Santiago de Chile, 22 April 2025. The Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE) and the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH) held a bilateral meeting with the aim of strengthening academic ties and international cooperation between the two countries. Within the framework of this summit, hosted by the University of Santiago de Chile, a cooperation agreement was signed with the objective of building a strategic and long-term partnership between Spanish and Chilean universities.
The meeting of rectors from Spanish and Chilean universities was opened by Eva Alcón, President of CRUE and Rector of Universitat Jaume I; together with the Executive Vice-President of CRUCH and Rector of the University of Tarapacá, Emilio Rodríguez; the Minister of Education of Chile, Nicolás Cataldo; the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, Cristián Cuevas; and the Rector of the University of Santiago de Chile, Rodrigo Vidal, the host institution of the meeting.
In her address, the President of CRUE, Eva Alcón, stressed that the meeting represents a “decisive step towards strengthening academic relations between Spain and Chile”, underlining CRUE’s commitment to the internationalisation of Spanish universities. She also noted that “the relationship between Chile and Spain in higher education is historic, deep and strategic”, as over the years “we have consolidated a model of cooperation based on academic mobility, research collaboration and the internationalisation of our universities”. This meeting, she added, “is the perfect opportunity to reinforce these ties and to move forward in addressing the challenges and opportunities facing higher education in the 21st century”.
For his part, the Executive Vice-President of CRUCH, Emilio Rodríguez, highlighted that the meeting provides an appropriate forum to “strengthen a commitment to academic cooperation with a long-term, far-reaching and sustainable perspective, grounded in the principles and values shared by both CRUE and CRUCH”.
Challenges Facing Higher Education
Over the two days of sessions, key issues for the future of higher education in both countries were addressed, with the aim of sharing proposals and advancing responses to the challenges currently facing the sector. Among the main topics discussed were student and academic mobility, research collaboration, open science, artificial intelligence and ethics, as well as lifelong learning through micro-credentials.
In addition, various strategies were explored to foster cultural and academic exchange between universities in Spain and Chile, with a focus on consolidating a long-term bilateral cooperation agenda.
The working sessions included the participation, on behalf of Spanish universities, of rectors José Luján (University of Murcia), Lluís Serra (University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria), Alfonso Méndiz (Universitat Internacional de Catalunya), Julián Garde (University of Castilla–La Mancha), Pedro Fernández Salguero (University of Extremadura), Ángel Ignacio Villaverde (University of Oviedo), José Capilla (Universitat Politècnica de València), Ramón Gonzalo (Public University of Navarre), Mathieu Kessler (Polytechnic University of Cartagena), Mª Rosario Sáez Yuguero (Catholic University of Ávila), Francisco Oliva (Pablo de Olavide University), Mª Antonia Peña (University of Huelva) and Ricardo Cao (University of A Coruña).
Signing of the Agreement and Future Agenda
The meeting also served to formalise a strategic alliance between CRUE and CRUCH, laying the foundations for future joint initiatives between Spanish and Chilean universities. The agreement, ratified by the President of CRUE, Eva Alcón, and the Executive Vice-President of CRUCH and Rector of the University of Tarapacá, Emilio Rodríguez, includes, among other aspects, the strengthening of academic and student mobility, cooperation in research projects and the exchange of good university practices.
In this regard, it is worth noting that during the 2022–2023 academic year, 4,875 Chilean students were part of the Spanish University System (SUE), including 1,453 students in specific international mobility programmes and 3,422 enrolled in regular degree programmes. The agreement seeks to further enhance these figures through the promotion of joint double-degree programmes, increased mobility for both students and academic staff, and greater cooperation in knowledge transfer projects with industry.
The agreement also foresees the regular organisation of meetings between rectors from both countries, fostering ongoing dialogue on the challenges and opportunities of the international academic landscape. The meeting, attended by twenty-three rectors from Spanish universities, seals a firm commitment to move towards a strong network of educational cooperation benefiting the university communities of Spain and Chile.
About CRUCH
The Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities, established 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, decentralisation and territorial development.
It currently brings together the 30 universities with the longest track record in Chile, present throughout the country, from the Arica and Parinacota region in the north to the Magallanes region in the far south.
