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The two-day meeting – April 21 and 22 – brought together more than fifty authorities from CRUCH and CRUE, who discussed key issues for higher education and signed a collaboration agreement with the aim of strengthening academic ties and international cooperation between the two countries.
The Minister of Education, Nicolás Cataldo, and the Undersecretary of CTCI, Cristián Cuevas, participated in the inaugural session.
Within the framework of “First Meeting of Rectors and Rectors of Chile and Spain: Challenges for the University in the 21st Century”, The event, held on April 21 and 22 in Santiago, brought together for the first time the highest-ranking officials authorities from the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE) and the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH).
The bilateral meeting brought together more than fifty rectors from CRUE and CRUCH universities, who discussed key issues for higher education and signed a collaboration agreement with the aim of strengthening academic ties and international cooperation between both countries.
The meeting, held at the The University of Santiago de Chile (USACH) was inaugurated by its rector, Rodrigo Vidal; the president of CRUE and rector of the Universitat Jaume I, Eva Alcón; the executive vice president of CRUCH and rector of the University of Tarapacá, Emilio Rodríguez; the Minister of Education, Nicolás Cataldo; and the undersecretary of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation (CTCI), Cristián Cuevas.
He Rector Vidal, Along with welcoming the participants, he addressed the current international situation. “At a time when the United States government is threatening the autonomy, independence, and financial stability of several of that country’s most prestigious universities, and infringing upon their constitutional rights, this meeting takes on even greater importance, given the need to reaffirm international academic collaboration and strengthen our institutions and national networks.” He added, “Higher education must be a priority in our societies, and I hope that at this meeting we can discuss and debate this point.”.
For its part, the President of CRUE, Eva Alcón, He emphasized that “the relationship between Chile and Spain in higher education is historic, profound, and strategic,” since, over the years, “we have consolidated a collaborative model based on academic mobility, research cooperation, and the internationalization of our universities.” Consequently, the meeting “is the perfect opportunity to strengthen these ties and move forward on the challenges and opportunities we face in 21st-century higher education,” he stated.
Along the same lines, the Vice President of CRUCH He emphasized that the meeting is an opportune moment to "strengthen a commitment to academic cooperation with a long-term, far-reaching, sustainable vision, based on principles and values that we have in common, both CRUE and CRUCH.".
Based on these shared values—diversity, pluralism, the pursuit of excellence and quality, and autonomy—Emilio Rodríguez urged a collaborative approach to certain challenges. “For example, in Chile we have great opportunities in green hydrogen, lithium, and renewable energy, and the question is how we transform these comparative advantages into competitive advantages. The answer lies in science, technology, knowledge, and innovation.”.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Education, Nicolás Cataldo, He praised the meeting and expressed that “we are pleased because it reinforces a historic bond between our countries, at such an important moment when, more than ever, we must strengthen exchange, experiences, innovation, and technology in a globalized world that also threatens the importance of evidence, knowledge, and science.” Cataldo emphasized that “reaffirming this collaboration must go hand in hand with reaffirming the importance of scientific and technological development, and that is what we are seeing today between Spanish and Chilean universities.”.
Finally, the Undersecretary of CTCI He pointed out that “without science and knowledge we would not be the society we are. We would not have the current life expectancy or the technology that exists today (...), we would not have electric cars with renewable energy nor would we know what is happening with global warming.”.
Signing of the agreement and future agenda
The meeting solidified a strategic alliance between CRUE and CRUCH, laying the groundwork for future joint initiatives between Spanish and Chilean universities. The four-year collaboration agreement, ratified by CRUE President Eva Alcón and CRUCH Executive Vice President Emilio Rodríguez, includes, among other things, strengthening academic and student mobility, collaborating on research projects, and exchanging best university practices.
The agreement aims to promote joint dual-degree programs, increase student and faculty mobility, and enhance cooperation on knowledge transfer projects with businesses. It also provides for regular meetings between university presidents from both countries, fostering ongoing dialogue on the challenges and opportunities of the international academic landscape. In this way, the meeting seals a firm commitment to building a robust network of educational cooperation that will benefit the university communities of Spain and Chile.
