The Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí (UASLP) has been honored as one of the best public universities in Mexico. It upholds high values and an important role for our higher education in the country. Our institution accumulates more than 390 years of history as the Escuela de Primeras Letras (School of First Letters) in 1624 and the Colegio Guadalupano Josefino in 1826. Later, in 1860, the Instituto Científico y Literario (Scientific and Literary Institute) marks the transition until it becomes our actual autonomous university in 1923, as the first self-governed university in the country.

The UASLP is considered the most relevant academic pole in North-Central Mexico. Today, the UASLP amounts to about 32,000 students and 3,400 academics who interact along the 100 Bachelor´s degree programs and 90 graduate programs offered. The institution’s educational offer includes eight campuses distributed throughout the main cities of state of San Luis Potosí.

Our academic staff has a strong commitment on research. As many as 521 researchers are acknowledged by the National Researchers System (SNI), ensuring the highest quality and current relevance of academic programs for disciplines as diverse as engineering, medical, economic, humanistic and natural science areas. A strong network of 23 libraries, information centers and comprehensive learning centers offer their resources on site and on line. The UASLP integral education model is additionally complemented with a strong sport, cultural and humanistic offer for students.

The Centers für Natural Resources and Development (CNRD) is a worldwide university network promoting academic exchange and cooperation in the area of natural resources management, in particular related to water, land, ecosystem and renewable energy resources in the context of the UN Sustainable Goals (SDGs). In teaching and research, CNRD pursues transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to natural resource management which is necessary for understanding and solving the most pressing problems of today.

CNRD aspires to create a worldwide network of postgraduate courses related to natural resources management and development with an interdisciplinary and intercultural orientation. To achieve this objective there are a variety of initiatives, starting with CNRD semester scholarships for Master’s students. The teaching capacities of the members of CNRD are strengthened through individual and didactic staff support and curriculum development workshops. The other CNRD activities in Education include joint development of teaching material and e-learning modules on the four main CNRD topics is supported by CNRD and lecturer exchange between all universities involved.

The CNRD network fosters interdisciplinary research addressing the challenges related to the SDGs. The CNRD-exceed partners engage in consortia to develop competitive research proposals. These proposals target most interesting national and international calls and aim at strengthening the research capacities as well as widening the research portfolio at the partner universities.

Along with education and research, the third pillar of activities within CNRD exceed is capacity development (CD). In addition to generating knowledge by conducting problem-oriented (applied) research, the key role of the universities is to enhance individual capacities, e.g., in post-graduate education. There is a global network of experts providing sound, science-based governance advice and transferring scientific knowledge into applicable management strategies, as well as, contributing to close the gap between academic education and the constantly changing demands experts and decision-makers face in their day-to-day business.

The primary goal of the Braunschweig Competence Centre and its international cooperation partners is to promote capacity building, knowledge transfer, and to develop core proposals for sustainable water management. The latter includes technologies for manifold use and reuse of water. For instance two thirds of fresh water worldwide is currently used in agriculture that literally drains away into the ground. Here, treated wastewater could be recycled and reused for further application, e.g. in agriculture. The water utilized in the industrial sector could also be recycled and reused.
Overall research fields include Sanitary Engineering, Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering, Water Quality, Waste Management, and Water Governance.

The global project network of exceed-Swindon consists of 29 full member institutions in 15 countries on 4 continents. Each of these institutions is represented by a renowned scientist who has his research focus on water problems. The network considers cooperation, education, and knowledge transfer within the water research and management area to be an indispensable condition for solving present and, in particular, further water-related problems. The mission, first of all, is to inspire and promote exceed-Swindon members in being an international community of academic and practice-oriented professionals, graduated students concerned with water, and a global source of knowledge.

The Food Security Center (FSC) at the University of Hohenheim, Germany, is part of the DAAD program EXCEED – Higher Education in Development Cooperation. Food Security is one of the strengths of the University of Hohenheim since its foundation in 1818.

The FSC’s mission is to provide innovative and effective scientific findings to reduce hunger and achieve food security, contributing towards the major goals of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs),in particular to zero hunger (SDG 2) and no poverty (SDG 1).

FSC promotes and ensures an excellent education and training of young international scientists.

Within its international networks in the field of food security, FSC utilizes a multi- and transdisciplinary approach through teaching, conducting research, and providing policy advice in coopera­tion with national and international development organizations and partner institutions.

FSC is partner of the BMZ special initiative „ONE WORLD – No Hunger“. The center provides accompanying research for this program.

 

The program “Higher Education Excellence in Development Cooperation” (Exceed) is composed of five higher education institutions in Germany (Technical University Braunschweig, University of Hohenheim, University of Kassel, Cologne University of Applied Sciences and Ludwig-Maximilians-University München) and their partners in developing countries. Exceed was established by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in 2009 and funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) since its inauguration.

The main objectives of the program are:

1. Bringing together research and training at higher education institutions in Germany and developing countries with a direct link to the post-2015 development agenda.
2. Deepening and expanding education and research on issues of relevance on the topic of development cooperation.
3. Establishing competence centers for development cooperation at higher education institutions that can serve as “beacons of excellence” by conducting research that are internationally attractive and competitive.
4. Strengthening North-South as well as South-South cooperation in higher education and research.
5. Expanding policy analysis and consultancy on issues of development cooperation in developing countries and Germany.

Each of the five Exceed centers concentrate on different topics relevant for the post-2015 development agenda. The centers in cooperation with their partners in developing countries have established Masters and Doctoral degrees, initiated joint research projects, exchanged researchers, published papers and carried out international conferences – thereby contributing to the post-2015 development agenda. Since the 2nd funding phase, the individual centers have started joint activities to further enhance the contribution of Exceed to development cooperation.

By clicking the respective links, you will find further information on the individual Exceed centers, their projects and their partners:

• Excellence Center for Development Cooperation – Sustainable Water Management, Technische Universität Braunschweig
• The Food Security Center (FSC), University of Hohenheim
• International Center for Development and Decent Work (ICDD), University of Kassel
• Center for Natural Resources and Development (CNRD), TH Köln – University of Applied Science
• CIH^LMU Center for International Health (LMU), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München