GIMLA is looking for a highly motivated Research Assistant to strengthen and support its Institute in São Paulo. More information about the call and the application process can be found here.

Aiming at creating institutional synergies, GIMLA aligned its agenda with various important knowledge stakeholders on the topic of housing. UHPH, Habitat for Humanity, RIHVA, UNIAPRAVI and REDEUS are jointly organizing a housing laboratory (LAV) to take place in Mexico City scheduled for October 23-26, 2019. Students, researchers, practitioners, and policy makers will be interactively working on the topic of density and how densification could support more inclusive and sustainable neighbourhoods.

The government of Ecuador is undertaking concrete steps towards more sustainable development. The AEI (Alianza para el Emprendimiento e Innovación) with methodological support from UNCTAD has implemented and operationalized the national strategy for fostering entrepreneurialism and innovation in the country. GIZ, through its alliance with AEI, supports a remodeling of this strategy along the objectives stipulated in the Agenda 2030 (SDGs), the Paris Climate Change Accord, and the New Urban Agenda. GIMLA will be proposing practice-oriented thesis offers aligned to these current engagements in order to produce research of relevance that can directly support and influence ongoing policy implementation.

GIMLA is very pleased to announce a close collaboration with the Red Cross São Paulo. The vast mandate of this organization includes, but is not limited to, the active support of disadvantaged sectors of the youth population, refugees and migrants, disaster relief and environmental issues. The agreement is designed to pull institutional resources together to produce research relevant to the humanitarian sector and offer HSG students the opportunity to get acquainted with the relevant work of the organization on site.

After attending last year’s conference, GIMLA is going to present ongoing research findings at the Connected Smart Cities Platform, taking place in São Paulo on September 17-19, 2019. The event aims at generating a larger debate on smart, human, and sustainable cities by uniting researchers, industrial leaders, and governmental forerunners on smart cities ideas and projects.

GIMLA is pleased to welcome the new exchange semester students from the University of St.Gallen at their office. Similar to last semester, this moment is used to get to known each other, clarify certain questions linked to the stay in Brazil, present the work of the HSG institute and discuss ways GIMLA could support the activities of their students.

GIMLA welcomed Anaclaudia Rossbach, the Regional Adviser of Latin America and Caribbean of Cities Alliance and Tereza Herling, Former Secretary for Urban Development in São Paulo to present the challenges and current approaches to urban planning in the city. The brunch talk was attended by students and professors of the University of Edinburg and Heriot-Watt University during their field trip study within the MSc Urban Strategies and Design 18-19.

Are you interested in sustainability, concerned about the environment and the extreme weather events? Thinking how to better govern our world's most precious resource: water? Then join us this April from Monday 08 to Wednesday 10. Students will have the opportunity to dive into real-world problems and engage with stakeholders who have the potential to make positive change!

In order to foster South-South learning, GIMLA organizes a hands-on course on the challenge of incremental housing in Mozambique. Based on ongoing UN-Habitat work, students are asked to learn from current initiatives in the country and other parts of Sub-Saharan Africa and develop their own proposal for a business model or housing finance solution. UN-Habitat consultants, housing and finance experts are providing lectures and feedback in class and via skype. Results will be shared with UN-Habitat and the government of Mozambique and have the potential to change ongoing policy reforms. The course is taught as block seminar in St.Gallen from Thursday 11 to Saturday 13.

Marc Arnold, a bachelor student in business administration, is GIMLA's first visiting HSG student. For a month, Marc, will deepen is interest for and knowledge of Latin America by writing his thesis on the special and differential treatment of developing countries in the area of trade.

GIMLA organises an academic conference this April in Sao Paulo in order to discuss ongoing shifts in the politico-economical global landscape of powers that underlie many recent transformations and emerging conflicts. Several panels are being organised to cast a differentiated light on the opportunities and challenges for Latin America. The confirmed keynote speaker is Prof. Simon Evennett, professor of international trade and economic development at the University of St.Gallen. 

GIMLA would like to share an overview of its activities in 2018 that illustrates the multiple ways the motto and mandate was taken to heart, seeking to foster bilateral research cooperation “from insight to impact”. Published in the form of an end-of-the-year newsletter, the document illustratives a vivid year of activities including an array of small and big successes: the transfer and restructuring of our office to Avenida Paulista; the revitalization of the HSG Alumni Club – Brazil Chapter; the creation of a research network on Smart Cities; or the signature of cooperation agreements for the purposes of co-teaching at our partner universities. The document can be downloaded on our institutional welcome page.