Since its establishment in December 1991, the Educational Sector of MERCOSUR has served as a coordination hub for educational policies among Member and Associate States. Created under Decision No. 07/91 by the Common Market Council (CMC), the Meeting of Ministers of Education of MERCOSUR (RME) has had the mission of establishing a shared educational space by aligning educational and integration policies across the region. Through the negotiation of public policies and the development of joint programs and projects, the Educational Sector of MERCOSUR strives to promote mobility and foster a sense of regional identity and citizenship, contributing to the integration and development of education across the Member and Associate States. 

The Educational Sector is structured into multiple Commissions that focus on different educational levels and themes. One such Commission is dedicated to Higher Education, with a specific goal of increasing the mobility of students, faculty, researchers, and technical staff within the region. 

A key initiative in this context is the MARCA Program (Regional Academic Mobility Program for Accredited Courses by the Arcu-Sur System (Regional Accreditation System for Undergraduate Courses of Mercosur and Associated States) plays a significant role in strengthening higher education integration. The program promotes academic mobility and internationalization by supporting accredited undergraduate programs in areas such as Agronomy, Architecture, Economics, Engineering, Geology, Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Veterinary Medicine. Participants include Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, Uruguay, which collaborate through institutional networks involving at least three countries. These networks are supported by shared funding to facilitate academic exchange among students, faculty, researchers, and institutional staff involved in accredited programs. 

This roundtable will offer an overview of Brazil's engagement with the MARCA Program through the Ministry of Education, including the Secretariat of Higher Education, CAPES (Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education), and INEP (National Institute of Educational Studies and Research Anísio Teixeira). It will examine Brazil's participation in the 2022-2024 cycle of the program and its current involvement in the 2025-2027 cycle, highlighting the support provided to higher education institutions and the impact of these efforts on regional academic mobility.