Fourteen CRUCH universities visit the United Kingdom and establish cooperative ties in strategic areas

The areas of cooperation seek to strengthen research, postgraduate training and the link between universities and the productive sector.

The rector of the Catholic University of the Holy Conception, Juan Cancino, led the CRUCH university delegation that visited nine universities in the cities of London, Reading, Nottingham, Coventry and Bristol.

Between April 27 and May 1, a delegation from fourteen CRUCH universities, led by the rector of the Catholic University of the Holy Conception, Juan Cancino, visited various universities in the United Kingdom with the purpose of establishing links to generate greater academic association in the field of research and postgraduate studies.

The program, designed jointly by Universities UK (an organization that currently represents 133 UK universities) and the Council of Rectors, with the support of the British Embassy in Chile, allowed the delegation members to connect with institutions particularly interested in collaborating with Chile. They also attended a seminar discussing opportunities for mobility and the development of joint projects, in which more than thirty British universities from England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland participated.

The tour itinerary included Goldsmiths, Queen Mary, Imperial College, King's College and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in London; also the universities of Nottingham, Bristol and Reading, located in the cities of the same name, and the University of Warwick in Coventry.

As for the delegation, along with the rector of the Catholic University of the Holy Conception, it was made up of authorities and representatives from the universities of Chile, Catholic University of Chile, Concepción, Catholic University of Valparaíso, Austral University of Chile, Catholic University of the North, Valparaíso, Bío Bío, La Frontera, Magallanes, Talca, Tarapacá, and Catholic University of Maule.

Areas of cooperation

While the visit was considered a first step towards generating systematic and institutional collaboration, each Chilean university managed to establish links in various areas, such as humanities and social sciences, biomedical sciences, engineering, teacher training, astronomy, life sciences, energy and sustainability, agriculture and food production, among others.

It is worth noting that the link between Universities UK and the Council of Rectors has been of particular importance when designing monitoring strategies, debating higher education systems in both countries, and engaging in dialogue with entities that develop and regulate the British system, such as the Research Council and the Quality Assurance System.