Applied basic research as a axis of internationalization and quality indicator in higher education

Based on the experience in the execution of an applied basic science research project, financed through an internal call by the Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia - UNAD, this paper aims to show how the research action is linked to the missionary responsibilities of: internationalization, cooperation, comprehensive training and research. The analysis of the impact of the research processes in the UNAD Academic Pedagogical Project allows us to provide an overview of the contributions to the quality of national higher education; the above is a multidimensional concept that is defined according to the environment, the different actors, and indicators such as international mobility, coverage, infrastructure, the service provided, research and innovation, among others. In this case, a research project on nanotechnology is conceived as a topic of global importance, current, and regional relevance, which leads to the interest of external institutions, in this case international, and therefore the possibility of strengthening the internationalization of the University, through the generation of inter-institutional framework agreements, of incoming mobilities, of national and international cooperation networks, and the comprehensive training of both UNAD's own students, as well as international ones.