The Faculty of Education at Unicamp (FE-Unicamp) has, in recent years, consolidated a policy of encouraging the international mobility of technical and administrative staff, understanding internationalization as an institutional dimension that involves all segments of the university.
In conjunction with the calls for proposals from the Executive Directorate of International Relations (DERI), and with the support of private initiatives, FE has been encouraging different technical areas to participate in training exchanges abroad, expanding repertoires, improving processes, and strengthening cooperation networks.
Between 2019 and 2025, eleven FE staff members participated in programs abroad, gaining experience in areas such as outreach, library services, postgraduate studies, technical coordination, and scientific research/dissemination. These experiences resulted in valuable lessons applicable to administrative and academic routines, and also fostered knowledge exchange and the strengthening of inter-institutional partnerships.
Training and practice
The international mobility promoted by DERI is guided by a clear principle: sending employees abroad for training, with the objectives of observing best practices and improving procedures. At FE, this guideline translates into a concrete policy of valuing the technical-administrative staff: professional qualification is also built through contact with other organizational cultures and management models.
"This type of mobility is essential to broaden repertoires, strengthen institutional networks, and improve the performance of technical and administrative staff."
(Tassiane Bragagnolo Pedron)
Management and agreements
The experience of Tassiane Bragagnolo Pedron, from the Unit's Technical Coordination, exemplifies how mobility can function as a comparative management laboratory. In October 2022, she conducted technical visits to four Portuguese institutions: the Higher School of Education of the Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra (ESEC/IPC), the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the University of Coimbra (FPCE/UC), the Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal (IPS), and the Institute of Education of the University of Minho (IE/UMinho).
Pedron emphasizes that experiencing multiple realities in a single exchange allowed for the comparison of administrative flows, decision-making bodies, and institutional cultures, while simultaneously reinforcing the quality of practices already established at Unicamp—especially at FE, recognized for a work model characterized by dialogue and collective construction, without compromising technical rigor.
"The Professional Support Staff for Teaching, Research and Extension (PAEPE) are fundamental agents in building partnerships, enabling agreements, and welcoming foreign students, teachers, and researchers."
(Tassiane Bragagnolo Pedron)
IT and infrastructure
In the Technology area, Douglas Roberto Alves Barros, an employee of the FE's Information and Communication Technology Department, participated in a mobility program at the University of Coimbra in 2025. Barros reports that the experience was valuable for identifying areas for improvement and implementing new practices at FE, particularly regarding complementary IT monitoring tools such as Nagios and Grafana, aimed at tracking and visualizing data in real time.
He also points to lessons learned related to physical infrastructure, especially the use of uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) as a strategy to reduce the impact of power outages and increase the resilience of services.
"The mobility experience provided me with valuable professional opportunities, allowing me to identify processes to improve and implement at TICFE."
(Douglas Barros)
Libraries and collection development
At the Faculty of Education Library, mobility has also proven to be a formative tool with its own specific characteristics. Documentalist Ubirajara Alencar Rodrigues, a Unicamp employee since 2003, participated in an exchange program at the University of Coimbra, focusing on Collection Development.
Rodrigues acknowledges the richness and diversity of the collection held by the Faculty of Letters Library (FLUC), as well as the care taken in its preservation. At the same time, he draws attention to structural limitations, such as the reduced number of staff and the dispersion of collections across departments, which can hinder access for external researchers. In this case, the experience broadened his critical and comparative perspective and reinforced virtues already present in the FE Library, such as professional autonomy and institutional trust in the work carried out.
"It's necessary to break through this 'bubble' to realize that there are institutions that are better and worse than ours — and, in doing so, to value virtues and see shortcomings."
(Ubirajara Alencar Rodrigues)
Lessons learned that go back to FE
Beyond the individual impact, international mobility contributes to concrete institutional gains by expanding the capacity to serve foreign audiences, improving processes, and strengthening dialogue with partner institutions.
By encouraging new applications to DERI's calls for proposals, FE-Unicamp reaffirms that investing in the supplementary training of the technical-administrative staff is investing in the quality of the university's public service — more competent, more connected, and better prepared for an increasingly international academic environment.
"In my view, this initiative only brings professional and personal benefits to the entire team."
(Douglas Barros)
Service
What is it: International Mobility Program for Technical-Administrative Staff of the Executive Directorate of International Relations (DERI/Unicamp), with periodic calls for training in foreign institutions.
Who can participate: Technical and administrative staff of Unicamp (according to the requirements of each call for applications).
How to follow: Follow the calls for proposals and announcements published by DERI/Unicamp.
