FIHAC and the Universidad del Magdalena, Colombia, sign a General Cooperation Agreement

This morning the General Cooperation Agreement was signed between the Fundación Instituto de Hidráulica Ambiental de Cantabria (FIHAC) and the Universidad del Magdalena, an institution located in the city of Santa Marta, capital of Magdalena, Colombia. This agreement was signed today by Raúl Medina Santamaría, Vice President of FIHAC, and Pablo Vera Salazar, Rector of the Universidad del Magdalena, in the Patronage Room of IHCantabria. It is valid for five years and may be renewed automatically.

The signing ceremony was attended by representatives of FIHAC/IHCantabria and a delegation from the Universidad del Magdalena, composed of its rector and Professor Gustavo Hernández Cortez, who previously completed postgraduate studies at the University of Cantabria and IHCantabria. In representation of FIHAC, in addition to its vice-president, the following participated in this event: José A. Juanes de la Peña, Director of Teaching and Training IHCantabria; Mauricio González Rodríguez, head of the Coastal Engineering and Management Group; and researchers Camilo Jaramillo Cardona and Sergio Padilla Álvarez.

This agreement is based on previous experiences and activities between both institutions, as well as on the interest in jointly promoting research projects, seminars and research stays. Its main objective is to promote scientific cooperation and technology transfer between FIHAC and the University of Magdalena.

Specific cooperation activities will be detailed in additional agreements. Therefore, FIHAC and the Universidad del Magdalena are committed to promoting the development of initiatives that strengthen this agreement and benefit both entities, through the exchange of personnel, the development of joint research and technology transfer projects, the exchange of experiences and scientific information, the participation in colloquia, seminars and joint publications, and the realization of research internships.

Specific cooperation activities will be detailed in additional agreements, so FIHAC and the Universidad del Magdalena are committed to promoting the development of initiatives that strengthen this agreement and benefit both entities.

In the words of FIHAC’s vice-president, Raúl Medina, “this agreement will serve to consolidate and strengthen the cooperation we already have with the Universidad del Magdalena”.

For his part, the rector of the Universidad del Magdalena, Pablo Vera Salazar, expressed the following at the signing ceremony of this agreement: “For us it is an opportunity to strengthen our commitment to marine-coastal development in our country and, in particular, the Coastal Marine Engineering program of our university, whose academic program is unique in Colombia and Latin America”.

University of Magdalena

The Universidad del Magdalena is a departmental public university, whose main campus is located in the city of Santa Marta, capital of Magdalena, Colombia. It has one of the largest campuses in the region and is internationally accredited as anEngaged University for its high quality and impact on the territories. It received high quality institutional accreditation from the Colombian Ministry of Education.

Environmental Hydraulics Institute of Cantabria Foundation (FIHAC)

FIHAC is an organization of private law of the autonomous public sector and of a non-profit foundation nature, which was created with the fundamental purpose of promoting and supporting basic and applied research and the development of studies, methodologies and tools for the integrated management of aquatic ecosystems, including inland surface and groundwater, transitional waters and coastal waters. For this purpose, on March 22, 2007, FIHAC and the University of Cantabria created a joint research institute called the Environmental Hydraulics Institute of the Universidad de Cantabria (IHCantabria).