PREFALC Programme

The France-Latin America-Caribbean Regional Programme (PREFALC)

Ongoing calls

Deadline for application

28 March 2024

The France-Latin America-Caribbean Regional Programme (PREFALC) was created in 2003 by the Ministry of National Education, Higher Education and Research (MENESR), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development (MAEDI), and the Foundation Maison des Sciences de l’ Homme (FMSH).

This programme supports university cooperation projects between French, Latin-American and Caribbean higher education institutions.

PREFALC allows to finance for two years the mobility of lecturer-researchers teams from French higher education institutions, who want to carry out teaching missions at master level in partnership with at least two Latin-American and/or Caribbean universities, in following areas: Social sciences and humanities, Information and communication sciences, Agronomic and ecological sciences, Physical and chemical sciences, Medicine and human biology, Mathematics, Science of the Earth and the Universe, Engineering sciences.

The programme has a number of objectives:

Develop exchanges and training opportunities between higher education institutions from France, Latin-America and/or Caribbean.
Support the mobility of lecturer-researchers to carry out training seminars and unites at the master level, clearly integrated in French, Latin-American and Caribbean masters, entitling to certified credits hours (ECTS) or recognition of periods of study;
Strengthen institutional cooperation for higher education institutions and French engineering schools with their Latin-American and Caribbean partners by enabling synergies with pre-existing programmes (ex : FITEC programme, ECOS, COFECUB, STIC & MATH AMSUD, ERASMUS +…)
Foster the development of a future PH student’s pool in partner institutions.
Promote the regional dimension of university cooperation by going beyond the simple bilateral framework and creating lasting academic networks.

→ The project must involve at least a higher education institution and one equivalent institution in at least two different countries from Latin-American or Caribbean.

→ The project highlights units or seminars (number of hours to be carried out according to the ECTS nomenclature and topics to be addressed) which would be integrated within the Master model of the French, Latin-American or Caribbean partner, in order to make visible the respective contributions in term of contents and methodologies. French, Latin-American or Caribbean partner must indicate the specificity of this unit in any communication Medias used to promote his Master.

→ The project are proposed by the International Relations Office of a French higher education institution, called coordinator, in reply to a call for proposal published at the beginning of each calendar year. They are selected on the basis of a pedagogical project and a provisional budget, and are assessed by an expert.

→ The final selection is made by the scientific and career Committee PREFALC, composed of representatives from MESRI, MEAE and FMSH, with the support of external experts and regional diplomatic positions concerned.

→ Once selected, the French Institution becomes, through his project manager, responsible for the implementation and the pedagogical monitoring of the project, as well as of the intermediate and final reports. It is bound by a convention to the FMSH, which is in charge of the secretariat of the programme.

→ Eligibility conditions and applications terms are specified in the call published at the beginning of each calendar year.

PREFALC is an original project in the global university landscape. It has already co-financed more than 135 projects, involved more than 300 French and Latin American/Caribbean partners from some 20 countries, and benefited more than 7,000 students through 1,100 modules taught. It has also led to nearly 2,000 missions by teacher-researchers and has contributed to the emergence and consolidation of regional academic networks.