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The Second Meeting of Rectors and Rectors of Spain-Chile brought together university authorities from both countries in Tenerife.
During two days, topics such as curriculum transformation, research, artificial intelligence, and the financing of higher education were analyzed.
With the participation of a delegation from 16 Chilean universities, headed by the executive vice president of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH), Osvaldo Corrales, and the alternate executive vice president, Marcela Momberg, the II Meeting of Rectors and Rectors Spain-Chile was held on October 19 and 20, at the University of La Laguna, Tenerife.
Organized jointly by CRUCH and the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE), The meeting was held under the motto “University and Ibero-American cooperation in times of transformation”, within the framework of Campus America 2026, which has Chile as the guest country.
During the inauguration, the Rector of the University of Valparaíso, Osvaldo Corrales, spoke alongside university authorities and representatives from Spanish institutions. The Chilean Ambassador to Spain, Juan Antonio Coloma, also participated in the ceremony. Meanwhile, the Rector of the Catholic University of Temuco, Marcela Momberg, introduced the inaugural lecture by academic Carlos Malamud, which focused on Latin America's international integration.
Shared challenges and university cooperation
The second day included sessions dedicated to curricular transformation and new training challenges; research, innovation and knowledge transfer with social impact; and artificial intelligence and its challenges for higher education.
These events included the participation of rectors and other authorities from Chilean and Spanish universities, as well as working groups designed to exchange experiences and perspectives on topics of common interest.
The program also included a lecture by the Ibero-American Secretary General, Andrés Allamand, who addressed the role of universities in Ibero-American cooperation and the challenges they face in areas such as academic mobility, research and the preservation of Spanish.
In evaluating the meeting, the executive vice president of CRUCH, Osvaldo Corrales, highlighted that the sessions allowed for addressing shared challenges and strengthening the links between both university systems.
“It has been an extraordinarily productive day where we have been able to share experiences, learnings and above all strengthen the relationship with a university system that is very similar to the Chilean one and with which we have been building a relationship of trust,” he said.
The rector also highlighted that the discussions included the funding difficulties faced by higher education institutions and the resources allocated to research, innovation, and technology transfer. In this context, he explained that Spanish universities are currently experiencing protests related to structural funding, a situation that facilitated an exchange of experiences regarding the budgetary challenges Chile is currently facing.
Chilean delegation
In addition to Osvaldo Corrales and Marcela Momberg, the rectors Jacqueline Sepúlveda, from the University of Concepción; Jenniffer Peralta, from the University of Tarapacá; Marisol Durán, from the Metropolitan Technological University; and Fernanda Kri, from the University of O'Higgins, participated.
The delegation also included the rectors Nelson Vásquez, of the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso; Juan Yuz, of the Federico Santa María Technical University; Pedro Palominos, of the University of Santiago de Chile; Pablo Camus, of the University of Antofagasta; Alberto Martínez, of the Arturo Prat University; Óscar Garrido, of the University of Los Lagos; Carlos Peña, of the Diego Portales University; and José Antonio Guzmán, of the University of Los Andes.
The Chilean representation was completed by the Vice-Rector of the University of Chile, Dorotea López, and the Vice-Rector of the Catholic University of Maule, Víctor San Martín.
The meeting followed up on the first meeting of university presidents from both countries, held in April 2025 at the University of Santiago, Chile. Corrales announced that the next meeting will again be held in Chile in 2028.
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