Strengthening ties with Mexico through the Petrogas projects

Geology and the management of mineral and energetic resources in relation with their environment are the two themes at the heart of the partnership signed on 30 June 2016 in Merida (Yucatan, Mexico) by the School and Observatory of Earth Sciences (EOST) and five Mexican partner universities* involved in these fields. “Scientific, intellectual and cultural exchanges are a gateway to the world, in a spirit of respect for one another’s culture”, Francis Kern pointed out in his speech which took place at the Gran Museo del Mundo Maya. The Faculty Ciencias Geologicas of the Complutense University of Madrid is also part of the project, alongside the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Higher Education which is involved in the development of the Yucatan Science and Technology Park. This international agreement aims at training Mexican students from Bachelor’s to Doctorate level, developing the specialisation of teachers, conducting joint scientific and academic activities, submitting joint applications to calls for research projects or promoting student, professor and researcher exchange, all in the fields of Earth and environmental science. This agreement is a further step in the development of inter-university cooperation impelled by the French embassy, a process in which the University of Strasbourg has been involved since 2014. * Escuela superior de ingeniería de la Universidad autónoma de Coahuila, División académica de ciencias básicas de la Universidad Juárez autónoma de Tabasco, Instituto tecnológico de Ciudad Madero del tecnológico nacional de México, Instituto de geología de la Universidad nacional autónoma de México, Corporación mexicana de investigación en materiales