News 2022 Archive

What a year! We are absolutely glad to end this cycle with so many achievements, great partners, dedicated students, and a very committed team. This time we want to share an inspiring message from the "Prophet of Kindness" (José Datrino, artist, poet, and preacher from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). He dedicated his life to preaching peace, kindness, freedom, and respect toward nature, painting his words in street murals that are now protected as part of the city's cultural heritage. Along those lines, for this brand new year, we wish that you find kindness and act kindly, inspire others, and live at peace with yourself and the world around you. We can't wait for everything we'll experience together in 2023.

See you next year!

This initiative by the "Escola Suíço-Brasileira de São Paulo" is a very traditional event. The Bazar was created by a group of Swiss parents when the school opened. Initially, it was a Christmas Fair with many art-crafted products and pastries, keeping the Swiss traditions of Christmas alive. It soon grew to encompass many other German-speaking organizations from São Paulo. Over the years, this bazar became a much bigger celebration bringing together more than 2.500 people, and counting with over 100 exhibitors and sponsoring companies like Victorinox and Curaprox. The Bazar's revenues benefit the school's community and support its philanthropic projects. We are very proud that our Institute has become part of the Bazar's sponsoring community. This year's Bazar theme was "Bringing the world into the School", which keeps alive Swiss traditions while promoting exchanges, friendship, and understanding amongst cultures.

In order to celebrate the activities of the year and as a thank you to the entire team, the institute gathered for a lunch in São Paulo. We are looking forward to further pushing the borders of our institute, which operations already span Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, and Ecuador.

As technical lead of an international consortium, our project manager presented the progress of the multi-country scouting exercise on housing microfinance institutions in Africa. The project requires the coordination of more than 10 research assistants to carry out a desktop analysis in combination with targeted outreach in the form of surveys and interviews. Final results will be delivered in the first half of 2023.

As a direct consequence of the publication of the special issue on the role of real estate developers in urban development, the director and the project manager of the institute have been approached by researchersatf Wayne State University to reflect on new research projects that explore real estate developers in the city of Detroit.

As a result of strong growth in 2022, our institute reached 500 followers today. Within this year our followers almost doubled, increasing from 300 in April to 400 in September to ultimately reach the milestone in December. We look forward to continuing to expand our network and social media impact.

The course registration window at our partner university is open from 6-8 December and our 20+ term students register for their courses of preference, considering the system is based on a first-come, first served basis. Contrary to normal exchanges, term students already know how courses will get recognized once they completed them. The accredited course list has been considerably expanded and features more than 30 courses.

HSG Master students organized an exhibition on community-based socio-environmental entrepreneurship in the Amazon. The exhibition took place at the Square and was based on their own experiences visiting three different indigenous and riverine communities living inside a sustainable development reserve. The course and expedition to the Amazon have been possible due to the support of the Movetia – Austausch und Mobilitätprogram of the Swiss Government and a partnership with the (Brazilian) Institute of Ecological Research (IPÊ - Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas). Many thanks to all the students involved!

Our institute organized a social gathering for HSG students interested in Brazil and Latin America who were invited to learn more about the engagements of the university in the region, including the Latam Term, a structured bachelor exchange experience. The brow bag offered the right atmosphere to meet like-minded students, and former exchange students, and brainstorm about possible future activities and projects.

Our institute co-organized together with the CLS (Centro Latinoamericano-Suizo de la Universidad de San Gallen) a surprise event in connection to the farewell lecture of Professor Yvette Sanchez. The event"Transcultural Choreographies" celebrated the academic life of Yvette with the participation of colleagues, collaborators and friends. In the line with her own work, the event was an interesting combination of academic and artistic interventions. During the event, the book "Transcultural Choreographies" was presented, a collection of articles that pays tribute to Professor Sanchez's academic life dedicated to interdisciplinary research.

