The OVERALL AIM of the INNOVA project is to improve the research management of Higher Education Institutions in Bolivia and Paraguay, with a specific focus on Climate Change.This goal will be achieved by implementing the following SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:- Firstly, development and consolidation of Research & Innovation policies in Bolivia and Paraguay, with a specific focus in Climate Change, in order to meet international standards. - Secondly, setting-up of an innovative Forward-Looking Platform to orientate coordinated and sustainable policymaking in the field of research management in Bolivia and Paraguay, drawing upon foresight methods.INNOVA will contribute to tackle the manifest HEIs underperformance on Research and Innovation in Bolivia and Paraguay. The current situation calls urgently for effective formulation of legal and policy frameworks to articulate R&D actions at HE systemic level, which INNOVA will foster through fruitful interplay between HEIs, private sector and policymakers to move forward on S,T&I. In order to generate systematic impact, INNOVA will leverage the involvement in the Consortium of the Ministries responsible for HE from both countries together with a balances combination of public and private HEIs in the region, accompanied by two experienced EU partners.

Internationalization is a common objective of LA HEIs. Two of the most common strategies for the internationalization of postgraduate education are:1) International academic association for the development of joint programmes;2) International postgraduate mobility with academic recognition.Shortage of agreed indicators that allow the characterization and measurement in a comparable way of the principal variables involved in the mentioned two strategies has certainly contributed to hinder their implementation. Particularly important is the lack of a broad consensus on two essential components of postgraduate education that are worldwide recognized:a) Student centered learning (SCL), mainly in relation to three elements that are useful in the operationalization of said SCL: learning outcomes, competences and credits;b) Quality assurance.In this context, this project aims at creating, developing and sustaining a Latin American network of Ministries of Education and Universities, both public and private ones, in order to contribute to the internationalization of postgraduate education, by means of the consensus on standards related to substantial variables linked to student-centered learning (learning outcomes, competences and credits) and quality assurance. Consensus not only to be applied in the postgraduate programmes provided by the universities that take part in the project but to be also used as a common platform, which will be continuously updated, for all those countries and universities who wish to internationalize their postgraduate programs. Such space will be constantly open to the incorporation of Ministries of Education and Universities from other LA countries who wish to contribute to the accomplishment of the objectives of the network.The expected impact of the project is to favor the deployment of the two main strategies that have the HEIs for the internationalization of postgraduates: joint programmes and mobility with academic recognition.