Social Report - PUCRS, HSL and BraIns: responsibility towards our mission

Education that leads to results

One of PUCRS' main strategic goals is to prepare the university community for the challenges of society. This goal concerns the development of institutional leaders, managers, faculty, researchers, staff and students to play an active role in contemporary society by conducting a critical analysis of the existing scenario. The idea is to conceive and implement strategies that consolidate the institution as a University of excellence and contribute to innovation and development of the country.

PUCRS promotes the continuous development for its staff and awards a number of benefits and aids. As a result, these individuals will have the chance to learn more, leading to a positive impact on their employability.

Valuing diversity, through inclusion and critical consciousness, respecting people's differences, their needs and methods of working, are also commitments that we honor.

A new teaching model

To transform people's lives and society overall has always been one of the goals of PUCRS, a University that develops projects, makes dreams come true and contributes to the development of people for the world. In 2020, right after the beginning of the academic year, the institution quickly needed to adapt the teaching model, and transition into online teaching.

Throughout the year, the University prepared to offer a flexible and conscientious class model, mirroring the specific needs of each level of education and area of knowledge, respecting the recommendations and biosafety protocols in force in the city of Porto Alegre and Rio Grande do Sul.

With an eye to keeping the health and safety of the academic community as a priority, the main objective of PUCRS was to ensure the same level of quality for both undergraduate and graduate programs.

Impact of Research on Society

More and more, PUCRS consolidates itself as a research University. By developing high-level international research, it contributes to the scientific, technological, economic and social development of the region it is in.

The most important implication of the level of quality of research developed at PUCRS, is the high-quality training students receive, both in graduate and undergraduate programs. By integrating teaching and research, the outstanding features of quality the institution now has becomes in evidence. This generates a positive perception and strengthens the role it plays in society.

Incentives to innovate and learn

Innovation is one of the strategic areas of PUCRS that is committed to have a positive impact on social, environmental, scientific, cultural and economic development. Today, the University is consolidated as a vector of innovation and a unique ecosystem of entrepreneurship in the South of Brazil, which is strongly connected to companies, government and society.

Students are constantly encouraged to create innovative solutions to real problems from the courses and activities promoted at the University.

Because of its structure, different initiatives can be conceived and developed on campus. For instance, in 2020, thousands of face shields were made on the Campus using 3D printers, among other initiatives to fight the pandemic.

In this context, as the University follows a global trend of transforming innovation environments, the Inovapucrs Network and the Science and Technology Park (Tecnopuc) reflect the significant impact generated by this ecosystem of innovation..

Culture, learning and social responsibility

As a private non-profit Marist Institution, PUCRS is committed to creating positive impact and promote the development of the community. Extension programs are part of the University’s identity and mission, based on its commitment to social justice. PUCRS contributes to the consolidation of the students’ comprehensive development as protagonists of their learning and social transformation processes, in the connection between the academia and other segments of society.

This connection is maximized as extension actions are integrated into the curriculum, thus facilitating the learning process, as students are given the chance to have professional and interdisciplinary experiences.

Extension actions at PUCRS embody actions geared primarily towards the external community in the areas of health care, education, social work, inclusion, civic consciousness and local development, and environment. These actions epitomize the University’s social needs and sensitivity to these demands, which are addressed by the Academic Schools and other Units.

Life in the center of everything

2020 was marked by the official launch of PUCRS' Health Campus, in a unique format in the country. Bringing together teaching, research, innovation and assistance to people, the campus relies on a complete infrastructure for the population to live a healthy life longer with autonomy.

The integrated and multidisciplinary model was designed to provide comprehensive life and health care in all senses, as it connects the Sports Park, the Brain Institute of Rio Grande do Sul (BraIns), the Clinical Center, the Rehabilitation Center, PUCRS' São Lucas Hospital (HSL), the School of Medicine, the School Health and Life Sciences and innovation initiatives such as the BioHub.

The year was also marked by the actions developed by virtue of Covid-19. A task force, operating on different fronts, was created to fight the pandemic at the University.

In 2020, HSL also signed a partnership with Grupo Oncoclínicas, a reference in cancer treatments and an exclusive partner of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Latin America.

Environmental sustainability

PUCRS is keen to generate environmental innovation and development. The University endorses actions to preserve the environment and implement institutional and educational projects to foster respect for and sustainable use of natural resources. For instance, some of these actions have been added to undergraduate curricula. The course on Socioenvironmental Studies, of the School of Humanities’ Pedagogy Program, is one of such examples. Additionally, we can mention the Environmental Management Committee which operates in different segments (water, energy, biodiversity, effluents, waste and others), and the USE Project - Sustainable Energy Use.

In that year, PUCRS also joined the project Climate Labs: Strengthening applied research and innovation capacities in Latin-America through co-creation labs for mitigation and adaptation to Climate Change, which seeks to build strong and connected areas of innovation and applied research in universities. These areas will have an impact on partner countries' overall capacities and strategies to mitigate and adapt to climate change.