Brazil’s transition to donor partner in higher education and science: a distinctive South-South Cooperation rationale?

Global higher education is becoming an increasingly ‘multiplex’ space, powered by the entrance of new influential national actors, regional blocs and transnational alliances (Acharya 2017; Marginson 2024; Moscovitz & Sabzalieva 2023). One major new actor in this space is Brazil, a country that has moved from being a ‘recipient’ of aid funds for higher education (through the World Bank, Ford Foundation and various bilateral donor agencies), to being a regional powerhouse with increasing influence on higher education and scientific research beyond Latin America. This presentation will examine Brazil’s role as a donor within the framework of South-South Cooperation, focusing on its public initiatives aimed at strengthening educational and scientific capacities internationally. These initiatives include Brazil’s (1) Student-Agreement Program (PEC-G and PEC-PG) of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE); (2) The Federal University for Latin American Integration (UNILA); (3) The University for International Integration of the Afro-Brazilian Lusophony (UNILAB); (4) Educational work of the Mercosul regional bloc; (5) Academic Cooperation in BRICS Countries; (6) Cooperation with PALOP (Association of African Portuguese-speaking countries) and CPLP (community of Portuguese speaking countries); and (7) the Emergency Academic Solidarity Program (PESA) for refugees.

In evaluating Brazil’s diverse programmes and partnerships, this presentation will consider the nature of Brazil’s international engagement in its contrast to other former aid recipients-cum-donors. At the system level, its constitutional autonomy in higher education and flagship collaborations with Global South partners play a pivotal role in redressing the historical outflow of students to Europe and North America. More broadly, the distinctive solidarity approach taken by Brazil, framed as promoting equitable knowledge exchange and development across the Global South, poses a challenge to marketized practices of internationalisation and to the soft power and knowledge diplomacy orientations associated with traditional Northern donor countries. This exploration of Brazil’s donor programmes in higher education provides insight into how these efforts align with Brazil’s broader goals of enhancing scientific and educational integration within the Global South, forging a distinct approach in the increasingly multiplex global higher education arena.