A UK university has joined forces with partner institutions in Germany, Slovenia and Spain on a research project designed to help Latin American universities contribute more effectively to economic growth.

The Latin American University Research and Doctoral Support (LAURDS) initiative is a three-year, ?630,000 project funded by the European Commission through Erasmus+, which supports schemes for developing educational infrastructure and capacity building within universities.

Glasgow Caledonian University, the project leader, is involved in eight other projects funded through Erasmus+ (more than any other British university), including another in Latin America exploring the benefits of social innovation.

LAURDS aims to develop universities¡¯ links with industry and wider society through improving research capacity and doctoral expertise. Central to this process will be a training toolkit for PhD supervisors and a support network for PhD students.

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The European partners are the Hochschule f¨¹r Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin (Germany), the University of Primorska (Slovenia) and the University of Zaragoza (Spain). They will initially be working with four institutions on the ground: the Fundaci¨®n Universitaria Panamericana and the University of Ibagu¨¦ in Colombia, and the Universidad Cat¨®lica Santa Mar¨ªa La Antigua and the University of Louisville in Panama.

David Edgar, professor of strategy and business transformation at GCU¡¯s Glasgow School for Business and Society, who is leading the project for the Scottish institution, said that research infrastructure was "vital for universities if they are to make a meaningful contribution to economies and to society¡±.

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¡°Latin America has experienced strong economic growth in recent years and this project will enable its universities to play a greater role, sharing knowledge, encouraging innovation and developing commercial activities," he said.

This and related projects, added Mark Anderson, director of GCU¡¯s Europe office, ¡°align perfectly with the university¡¯s vision to have a global reputation for delivering social benefit and impact through education, research and social innovation and relate directly to our strategic goals¡±.

Funding for LAURDS only came through in January, but the plan is now to create a doctoral network with web support and occasional face-to-face workshops, as well as two conferences and two books.

As the network and materials are developed, it is envisaged that they will become self-sustaining and that tools trialled in Colombia and Panama can be rolled out across Spanish-speaking Latin America.

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matthew.reisz@tesglobal.com