USF-UNESCO-IHE IRES Home

International Research Experience for Students (IRES) Program

Collaboration || University of South Florida & UNESCO-IHE, Institute

for Water Education, Delft, The Netherlands

Sponsored by || U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)

Coordinated by || Florida Earth Foundation

The University of South Florida is one of the nation's top 63 public research universities and one of 39 community-engaged, four-year public universities as designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. USF was awarded more than $360 million in research contracts and grants in fiscal year 2007/2008. The university offers 219 degree programs at the undergraduate, graduate, specialist and doctoral levels, including the doctor of medicine. The university has a $1.8 billion annual budget, an annual economic impact of $3.2 billion, and serves more than 46,000 students on campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota-Manatee and Lakeland (Polytechnic). USF is a member of the Big East Athletic Conference.

USF is the only university in the U.S. that has an existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UNESCO-IHE, Institute for Water Education to pursue opportunities to collaborate on research and education.

The UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education was established in 2003. It carries out research, education and capacity building activities in the fields of water, environment and infrastructure. UNESCO-IHE continues the work that began in 1957 when IHE first offered a postgraduate diploma course in hydraulic engineering to practicing professionals from developing countries.

The Institute is based in Delft, the Netherlands, and is owned by all UNESCO member states. It is established as a UNESCO ‘category I’ institute jointly by UNESCO and the Government of the Netherlands. The Institute is the largest water education facility in the world, and the only institution in the UN system authorized to confer accredited MSc degrees.

UNESCO-IHE is instrumental in strengthening the efforts of other universities and research centers to increase the knowledge and skills of professionals working in the water sector. The member states of UNESCO have access to the knowledge and services of UNESCO-IHE in human and institutional capacity building, which is vital in their efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (Agenda 21) and other global water objectives.

Katy Hennig, a member of USF News, put together a short video documenting the history and successes of the USF-IRES Program. To view the video, please click the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiFSurX_Kps&feature=player_embedded#!