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The agency currently funds studies for more than 100 graduate students at the UA and also funds Binational studies in optics and toxicology.

By University Communications
September 26, 2008

The science and academic development deputy director of CONACYT, the Mexican Science and Technology Council, is visiting The University of Arizona campus this week.

Jose Antonio de la Peña meets with UA President Robert Shelton, Provost Meredith Hay, researchers and department leaders on Monday and Tuesday to develop and strengthen ties that will allow for collaborate research as well as graduate student and faculty exchanges between the UA and Mexico.

De La Peña has served as Mexico’s Institute of Mathematics director, coordinator of the Scientific and Technological Consulting Forum and president of the Mexican Academy of Sciences. In addition to currently serving as the deputy director of CONACYT, he is also the principal investigator of the Institute of Mathematics at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico known as UNAM.

CONACYT provides grants and funding for education in and outside of Mexico similar to the National Science Foundation in the U.S.

More than 100 graduate students from Mexico are studying at the UA, and most of them are funded by CONACYT, said Francisco Marmolejo who serves at the UA as the executive director for the Consortium for North American Higher Education Collaboration. "In addition, the program also funds other initiatives housed at the UA such as the U.S.-Mexico Binational Center for Environmental Studies in Toxicology and the Binational Consortium in Option," said Marmolejo, also the assistant vice president for Western Hemispheric Programs.

“The relationship of the University of Arizona with CONACYT is a very important one in our efforts to better connect with Mexico and Latin America. The presence of Dr. de la Peña will allow us to further identify collaborative research initiatives mutually beneficial,” added Marmolejo.

UA President Robert N. Shelton created the Office of Western Hemispheric Programs to identify collaborative opportunities with Canada, Mexico and Latin America. One of the program’s primary goals was to set up a UA office in Mexico which opened in the fall of October 2007 and is managed by José Lever.