President of Crue Spanish Universities

I would like to welcome you to Crue Universidades Españolas, meeting place for its 76 associated universities. Our aim is to structure the institutional action of a plural and diverse university system with a great capacity to transform society through the generation and mobilisation of knowledge in our university communities.

The institutional period initiated in June 2023 aims to give Crue a new impetus to advance the Spanish University System (SUE) and, to do so, it needs sufficient public funding and a suitable legislation. It is time to accompany universities in the face of the enormous and crucial challenges we face, but also of a social reality in which universities are called upon to reinforce our commitment to sustainable development, as well as to address the challenges of lifelong learning, digital transformation, and innovative development.

In a context of profound transformations such as the one we are experiencing and of enormous demands on universities, it is essential to strengthen Crue’s role as an agent able to positively influence university policy and decisions affecting science and innovation in order to take advantage of the full potential of universities to promote well-being and social progress.

José Julián Garde López-Brea 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 UCLM in the field of Animal Production has consistently focused on Physiology and Reproduction, teaching in the degrees in Agricultural and Food Engineering, Pharmacy and Biotechnology, as well as in the Master’s in Agricultural Engineering and the Master’s in Basic and Applied Research in Game Resources, which he coordinated from its launch 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), where he developed pioneering research lines on the application of reproductive biotechnologies to animal conservation and production. Principal investigator of more than 30 research projects, he is the author of over 140 scientific publications in high-impact international journals in the fields of 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 September 2020.

Within university management at UCLM, he has held several 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 management of 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, and in relation to university governance and research management, he has served as member of the Livestock Area of the National Agency for Evaluation and Foresight (ANEP), adviser and Chair of Committee 6.1 (Mechanical and Production Technologies) 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 the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities 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.