2000-2010: A decade of mobility
The last decade has definitely confirmed the IPB as one of the institutions which mostly promoted students’ mobility: more than 2500 students in mobility and more than 500 visiting teachers.
The IPB’s internationalization is nowadays a strategic goal of the institution and we are aware that this works as a positive differentiation factor among higher education institutions. As such the IPB aims at being recognized as one of the higher education institutions which more mobility opportunities offers to its students.
This internationalization project is increasing among the growth of the IPB’s partnership network with Portuguese-speaking countries, in the European and extra-European context. In 2009/2010, counting students flows to study, to be placed or for Intensive Programmes (all of them in the Life-Long Learning Programme - Erasmus) and as a result of protocols established with extra-European HEIs, the IPB has promoted an annual exchange of over 500 students and one hundred teachers. These mobility numbers place IPB on a high level in the current national and international scene, namely due the organization of the highest number of IPs in Portugal. Besides, the IPB is on the Top 100 of the European HEIs with the highest reception rates of teachers in Erasmus mobility. We have also emphasized our action in contributing to the development of higher education in Portuguese-speaking countries such as Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe, as well as contributing to the establishment of a cooperation network with Brazilian HEIs, which correspond to about 50 students in annual mobility.
The year 2010/2011 marks the kick-off of the IPB in an Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Window which is materialized through the incoming of 30 students at graduate and masters level from Colombia, Costa Rica and Panama. This year is also the year which marks the promotion of classes in English in order to enhance the quality of academic mobility. This allows the simultaneous attendance of local and international students, thus encouraging a real international academic environment. Furthermore, the IPB offers preparation language courses in English and Spanish for their outgoing students, as well as Portuguese language courses for incoming students.