This article is the result of a research carried out through a partnership between the Higher Education Studies and Research Unit of the Federal University in the City of Niterói and the Municipal Secretariat of Education of the City of Niterói, in the State of Rio de Janeiro, with the following purposes: a) to draw a profile of higher education institutions in the City of Niterói, by collecting data about their history and insertion in local, regional and national scenarios; b) to map out the provision of teaching, research and extension services in these institutions; c) to aid the actions of the Municipal Secretariat of Education in education, contributing to the elaboration of the Municipal Education Plan of Niterói; d) to identify projects/products/technologies produced by these institutions that contribute to formulate economic, scientific and technological development policies in the city; e) to identify projects/products/technologies contributing to elaborate social policies. The city of Niterói, 10.9 km away from the city of Rio de Janeiro, has 16 higher education institutions, 1 public and 15 private, namely: 1) Universidade Federal Fluminense; 2) Universidade Estácio de Sá; 3) Universidade Cândido Mendes; 4) Universidade Salgado de Oliveira; 5) Fundação Getúlio Vargas; 6) Centro Universitário Plínio Leite; 7) Institutos Superiores de Ensino La Salle - RJ; 8) Faculdades Integradas Maria Thereza; 9) Escola Superior de Ensino Helena Antipoff; 10) Conservatório de Música de Niterói; 11) Seminário Teológico Escola de Pastores; 12) Seminário Teológico Batista de Niterói; 13) Seminário Teológico Betel Brasileiro; 14) Seminário Teológico Congregacional de Niterói; 15) Seminário Teológico Batista Brasileiro; 16) Seminário São José de Niterói. The research shows the main features of these institutions, focusing their social relevance for the city of Niterói. To do this, we examined their size/profile in Niterói and in the State Rio de Janeiro, their provision of undergraduate and graduate programs in the city of Niterói; the programs in greater and lesser demand and their relation with the job market; their research and contribution to development of the city; the extension services and their social role in the region. The methodology employed comprised analysis of data collected through the internet, as well as field research, including interviews carried out in the institutions object of this research.
Cartography; Higher education; Niterói; State of Rio de Janeiro; Regional development