The Brazilian Amazon has received a lot of media attention over the last few years. The constant dismantling of its protection while in parallel deforestation was encouraged by the (now former) Brazilian president has created an international outcry as the largest forest and lungs of the Earth were on fire. As always, the story is more complex and very few people (even Brazilians) have the opportunity to connect insights from the heated discourses to on-ground reality.

The contextual studies course “Negotiating the Amazon - Nature, Constructed Environments, Trade, and Population Movements in the Green Heart of Latin America” takes HSG master students out of the classroom into the Amazon rainforest to get immersed into Amazonian affairs. This Latam compact course is a rather unique learning experience, made possible by years of continuous engagement and trust-building. Our students are currently meeting environmentalists and local Amazonian producers to study forms of socio environmental entrepreneurship which can generate alternative and sustainable sources of income for its most vulnerable populations, including riverine and indigenous communities.

"The Latam Term goes beyond what you could expect. It is a great way to face new challenges and learn more about yourself." - Statement of a former Term Student. At the International Day 22, the institute was available at a dedicated information stand and gave an overview lecure that covered all aspects interested students need to know about the Latam Term. The highlight included a FGV student-organized welcome coffee at our stand that culminated in spontaneous samba lessons. A glimpse of the Brazilian culture and welcoming nature!

The director and project manager were invited to write a section introduction for the forthcoming third volume of The Global Encyclopaedia of Informality, edited by Prof. Alena Ledeneva and to be published by UCL Press. Informality is an important academic lens to understand development dynamics in the Global South that is increasingly applied to other geographies to unearth new insights.

The office manager attend the event: “Carbon Market and the role of the private sector” organized by the SWISSCAM in partnership with the General Consulate of Switzerland in São Paulo. The presentation included insights into the role of carbon to make production in the country more productive, the contribution of the agricultural sector in decorbanization, and how the carbon market can be regulated. Among the attendance were the Environment Minister, Joaquim Leite, and the Ambassador of Switzerland in Brazil, Pietro Lazzeri.

The International Day is a yearly event organized by the Mobility Office of the University of St.Gallen. It is the best opportunity to learn about the broad network of partner universities and forms of exchanges offered to HSG students. The event combines an exhibition and condensed presentations and is aimed at students interested in a semester or internship abroad to learn more about the possibilities, the country, and its universities. We invite all assessment year and bachelor students who are curious about the HSG Latam Term to visit us at our stand (at the Square) or attend the presentation on September 28, at 18h15 (room 01-013).

The Institute seeks one bachelor's and one HSG master's student to write their theses on the localization of Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Sustainable communities) in host communities faced with the impact of a high influx of migration. The research project, in collaboration with researchers from USP (Brazil), EAFIT (Colombia), and other civil society organizations especially focuses on the influx of Venezuelan migration into Brazil and Colombia.

The institute led an international consultancy to write the metropolitan area report for the Pan-American region. The on-time delivery of the final results was presented and discussed during a meeting. The institute is thankful to Joselyne Ramírez, Anacláudia Rossbach, Hernández y Héctor Becerril, Carolina Heldt D’Almeida and Leonardo Neff. The full report [in Spanish] can be downloaded via the following website.

A co-written book chapter with Jota Samper and Monika Kuffer, two global experts on slum mapping has been accepted for the edited book “Urban Inequalities from Space” to be published at Springer. In this chapter, we unite different city-based slum maps to provide a differentiated calculation of their location and density.

A paper was presented at the Development Studies Association (DSA) online conference 2022 organized by the University College London on the topic “Just sustainable futures in an urbanizing and mobile world.” The research associate Lukas Jähn presented ongoing research on the relation between informality concepts and policy recommendations in Latin America. We received valuable feedback at the panel “Informality, Decent Work and Urban Development: Discussing Informal Economies and Cities across the Globe” convened by Satyam Mishra (Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, University of Delhi) and Anjan Sen (University of Delhi)

The Centre for Affordable Housing Finance (CAHF) is a global leader in data collection and analysis of affordable housing. The institute is delighted that Anthony Boanada-Fuchs has been awarded - with an international consortium of experts - the consultancy to provide quantitative insights on the scale of micro-finance in housing. Non-mortgaged housing finance is fundamental for the urban poor but still, very little concrete information is available on this matter. The research project will last 6 months.

