Planejamento Estratégico

The PPG's strategic planning is aligned with the university's Institutional Development Plan (IDP), which stands out with regard to institutional postgraduate teaching policies, which have been continually adapted to meet the demands of a constantly evolving academic and professional world, with the aim of guaranteeing academic excellence, fostering innovative research, and preparing students for the challenges of the global job market.

Alignment of short-, medium- and long-term goals in line with strategic planning

The PPG-PAE is drawing up a new 10-year strategic plan for the period from 2025 to 2035. Below are the points highlighted by the self-assessment that are included in the new plan:

A) Evaluating and Adapting Subject Content to the Current Student Profile
Goal: Carry out a more in-depth qualitative and quantitative analysis to understand the causes of the decline in interest in the content of each subject. Revise the curriculum to make the subjects more dynamic and aligned with the new needs of the students, without losing the essence of the training proposed by the program.
Action: Using an electronic form, which will be made available by the PPG secretariat, students will evaluate the subjects as soon as they are finished. The results will be presented to the PPG Board for discussion and identification of possible weaknesses, with a view to aligning the curriculum with changes in the student profile and market demands. Incorporate new teaching methodologies, such as problem-based learning (PBL) and digital technologies, to attract students with more diverse and up-to-date profiles.
Timeframe: 2025-2035

B) Strengthening Support for Participation in Scientific Events
Goal: To increase institutional support for participation in scientific events such as conferences, workshops and symposiums.
Action: Publicize and expand the institution's and funding agencies' support for participation in scientific events, ensuring that students and teachers have more opportunities to engage in events relevant to their area of research.
Timeframe: 2025-2035

C) Expanding Support and Mentoring in Research Activities
Goal: Expand and improve research support and mentoring practices, especially in the preparation of projects and the execution of dissertations and theses. Improve academic writing skills and increase the quality of the texts produced.
Action: Develop an academic mentoring program involving not only supervisors, but also former students or professionals in the field, to assist with practical issues and help develop innovative research. Organize annual scientific writing workshops focused on dissertations, theses and articles, with an emphasis on structure, clarity and scientific argumentation, as well as specific methodologies for international publications.
Deadline: 2025-2030

D) Fostering Integration between Students, Teachers and the Academic Community
Goal: Continue to strengthen the relationship between students and advisors, with a focus on developing collaborative projects and academic exchanges. Improve communication about the benefits and opportunities offered by the program, especially in the post-pandemic context. Maintain and promote a harmonious and collaborative working environment, prioritizing healthy interpersonal relationships between staff, students and teachers.
Action: Create regular events and seminars to facilitate interaction between students, teachers and external researchers. In addition, invest in interdisciplinary research groups. Establish more efficient communication channels, such as digital platforms, informative emails and regular meetings, to keep students and teachers up to date on new funding opportunities, events and resources. Create collaborative initiatives, such as study groups, mentoring between students and community activities within the program, to strengthen the bonds of solidarity and mutual aid.
Timeframe: 2025-2035

E) Strengthen Autonomy and Cooperation among Students with Multidisciplinary Work
Goal: Encourage cooperation between peers, with a view to creating working groups that integrate across disciplines and projects, with a focus on collaboration.
Action: Form teams of students with diverse academic backgrounds to develop joint projects.
Timeframe: 2025-2035

F) Implement Training Programs on Inclusion and Diversity
Goal: To provide ongoing training for staff, students and teachers on topics such as social inclusion, empathy and interpersonal communication. Promote a more inclusive and diverse environment, with actions that take into account the different profiles of students and employees.
Action: Organize workshops and training courses for all members of the program, raising awareness of the importance of inclusion, respect for diversity and the creation of a collaborative environment. Create and apply inclusion policies to ensure the participation of under-represented groups in the graduate program. This could include implementing affirmative action and supporting students with disabilities and from different social and cultural backgrounds.
Timeframe: 2025-2035

G) Investing in Teaching Infrastructure and Technologies
Goal: Improve the graduate program's infrastructure to support the new needs of hybrid teaching and research development.
Action: Ensure that the program has access to up-to-date laboratories and technological resources to carry out cutting-edge research. In addition, invest in online learning platforms to complement face-to-face classes.
Timeframe: 2025-2030

