New cooperation agreement with Universidad de Matanzas (UM)

On 15 May 2023, Universidad de Matanzas (UM) in Cuba and HSWT signed a cooperation agreement supporting the introduction of the International Master in Agricultural Management (IMA) at the Department of Agriculture, Food, and Nutrition, based on the HSWT's study concept in Cuba. During the visit, further opportunities for cooperation were also explored, e.g. in the field of horticulture and fruit growing. The signing ceremony took place in the presence of Rector Dr Leyda Finalé de la Cruz, Vice-Rector Dr Yanlis Rodríguez and all UM faculty deans. On the same day, Prof. Dr Dominikus Kittemann and Dr Gabriel Dorta had the opportunity to present the entire range of courses offered by HSWT, the Horticulture and Food Technology (GL) department and the Master's programme.

The exchange between the two universities was intensified in the following days through discussions and presentations with colleagues from the departments of Agricultural Sciences and Economics, visits to the various laboratory facilities and several meetings with lecturers and students from the Department of Foreign Languages.

In addition, during the five-day stay, the hosts organised for Prof. Dr Kittemann and Dr Dorta to visit the following locations and university facilities: the university's botanical garden, the city of Matanzas with a guided tour by German students, an organic production farm in the region, the Indio Hatuey experimental station for pasture and animal feed and the nearby city of Varadero with its incredible beaches.

The trip was financed by funding from the Bavarian University Centre for Latin America (BAYLAT) as part of the Bavarian-Latin American Alliance for Applied Life Sciences project. The aim of the project is to establish long-term partnerships and cooperation with Latin American universities and research institutions in order to support the networking of university members in the Latin American region.

In the coming weeks, HSWT plans to determine the next steps for the introduction of the Master's degree programme via video conference, discuss further cooperation opportunities with the Horticulture and Food Technology (GL) department and continue the German-Spanish tandems with students from both universities that have been taking place for the past two weeks.

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