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Representatives from six CRUCH universities and the executive board participated in various aspects of this international meeting. The delegation also held a meeting with the Chilean ambassador to Canada, Alfonso Silva.
Knowledge diplomacy is based on the notion that the economy of the future is organized around knowledge and innovation. Specifically, knowledge diplomacy envisions all actors in higher education playing roles of exchange and collaboration, leveraging the strengths of each country.
In this regard, Robert Proulx, Rector of the University of Quebec in Montreal, emphasized that it is primarily about interactions between universities and about diplomacy serving the pursuit of knowledge. These notions represent a different kind of internationalization within the higher education system, moving beyond the confines of the market and competition to interact based on shared values among universities. This allows individuals to develop a broader and more complex education and to produce knowledge from a global and convergent perspective. It implies that universities and diplomacy, working together, are committed to serving society and addressing the global challenges we face today in terms of quality of life and security.
Knowledge diplomacy, from the perspective of knowledge generation, calls for the formulation of new epistemologies from diverse disciplines to address emerging problems such as energy and food security. Gilles Breton of the University of Ottawa highlighted how universities are developing this knowledge diplomacy based on their strategies and autonomy; however, it is necessary to amplify diverse voices.
With the participation of six universities from the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH) and the executive board, it was possible to take part in various aspects of this international event. First, in the Canada-Pacific Alliance Forum, a workshop on higher education in Chile was organized, featuring contributions from Martha Ramírez Valdivia of the University of La Frontera, María Teresa Marshall of CRUCH, and Brenda Wills of the Canadian Embassy in Santiago. Simultaneously, another group of universities participated in a series of sessions of the EMULIES network—University of Concepción, Metropolitan Technological University, University of Los Lagos, and Catholic University of Maule—a space that seeks to strengthen women's leadership in higher education. And thirdly, the universities of the Council of Rectors participated in an exchange workshop to promote their academic offerings and forge new collaborative relationships within this international context.
Finally, representatives of the Council of Rectors held a meeting with the Ambassador of Chile to Canada, Alfonso Silva, in order to share the contributions of this conference, the commitments between Chilean and Canadian universities and generate alternatives for its continuity.
This conference provided an opportunity to re-establish ties with university groups such as the CALDO Consortium and to move forward in defining a collaboration agreement with the Council of Rectors. It also allowed for an understanding of the opportunities offered by Canada's International Graduate Programs (ELAP) to support student and faculty mobility. In short, this broad international forum opens and strengthens opportunities for academic collaboration for CRUCH universities, both with Canadian universities and with other participating institutions.
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