Madrid, 19 May 2026. The General Assembly of the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE), held today at the School of Mines and Energy Engineering of the Polytechnic University of Madrid, has elected the Rector of the University of Castilla-La Mancha, Julián Garde López-Brea, as the new President of the association, which brings together 77 universities (50 public and 27 private). Garde succeeds Eva Alcón Soler, Rector of Universitat Jaume I, in the position.
The new President was elected with a programme structured around eight strategic priorities and defined lines of action. These include strengthening the university community; improving university funding; reinforcing the role of universities as pillars of the scientific system and drivers of social cohesion and territorial balance; adapting CRUE to the new reality of the Spanish university system; consolidating a stronger international presence for Spanish universities; promoting leadership in digital transformation and in the ethical, responsible and academic use of artificial intelligence; and strengthening CRUE’s role as a recognised, proactive and influential voice in public debate on higher education, science, knowledge and innovation.
In this new term, the Standing Committee will be composed of Francisco Oliva Blázquez, Rector of Pablo de Olavide University, and Àngels Fitó Bertran, Rector of the Open University of Catalonia, as Vice-Presidents. Amaya Mendikoetxea Pelayo, Rector of the Autonomous University of Madrid; Pedro Mercado Pachecho, Rector of the University of Granada; Laia de Nadal Clanchet, Rector of Pompeu Fabra University; and Vicente Atxa Uribe, Rector of Mondragon Unibertsitatea, will serve as Committee Members.
The Standing Committee is completed by Eva Sanz Arazuri, Rector of the University of La Rioja, who will serve as Delegate for Equality Policies, and Ricardo Cao Abad, Rector of the University of A Coruña, who will continue as Delegate for Open Science.
Governing Board
The new President will also work alongside José Joaquín Céspedes Lorente, Rector of the University of Almería, as President of Crue–Student Affairs; José E. Capilla Romá, Rector of Universitat Politècnica de València, as President of Crue–Digitalisation; Concepción López Fernández, Rector of the University of Cantabria, as President of Crue–Teaching; Amparo Navarro Faure, Rector of the University of Alicante, as President of Crue–University Management; Joan Guàrdia Olmos, Rector of the University of Barcelona, as President of Crue–R&D&I; Óscar García Suárez, Rector of the Polytechnic University of Madrid, as President of Crue–Internationalisation and Cooperation; Francisco Javier García Rodríguez, Rector of the University of La Laguna, as President of Crue–Academic Staff; Ignacio Villaverde Menéndez, Rector of the University of Oviedo, as President of Crue–Secretaries General; and Nuria González Álvarez, Rector of the University of León, as President of Crue–Sustainability.
The Presidency, Vice-Presidencies, Board Members, Presidential Delegates and Presidents of the sectoral commissions will form part of CRUE’s Governing Board, together with Secretary General María Teresa Lozano Mellado.
Profile of the new President
Julián Garde has been a Full Professor since 2003 at the School of Agricultural and Forestry Engineering and Biotechnology (ETSIAMB). He completed his degree and PhD in Veterinary Medicine at Complutense University of Madrid, obtaining his doctorate in 1993. His teaching activity at the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) in the field of Animal Production has focused on Physiology and Reproduction, teaching in Agricultural and Food Engineering, Pharmacy and Biotechnology degrees, as well as in the Master’s programmes in Agricultural Engineering and Basic and Applied Research in Game Resources, which he coordinated until December 2020.
He began his research career in 1989 at the Department of Animal Reproduction of the National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology (INIA), developing pioneering research lines on the application of reproductive biotechnologies to animal conservation and production. He has led more than 30 research projects and authored over 140 scientific publications in high-impact international journals in veterinary sciences, ecology, animal science and reproductive biology, including several contributions published in Science. He has been a Full Member of the Royal Academy of Veterinary Sciences of Spain since 2007, of the Royal Academy of Doctors of Spain since 2017, and of the Royal Academy of Medicine of Castilla-La Mancha since 2020.
At UCLM, he has held several academic leadership positions, including Deputy Director for Research and Academic Secretary of ETSIAM (1996–1999), Deputy Director and Director of the joint UCLM-CSIC Institute for Game and Wildlife Research (IREC) (1999–2004), and Vice-Rector for Research and Scientific Policy (2011–2020), where he was responsible, among other areas, for the International Campus of Excellence in Energy and Environment (CYTEMA) and doctoral studies. He has served as Rector of UCLM since December 2020.
At national level, he has also held several roles linked to research and university governance, including member of the Livestock Area of the National Agency for Evaluation and Foresight (ANEP), adviser and Chair of Committee 6.1 of the National Commission for the Evaluation of Research Activity (CNEAI), and member of the technical working group responsible for drafting the Spanish Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation 2021–2027. He is currently a member of the Advisory Council for Science, Technology and Innovation and trustee of FECYT.
His involvement with CRUE began in 2017 as adviser to the Executive Committee of the R&D&I Sectoral Commission. Between 2018 and 2020 he served as Executive Secretary of the same commission, and since 2021 he has chaired Crue–R&D&I.
