CBS aims at Brazil
Companies and students must be supported in doing business and creating a career in relation to Brazil
The attention of the corporate sector is turning towards Brazil, one of the largest growth economies in the world, which is why the students need to be brought closer to the country, CBS is working hard to land new collaborative agreements with Brazilian universities, develop opportunities for company internships and recruit more academic staff with focus on South America, says Dorte Salskov-Iversen, Head of Department and Vice President for International Affairs. She is in charge of CBS' Brazilian strategy.
- We want to help Danish companies getting introduced to the Brazilian market. The students are asking for more exchange stays and we have researchers who want to work with Brazil as a field of research. This is good news for the Danish corporate sector, who is very interested in the country and needs the talent and competences that can help them getting established in Brazil, she says.
Brazil is opening up
In fact, CBS has already made agreements with some of the best business schools such as Fundacão Getulio Vargas in Sao Paulo, Fundacão Getulio Vargas in Rio de Janeiro and INSPER in Sao Paulo.
According to Dorte Salskov-Iversen, new collaborative agreements are in the pipeline. The Brazilian university system is very uneven, and the challenge is to find the universities, which has made the most progress in offering English-taught education. CBS is considering a number of business universities in Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Sao Paolo and Parana. The Olympics and the 2014 Football Worldcup will definitely provide a window of opportunity.
The country has announced an internationalisation process which means that teaching at university level is not only conducted in Portuguese, but also English, just as the Brazilian state is opening up to financial support to Brazilian students who are going abroad to study, she says.
Researchers aim at South America
CBS is also focusing on research and teaching within the area. - Several groups of researchers are looking for potential and challenges in the fast-growing economies and we are looking for academic staff with a specific focus on business opportunities in Brazil, says Dorte Salskov-Iversen.
- We need lecturers who specialise in the huge Brazilian economy; who understand the context of Brazil and who can give a crash course in the business-related institutional barriers you may encounter as a company, she says.