In an effort to strengthen academic cooperation and promote the internationalization of their programs doctorate, the University of Navarra and the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV, Brazil) have initiated a agreement of partnership between the programs of Food, Physiology and Health and the Graduate Program in Nutrition Sciences, respectively.

"The students of doctorate who participate in this agreement must comply with the requirements of both institutions to obtain the Degree doctorate, so that upon completion they will receive the degree scroll independently by both universities," highlights Professor Diana Ansorena, coordinator of the doctoral program in Food, Physiology and Health of the School of Pharmacy and Nutrition. "In this sense, this agreement will strengthen the internationalization of doctoral program".

An outstanding feature of agreement is the co-supervision of thesis , where students will be supervised by a Brazilian director and a Spanish thesis , representing their respective programs. In addition, representatives from both institutions will participate in the defense of the thesis . During the course of their doctorate, students are also expected to spend between six and twelve months at the partner university.

"The partnership between the two institutions is not new, as both doctorate programs have similar lines of research and there have been regular exchanges of professors and doctoral students in recent years," explains Dr. Helen Hermana Miranda Hermsdorff, from the department of Nutrition and Health at UFV. "Now, this milestone marks the concrete beginning of the fruits of this new stage of international partnership between both universities."

The first "co-thesis " will be defended in 2026

Gabriela Fraiz is the tangible test of this partnership. She is the first Brazilian PhD student to join this new program in September. research center She is currently staying at the University of Navarra with Fermín Milagro, one of the directors of thesis .

"My work focuses on the impact of green tea kombucha on the health of individuals with obesity, for which we will evaluate markers of inflammation, gut health, saliva microbiota and also serum metabolomics," explains Fraiz. "Framing it in an international project hand in hand with the two universities is a great opportunity and a rich cultural and scientific experience that I am sure will revert to the research". On the horizon, the defense is expected to take place in February 2026.