs that the world demands of us, for the development of our societies from the universities as a whole?

Finally, Jorge Herrera Murillo, President of SIRCIP made reference to ?From the research we are committed to the fact that the products that are generated from our universities are open to the different social actors of our region, we thank the organizing commission of UNAN Managua, who very committedly generated this space to strengthen the development of research from our region?.

The development of the panel consisted of the presentation of the panelists, being Mayte Zembrano from the Technological University of Panama, Jay Molino from the Specialized University of the Americas -UDELAS-, Bernardina Dixon from the University of the Autonomous Regions of the Nicaraguan Caribbean Coast - URACCAN- and Daniel Samoilovich of the Columbus Association.

To conclude, Francisco Alarcón, Deputy Secretary General of CSUCA made the reflection ?Many of us are convinced that science can make a very large contribution to the well-being of countries, the investment of resources in science being of the utmost importance for our region. ?.

Launch of projects that strengthen STI from an inclusive and open science approach in the SICA region

City of Knowledge, Panama, May 26, 2023

With the purpose of supporting collaborative research in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), in coordination with the National Science Councils of the countries of the region and supporting capacity building activities that allow the Councils and regional bodies of coordination of science, effectively fulfill their mandates and improve national and regional systems of science, technology and research (CTI), with a particular emphasis on gender mainstreaming and inclusion, project launch meeting is held:

Stream 1: Strengthening inclusive science and innovation systems in Latin America through a collaborative research network, led by the Central American Higher University Council (CSUCA).

Current 2: Central American Policy for open STI and the mechanisms to measure its impact on society, led by the National Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation (SENACYT) of Panama and the City of Knowledge Foundation of Panama (CDS).

Both projects selected and sponsored by the International Development Research Center (IDRC) of Canada, for its acronym in English, with an execution period of 5 years for the first and 3 for the second.

Taking into account the importance of strengthening STI, as well as the research-innovation-inclusion nexus, and open science policies, both projects are closely related, a launch meeting has been organized, in person, with the participation of each of the institutions and strategic allies that promote science, innovation and technology from an inclusive approach and open science in the member countries of the Central American Integration System (SICA).

Within the development of the activity, the strategic vision of the project ?Strengthening inclusive systems of science and innovation in Latin America through a collaborative research network? by Carlos Aguirre, General Coordinator of the CSUCA-IDRC Project, as well as the presentation of the project ?Central American Policy for open CTI and the mechanisms to measure its impact on society? by Carlos Salinas, Project Coordinator for SENACYT-CDS-IDRC.

Likewise, the meeting gives rise to the development of the workshop on inclusive innovation and gender; access of women and other vulnerable groups to scientific research, collaboration and exchange in SICA member countries by Lucía Mesa, Gender Consultant, Ladysmith Collective/ IDRC.

While Kemly Camacho, gender consultant for the CSUCA-IDRC project, makes a presentation of the main results of the gender analysis in Central America.

For her part, Andrea Mora, President of LA Referencia, makes a presentation on open science in the Central American region and Jessica Bran from the National Secretariat of Science and Technology of Guatemala, CTCAP Technical Secretary, presents the CTCAP regulations and action plan. .

It should be noted that this is a linking space between specialized institutions that lead the issues of research, technology and innovation, as well as specialists in inclusion and open science in SICA member countries, which allows the generation of communication and monitoring mechanisms, aimed at guaranteeing the implementation and impact of inclusive STI projects and a Central American Policy for open STI.