FUNIBER recognized as a Citizen Company by the Rotary Club for its commitment to education and social transformation

FUNIBER recognized as a Citizen Company by the Rotary Club for its commitment to education and social transformation
Rodrigo Nolio, Director of International Relations at FUNIBER in Brazil.

The Ibero-American University Foundation (FUNIBER) has recently been awarded the title of Citizen Company by the Rotary Club, one of the world’s most prestigious humanitarian organizations. The recognition highlights FUNIBER’s firm commitment to promoting quality education as a means of inclusion, social transformation, and sustainable development.

The distinction was awarded through its headquarters in Brazil, in recognition of the Foundation’s systematic support for high-impact educational projects, in line with Rotary’s values of ethics, solidarity, and social responsibility. The official presentation of the award took place during a ceremony hosted by the Rotary Club of Florianópolis-Este, District 4652, and was attended by local authorities, representatives of civil society, and members of the academic community.

During the ceremony, Rotary representatives highlighted FUNIBER as an exemplary institution in the articulation between education and citizenship, putting knowledge at the service of equity and social justice. On behalf of the Foundation, FUNIBER’s director of International Relations in Brazil, Rodrigo Nolio, received the award and reiterated the institution’s commitment to building broad and accessible educational opportunities.

«This recognition deeply honors us and reinforces our institutional mission: to make international higher education more accessible, inclusive, and committed to major social challenges,» said Rodrigo Nolio during his speech.

Education as a bridge to transformation

FUNIBER’s work is based on a global educational model, supported by collaborative teaching and research networks that integrate face-to-face campuses—such as the Universidad Europea del Atlántico (European University of the Atlantic, UNEATLANTICO)  in Spain, the Universidad de la  Romana (University of La Romana, UNIROMANA) in the Dominican Republic, and the Universidad Internacional do Cuanza (International University of Cuanza, UNIC) in Angola—and a solid structure of online programs, promoting academic and cultural exchange in different international contexts.

Within this framework, FUNIBER has established itself as the first university platform with a pan-Iberian vocation, bringing together Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries in a common academic space that fosters cooperation between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. This inclusive approach reinforces its commitment to cultural diversity, multilingualism, and the formation of a global educated citizenry.

Its international scholarship program, which has already been joined by thousands of people around the world, is a concrete policy to combat educational exclusion by ensuring that economic or geographical factors do not represent an obstacle to accessing higher education of excellence.

This commitment is strengthened by agreements with public bodies, professional associations, foundations, and companies, which broadens the scope of FUNIBER’s educational activities in different sectors of society.

With this recognition, FUNIBER reaffirms its commitment to building a global educating citizenship, connecting knowledge, cultures, and people in favor of a more just, plural, and supportive world.

On the left, Antônio Carlos Bittencourt Goethel, representing the Rotary Club; on the right, Rodrigo Nolio, representing FUNIBER.