Additionally, through a joint statement, CRUCH and CRUE They committed to making progress in 7 areas: mutual recognition and common knowledge space; academic mobility and cultural cooperation; continuing education; open science and knowledge management; artificial intelligence and digital transformation; sustainability; and democracy, participation and citizenship.
Conversation panels
The program included five panel discussions on topics relevant to both countries. The first, titled «"Higher education institutions as meeting places for Chile and Spain: yesterday, today and tomorrow"» Its objective was to reflect on the role of higher education institutions in building a common knowledge space between Chile and Spain, addressing the regulatory challenges and opportunities to strengthen the mutual recognition of academic degrees and qualifications.
The dialogue included the rectors of the University of Las Palmas, Lluis Serra; the International University of Catalonia, Alfonso Méndiz; the University of Santiago (USACH), Rodrigo Vidal; the University of the Andes, José Antonio Guzmán; and the University of Bío-Bío, Benito Umaña. The moderator was the rector of the University of Murcia, José Luján.
In the second panel, “Open Science and Knowledge Management”, The opportunities and challenges of open science were analyzed, including the free dissemination of knowledge, the management of research data, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the social impact of scientific production.
The conversation brought together Rosa Devés from the University of Chile; and the rectors of the University of Castilla-La Mancha, Julián Garde; the University of Extremadura, Pedro Fernández Salguero; the University of Oviedo, Ángel Ignacio Villaverde; and the University of Concepción, Carlos Saavedra. Marisol Durán, rector of the Metropolitan Technological University, moderated the event.
“Artificial intelligence and ethics” This was the title of the third panel, whose purpose was to explore the impact of AI on higher education, its application in teaching, evaluation, research and management processes, as well as the ethical and regulatory principles that should guide its implementation.
Moderated by the rector of the Polytechnic University of Valencia, José Capilla, the dialogue brought together the rectors of the Public University of Navarra, Ramón Gonzalo; the Polytechnic University of Cartagena, Mathieu Kessler; the Federico Santa María Technical University, Juan Yuz; and the University of Talca, Carlos Torres. .
The fourth dialogue session, moderated by the rector of the University of Valparaíso, Osvaldo Corrales, addressed the “Academic mobility and cultural cooperation between Chile and Spain”, which focused on discussing strategies to encourage the exchange of students, professors and researchers; overcome administrative barriers; and promote joint programs that strengthen the internationalization of higher education.
The rectors of the Catholic University of Ávila, Ma Rosario Sáez Yuguero; and of the Metropolitan University of Educational Sciences, Elisa Araya; as well as the rectors of the Pablo de Olavide University, Francisco Oliva; and of the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso, Nelson Vásquez, participated in this discussion.
The last panel, “Lifelong learning and microcredentials”, Its purpose was to discuss the role of institutions in providing continuing education, developing skills throughout life, and incorporating micro-credentials to recognize specific skills in a changing work environment.
The event was attended by the rectors of the University of Huelva, María Antonia Peña; and the University of O'Higgins (UOH), Fernanda Kri; and the rectors of the University of A Coruña, Ricardo Cao; and the Catholic University of the Holy Conception, Cristhian Mellado. The moderator was the rector of Alberto Hurtado University, Cristián del Campo.
About CRUE and CRUCH
The Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE), established in 1994, is a non-profit association comprised of 77 universities: 50 public and 27 private. CRUE is the universities' main representative body in their dealings with the central government and plays a key role in all regulatory developments affecting Spanish higher education. It also promotes various initiatives to foster relationships with the productive and social sectors, strengthens institutional ties both nationally and internationally, and works to enhance the value of Spanish universities.
Meanwhile, the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities, created by law in 1954, has the mission of advising the Ministry of Education on the design of public policies, as well as serving as a benchmark for quality and excellence, equity and inclusion, social mobility and collective and individual progress, decentralization, and territorial development. It currently comprises the 30 oldest universities in Chile, which are located throughout the country, from the Arica and Parinacota Region in the north to the Magallanes Region in the far south.
Text: Communications CRUCH, CRUE and USACH.
Photographs: CRUCH and courtesy of USACH.
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