Who we are | University of St.Gallen

Following its internationalization strategy, the University of St.Gallen has an established presence in the Latin American region since 2011. Over the years, the university has steadily increased the activities of its representation there. In 2018, the University takes a step further and inaugurates the St. Gallen Institute of Management in Latin America (GIMLA) at the heart of Avenida Paulista, in São Paulo, Brazil.

The Institute is mandated to foster and strengthen academic partnerships via bilateral and multilateral teaching agreements, research projects, and it also contributes to the formation of high quality professionals via executive education. Committed to produce real social impact, the Institute works in close relationship with local university partners, the HSG Alumni community and the praxis.

São Paulo, the heart of the Brazilian economy

A strong academic presence

São Paulo hosts some of the region, and the country’s best universities. Among them, the University of Sao Paulo (USP), the Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV) and INSPER have been long-standing partners of the University of St. Gallen.

The research environment is flourishing, as the state of São Paulo spends 86% of the national total in research and development. This activity not only attracts students from universities worldwide, but also faculty interested in teaching and researching. Our Institute hosts St.Gallen students and researchers, bridging connections with local partners, allowing them to get better acquainted with a variety of subjects from a Brazilian and a Latin American perspective.

A dynamic business environment

São Paulo has been attracting many firms, such as Airbnb, Google and Uber, that have set up their regional offices in the city. More than 900 subsidiaries of German firms and 300 Swiss firms have set up local offices here, consolidating the relationship between the two continents.

São Paulo is also an attractive start-up epicenter in Latin America, and among the biggest in the world. The synergies created between the business world and academia lead to state-of-the-art research in the so-called Brazilian Silicon Valley in the neighboring municipality of Campinas.