H) Monitoring the Organizational Climate
Goal: To regularly monitor the postgraduate program's organizational climate to ensure that the atmosphere of collaboration and harmony is maintained.
Action: Conduct biannual or annual organizational climate surveys to identify possible tensions or emerging problems in the academic environment and propose proactive solutions.
Timeframe: 2025-2028

I) Increasing the Technical-Scientific-Social Impact of Scientific Productions
Goal: Promote scientific production with significant technical-scientific-social impact.
Action: Create an incentive program for students to develop research with a direct focus on solutions to social, environmental and public health problems. Social impact should be a criterion for assessing the quality of dissertations and theses.
Deadline: Start in 2025, with six-monthly monitoring

J) Intensifying Partnerships with Institutions of Social Relevance
Goal: To strengthen collaboration between academia and institutions that work directly with society.
Action: Formalize partnerships with NGOs, government bodies and social enterprises, allowing students to carry out applied research internships, with a focus on knowledge transfer and direct social impact.
Deadline: Start in 2025, with annual partnerships formalized

K) Stimulating the Development of Scientific and Technological Innovations
Goal: To increase the number of patents resulting from research in the PPG-PAE and facilitate the transformation of scientific innovations into products or services applicable to the market. Monitor the impact of innovations generated within the program, including patents, environmental recovery projects and new approaches to veterinary health.
Action: Create an innovation incentive program to support and guide students and teachers in the generation of new patents and technologies and establish partnerships with start-up incubators and technology companies so that students and teachers can collaborate in the development of applied research projects with commercialization potential. Create a system of innovation indicators, monitoring the number of patents, the application of innovative solutions and the social and environmental impact of the projects developed in the program.
Deadline: 2025, with annual monitoring reports

L) Fostering Interdisciplinary Research with a Focus on Unique Health and Sustainability
Goal: Encourage collaboration between different areas of knowledge to develop innovative solutions that address issues of veterinary health, sustainability and the environment. Increase the number of projects focused on the sustainable management of fauna and flora, with an emphasis on environmental recovery and the responsible use of natural resources.
Action: Create multidisciplinary research groups involving professionals from various fields (such as Veterinary Medicine, Biomedicine, Environmental Sciences and Engineering), with the aim of developing projects focused on unique health, sustainability and environmental recovery.
Deadline: Start in 2025, with annual project grants

In addition to the issues raised by the self-assessment, some actions could be taken to mitigate the weaknesses and threats indicated by the application of the SWOT Matrix:

Internationalization: Expanding strategic partnerships with international universities and institutions to increase the mobility of students and teachers, as well as seeking out programs to promote academic mobility and international cooperation agreements. Promote international events and academic conferences to strengthen international presence and attract new opportunities.

Low availability of scholarships / fees for master's students: Look for new sources of funding, such as partnerships with companies (expand the partnership with Toyota) and funding agencies (send projects to CNPq and Capes) to increase the supply of scholarships. Increase the number of institutional grants and seek support from international funds for higher education.

Low number of professors with research grants: Encourage professors to seek out research funding notices and create collaborative research groups to increase competitiveness in grant applications.

Restricted funding for publications: Seek partnerships with publishers and companies to fund scientific publications; - Encourage the use of open access journals that have reduced costs or are funded by development agencies.

Strengthening partnerships with other institutions: To consolidate the Minter and Dinter programs.

Low visibility of the activities carried out by students and teachers: Invest in communication and marketing strategies to publicize academic activities, such as publications on social media, institutional websites and partnerships with the media; - Organize events and seminars open to the public, increasing the visibility of the work carried out by students and teachers.

Few grants from private companies: Seek closer ties with the private sector, creating agreements and strategic partnerships to attract more grants; - Develop research projects applied to the private sector, which demonstrate the practical impact of academic activities and encourage business funding.

In summary, PPG-PAE has great potential for growth, but needs to strengthen areas such as funding, visibility and internationalization, taking advantage of external opportunities while working to overcome internal weaknesses. These are key points for drawing up the next plan.