The director and the office manager of the institute published an article in the Geoforum journal on the role(s) of real estate developers in urban development. Despite their centrality in formal and informal decision-making, very little is still known about these actors. The special issue is the culminating point of a long process spanning several conference panels over the last few years. The introduction can be accessed online via the journal website or requested per email from the authors.

With the loosening of the lockdown restrictions in Sao Paulo, it was possible to give our second contingent of Latam Term students a proper send-off. A cocktail event was organized by our office manager during which our term students could share their views on the term experience but also exchange with the FGV students who have been selected for the HSG connection, the pendant to the Latam Term to be taking place between September and January at the University of St.Gallen.

For the second consecutive time, the HSG Latam Capstone project was carried out with Atlas Schindler, one of the global leaders in elevation technologies and a strong presence in Brazil. This year, four groups elaborated proposals on how to break down institutional silos.

A staggering 15 theses were submitted, four on master – and 11 on bachelor level. Several assignments were co-developed with institutional partners, some connected to ongoing consultancies and all informed by ongoing research of the institute.

With great pleasure, the institute welcomes Leandro Neff as a new research associate. Leandro is a double degree student of the University of St.Gallen and Universidad de los Andes who wrote a remarkable thesis under the supervision of our project manager and in collaboration with the UHPH. In "Sustainable Urbanization and Organizational Learning – Best Practice Analyses in Latin America and the Caribbean with Focus on Colombia" the best practice database of the knowledge platform is coded and analyzed to provide in-depth insights on almost 300 initiatives in the region. At the institute, Leandro will continue this line of investigation and support our outreach activities in Colombia and the region.

In the last week of April, participants of the Executive MBA HSG in Business Engineering (Uni St.Gallen) had an intensive week of works in São Paulo organized by the St.Gallen Institute of Management in Latin America. Lectures covering key topics such as introduction to doing business in Brazil, geopolitics, and the future of work took place at our partner university Fundação Getulio Vargas with the participation of profs. Julia von Maltzan Pacheco (FGV EAESP - Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo da Fundação Getulio Vargas), Vanessa Boanada Fuchs (SEPS Universität St.Gallen (HSG), Oliver Stuenkel (RI FGV), and Paul FERREIRA (EAESP Executive MBA).
The lectures were followed by several meetings with key governmental agencies and business partners representing traditional and emerging sectors of the Brazilian economy. Fundação Getulio Vargas is the number one think tank in Latin America and the place where science meets business and public policy. Training executives in such an environment is a prime example of how we put our university’s motto into practice – from insight to impact.

The HSG mobility organized for the first time a major information event in the Spring semester. The Study Abroad fair was targeted at all interested students at the HSG to learn all about the exchange possibilities. The Latam Term was well anchored into the program and we look forward seeing the general interest in the program rising. 

The institute part-took in an info session targeted at all bachelor students at FGV schools of Business Management, Public Administration, Law, or Economy, who are interested in spending one semester abroad at the University of St.Gallen. The session was organized by Profs. Malyina Leal and Julia von Maltzan Pacheco and took place at the FGV EAESP.

The Latam Compact Chile brought nine HSG students to Santiago de Chile to learn more about its initiatives in line of smart cities and urban innovation. During the 3-day intense learning experience we received various inputs and visited several projects. We are particularly grateful to in-depth insights by the Centro de Innovacion and Start-up Chile.

The institute moderated the kick-off webinar for the upcoming N-AERUS conference. Sarah Charlton (CUBES University of the Witwatersrand), Jaime Royo Olid ( EU delegate to Kenya), and Evandro Holz (UN-Habitat Consultant) presented different case studies on the role(s) of the state in affordable housing.

