Córdoba, 16 October 2025. The Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE) and the Cuban Ministry of Higher Education (MES) are holding the 15th Cuba–Spain Rectors’ Meeting (MES–CRUE) on 16 and 17 October at the University of Córdoba. This forum consolidates almost three decades of collaboration between both university systems in the fields of teaching, scientific cooperation and mobility.
The institutional opening session, held this morning, was chaired by the President of CRUE and Rector of Universitat Jaume I, Eva Alcón Soler, and also included the participation of Manuel Torralbo, Rector of the University of Córdoba; Walter Baluja García, Minister of Higher Education of Cuba; Marcelino Medina González, Ambassador of Cuba to Spain; Juan Cruz Cigudosa, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Universities; and José Carlos Gómez Villamandos, Regional Minister for Universities, Research and Innovation of the Government of Andalusia.
During her address, the President of CRUE, Eva Alcón, highlighted the “shared vision of the transformative role of higher education and a common history of almost three decades of uninterrupted cooperation”, during which “both countries have met regularly to engage in dialogue, exchange experiences and jointly develop academic and scientific projects”.
Alcón stressed that “we must continue to seek synergies at a time of major challenges. Today, the energy transition, sustainability, artificial intelligence and lifelong learning directly call upon universities, as institutions responsible for generating knowledge and providing solutions. In this context, the relationship between Spain and Cuba acquires a renewed strategic dimension”.
“This meeting offers us the opportunity to assess what has been achieved and to project new goals. Universities have the responsibility to lead innovation and social progress, contributing to the construction of a more just, equitable and cohesive society. That is the deeper meaning of our cooperation: joining forces to positively transform our communities and to promote knowledge as a global public good,” stated the President of CRUE.
For his part, the Cuban Minister of Higher Education, Walter Baluja García, emphasised the need to ensure the “transformation of universities through science, innovation and commitment”. To this end, he argued that it is necessary to “strengthen bilateral relations”, as well as “joint programmes and increased collaboration in research”.
According to the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Universities, Juan Cruz Cigudosa, “university cooperation between Cuba and Spain represents a strategic opportunity of enormous value”, and he underlined that “boosting student and staff exchanges, developing joint research projects, creating academic and scientific networks, and promoting inter-university mobility are pillars that must be strengthened”.
Similarly, the Rector of the University of Córdoba, Manuel Torralbo Rodríguez, referred to the “shared vocation to make the university a driver of knowledge, progress and cooperation between peoples”. He also stressed that the relationship between Cuban and Spanish universities “is built on respect, mutual learning and trust”, adding that, in a time marked by uncertainty, universities “continue to build bridges between countries, disciplines and generations”, thereby renewing their commitment to joint research, doctoral training, academic mobility and a shared commitment to “sustainability, digitalisation and artificial intelligence understood as a tool for social transformation”.
Five Areas of Work and a Shared Agenda
The meeting was structured around five major thematic sessions focused on academic cooperation, doctoral training and university mobility; lifelong learning and micro-credentials; sustainability and the social commitment of universities; and the challenges and opportunities posed by artificial intelligence for higher education.
These sessions include the participation of rectors Ricardo Mairal (President of Crue–Internationalisation and Cooperation and Rector of UNED), Amparo Navarro (President of Crue–Management and Rector of the University of Alicante), Nicolás Ruiz Reyes (Rector of the University of Jaén), Pedro Mercado (Rector of the University of Granada), Ramón Gonzalo (President of Crue–Teaching and Rector of the Public University of Navarre), Rosa Bolea Bailo (Rector of the University of Zaragoza), Nuria González (President of Crue–Sustainability and Rector of the University of León), Silvia Carrascal (Rector of Universidad San Jorge), Miguel Ángel Castro (Rector of the University of Seville), José Capilla (President of Crue–Digitalisation and Rector of the Polytechnic University of Valencia), José J. Céspedes Lorente (President of Crue–Student Affairs and Rector of the University of Almería), and Francisco Oliva (President of the Ibero-American University Association for Postgraduate Studies – AUIP).
Rectors from Cuban universities have also taken part in the sessions, along with representatives of institutions such as the Regional Government of Galicia, SEPIE and the Carolina Foundation, among others.
Within the framework of the meeting, a Memorandum of Understanding between CRUE and MES was signed, as well as institutional agreements between Spanish and Cuban universities.
A Long-Standing Alliance
Since their first edition in 1996, the MES–CRUE Meetings have become a benchmark for Ibero-American university cooperation, promoting joint programmes in research, mobility and postgraduate training.
The 2025 edition reaffirms the role of universities as drivers of social transformation and as bridges between Europe and Latin America, committed to sustainable development, innovation and the internationalisation of knowledge.
