INTEC strengthens scientific cooperation with French institutions within the framework of the ResAgroSargazo project.
FRANCE. El Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC) established strategic alliances, in the field of research and academic training, with higher education institutions in France within the framework of the project ResAgroSargasso, “Franco-Dominican Cooperation on Sargassum and Agricultural Waste Management,” funded by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and implemented by its embassy in the Dominican Republic.
Following a visit made during the month of April, the INTEC delegation headed by the rector of INTEC, Julio Sánchez Maríñez, together with the research professor, Ulises Jauregui, and accompanied by Brigitte Veyne, advisor for cooperation and cultural action of the French Embassy in the Dominican Republic, followed up on the collaboration agreement already in place between INTEC and the National Institute of Applied Sciences of Rouen (INSA Rouen), one of the leading institutions in applied engineering in Europe.
At INSA Rouen, representatives of INTEC were received by the president of the institute, Moura Boukhalfa, and by Gilles Gasso, Director of Research, as well as other academic authorities. Also participating were teacher Isabelle Polaert, who represents INSA in the project ResAgroSargasso.
As a result of the meeting, it was agreed to work on the design and implementation of joint 2+3 training programs in engineering, the development of collaborative research projects, and the creation of joint doctoral programs. Likewise, ongoing activities within the framework of the Erasmus Plus program, which include faculty and student exchanges, were reviewed.
During the day, participants visited CORIA's laboratories and the Process Engineering and Industrial Safety Laboratory, led by Dr. Alain Ledoux, where opportunities for collaboration were explored on topics related to the circular economy, sustainability, and waste management, such as sargassum and agricultural waste.
One of the most significant moments of the visit was the meeting with Dominican students currently enrolled in doctoral programs at INSA Rouen, receiving scholarships through the program. CALIOPE of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology of the Dominican Republic (MESCyT).
The agenda continued in the European Centre for Biotechnology and Bioeconomy (CEBB), located in the Champagne-Ardenne region, where they were welcomed by Rafik Balti, president of the center, and Dr. Yusmel Gonzalez-Hernandez, with whom new possibilities for cooperation in research projects and doctoral programs were discussed in co-tutoring. The visit included a tour of the area Pomacle Biorefinery, the largest in France, a key innovation ecosystem in the European agrobioeconomy.
The delegation also held institutional meetings with Marie-Pierre Macian, in charge of Latin America and the Caribbean at the Ministry of Higher Education and Research in France, and with representatives of the Embassy of the Dominican Republic in France, headed by the ambassador David puig, as well as with members of the Permanent Delegation of UNESCO, With the presence of Larissa Veloz, Dominican ambassador to this international organization.
This visit consolidates INTEC's commitment to fostering international cooperation, promoting applied research and innovation, and advancing sustainable solutions from a blue and circular economy perspective for the benefit of Dominican society and the Caribbean region.