UNIVERSITY OF CAXIAS DO SUL - UCS - CityLivingLab

The University of Caxias do Sul (UCS) is a nonprofit Community Higher Education Institution (ICES) located in southern Brazil. Founded on February 10, 1967, it is the oldest higher education institution in the northeastern region of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The University was created through the collective efforts of the local community and is maintained by the Fundação Universidade de Caxias do Sul, a private-law legal entity. As a community university, UCS reinvests the results of its activities in institutional development and maintains close dialogue with public authorities, civil society and the regional productive sector. UCS Institutional Profile

UCS is a multicampus university headquartered in Caxias do Sul, an important nationally recognized industrial and economic center. Its academic units, campuses and learning hubs are distributed across Bento Gonçalves, Vacaria, São Sebastião do Caí, Canela, Farroupilha, Guaporé, Nova Prata, Torres and Flores da Cunha, directly serving a regional population of more than one million people. UCS University Units

The University’s mission is to promote the integral education of individuals through the production of knowledge aimed at sustainable development. Its vision is to become the leading nonprofit community university in Rio Grande do Sul. Its institutional values include ethics, community spirit, respect, responsibility, excellence, commitment and transparency.

UCS offers comprehensive educational opportunities, including 64 undergraduate programs in bachelor’s degrees, teaching degrees and technological degrees, as well as 19 distance-learning undergraduate programs. It also provides more than 150 graduate-level specialization and MBA programs and maintains 20 master’s and doctoral programs in different areas of knowledge. Its lifelong-learning portfolio includes almost 3,100 courses and academic activities each year, with more than 119,000 enrollments and offerings in eight foreign languages. UCS English Institutional Page

The University combines teaching, research, innovation and community engagement. Its infrastructure includes 13 libraries and more than 800 laboratories, supported by technology and continuous faculty development. Research institutes operate in fields such as biotechnology, historical and cultural memory, health, economic and social research, and environmental sanitation. Research projects involve professors and students in the creation of new knowledge, products, processes, technologies, cultural goods and innovative practices.

Through UCSiNOVA, TecnoUCS and related initiatives, the University connects academia with companies, government and society. UCSiNOVA brings together more than 2,800 companies, institutions, professional organizations and municipalities, while its innovation ecosystem includes resident companies, incubated businesses and startups. TecnoUCS operates as a Science, Technology and Innovation Park, and UCS GRAPHENE hosts the largest graphene production facility installed by a university in Latin America, resulting from more than two decades of research into nanomaterials. UCS English Institutional Page

UCS also promotes internationalization through student mobility, academic missions, summer schools and international cooperation agreements. It maintains 122 agreements with institutions in 31 countries, creating opportunities for academic exchange and collaboration across different continents.

The University’s community mission is expressed through initiatives such as UCS Community, UCS Cities, UCS Senior, UCS Foreign Languages, the International School of Gastronomy, UCS Cultural, UCS Alumni, the University Publisher, the Veterinary Hospital Institute and UCS Zoo. It also supports schools, technical education, an educational radio station and the General Hospital, which serves both the community and the practical training of students.

UCS is engaged with sustainable development and global academic networks. It is part of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, maintains the ODS Education Seal, participates in the United Nations Academic Impact and the UN Principles for Responsible Management Education, and hosts UNESCO and other international academic initiatives. The University has also established institutional guidelines for the ethical and critical use of artificial intelligence, as well as policies supporting diversity and inclusion.