The project manager Anthony Boanada-Fuchs has been invited by the RE-DWELL network to become part of the scientific committee. The first conference “Housing co-creation for tomorrow’s cities” is taking place in Grenoble, from 8 to 10 December 2022.

As part of an international consortium spanning from Mexico, and Brazil to Argentina, the institute obtained a consultancy from Metropolis to research and write the report on metropolitan areas in the Pan-American region. The work will entail the collection, update, and analysis of metropolitan indicators that allow in-depth insights into the ongoing dynamics of metropolitan areas.

With a start during the global pandemic, the aim of the first Latam Terms was to secure spots at our partner university for up to 15 students. The interest in the term 2023 was so high, that FGV agreed to increase the available seats up to 25. This success owes to a concerted effort of the institute, mobility, and accreditation of the University of St.Gallen, but also to the first Latam term students who allowed prospective applicants to gain hands-on insight on the perks of living and learning in Brazil.

Our institute warmly welcomes Igor Mariano as our new office manager. Igor has studied Tourism and Hospitality at the Universidade Paulista in São Paulo and is currently pursuing an MBA in Marketing, Creativity, and Innovation. He has 10 years of experience working with people & office management, business strategies, events, and customer solutions. Igor has worked in great international companies and brands in different positions such as executive concierge, operations and sales manager, and front office supervisor onboard cruise ships in the USA, Bahamas, and the Dominican Republic.

New academic year, new places to experience, and more brilliant and innovative people to connect and collaborate with. Hello Medellín, the Universität St.Gallen (HSG) is establishing a local representative office in town! If you are Alumni or former exchange student living in Colombia, reach out to us and become part of this new chapter of our Institute! We will keep you informed of all upcoming activities as we strengthen our ties with the Latin American region.

For the first deadline in 2022, four theses were submitted, three on master's and one on bachelor level. The topics ranged from the potential of blockchain technology to combat illegal logging in the Amazon rainforest to transnational learning in urban development and the role of best practices. We congratulate the students for their hard work and for reaching another milestone in their studies.

For the first deadline in 2022, four theses were submitted, three on master's and one on bachelor level. The topics ranged from the potential of blockchain technology to combat illegal logging in the Amazon rainforest to transnational learning in urban development and the role of best practices. We congratulate the students for their hard work and for reaching another milestone in their studies.

The institute is recruiting a new office manager. Our ideal candidate believes in the transformative potential of education, is enthusiastic about the role of science in society, and enjoys playing a key supporting role for academic partners. The Office Manager will work from our office in São Paulo, Brazil, and support our Latin American team. Responsibilities include maintenance of office operations, management of schedules, payments, interface with service providers, preparation of reports, and organization of meetings and events. The position also entails contact with and travel to other Latin American countries and Switzerland. Given the nature of the assignments, we particularly encourage Latinxs living in Brazil to apply. More information can be found on the call site.

In Spring 2022, two Latam Compacts are organized to offer HSG students to gain an immersive experience in Latin American affairs. The course "3xC - Coca, Cacao and Coffee in Colombia's Projects for Sustainability and Peace" takes place between April 5-7, 2022 in Colombia while the "Smart Cities and Urban Innovation" course brings you to Santiago de Chile between April 10-12, 2022. Each Compact is worth 3 ECTS and offers a 3-day immersive programme and follows a special application procedure. Students currently doing an exchange semester in Latin America are especially encouraged to apply and are granted special permission to acquire the ECTS for this course upon successful completion.

Our office is expanding to Medellin. After successfully incorporating the St.Gallen Institute of Management in Latin America in Sao Paulo, setting up the Latam Term with our institutional partner FGV-EAESP, and strengthening networks in Brazil, GIMLA expands to Colombia to encourage exchanges and collaborations between the country and the University and St.Gallen. Stay tuned for our updates.