University leaders from Spain and Chile signed a joint declaration in Tenerife. Their next summit is planned for Chile in 2028, extending cooperation between the two countries’ universities.
Organisers announced plans for the next Spain-Chile university summit in Chile in 2028 at the closing session in Tenerife. The meeting also produced a joint declaration on cooperation between universities in the two countries. The II Encuentro de Rectoras y Rectores España-Chile was held on 19–20 October at the Universidad de La Laguna (ULL). It formed part of Campus América 2026 and followed the first Spain-Chile rectors’ forum, held in Santiago in April 2025.
CRUE president Julián Garde López-Brea signed for the Spanish side on 20 October. He is also rector of the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha. Osvaldo Corrales Jorquera signed for the Consejo de Rectoras y Rectores de las Universidades Chilenas (CRUCH), where he is executive vice-president and rector of the Universidad de Valparaíso. About 40 rectors from Spain and Chile attended the opening of Campus América on 19 October.
The declaration was signed at the close of the II Encuentro de Rectoras y Rectores España Chile: Una alianza universitaria al servicio de las personas y de Iberoamérica. The event took place in Tenerife as part of Campus América 2026, hosted by the ULL. Campus América runs from 19 to 30 October; in 2026, Chile is its partner country. Since 2017, the biennial programme has connected the Canary Islands with Latin America through academic and scientific links, as well as cultural ties. ULL’s relationships with Chilean universities date back to the 1960s and 1970s.
Garde said the discussions had set a direction for university teaching and cooperation while reinforcing the university’s mission. He called for progress towards a shared academic space between Chile and Spain, and thanked the ULL for hosting the meeting and CRUCH for its contribution. The forum’s agenda included curriculum transformation and lifelong learning. It also covered research and innovation, technology transfer, science diplomacy and artificial intelligence. Francisco Javier García Rodríguez, rector of the host university, urged participants to focus on areas where Spain and Chile have strong potential. He pointed to technological transformation and territorial sustainability. Education and knowledge transfer were also priorities, alongside science’s contribution to public wellbeing.
Marcela Momberg Alarcón, CRUCH’s alternate executive vice-president and rector of the Universidad Católica, attended the closing session. Nuria González Álvarez, president of Crue Sostenibilidad and rector of the Universidad de León, also took part. Corrales and González were the two rectors who read the declaration. The opening ceremony also included Chilean ambassador to Spain Juan Antonio Coloma Correa and Canary Islands president Fernando Clavijo Batlle.
The declaration’s final commitment frames cooperation as a choice during a period of uncertainty. The universities commit to sharing capabilities amid fragmentation of knowledge and building common responses to global challenges. Campus América 2026 brings together about 300 speakers, with representatives from 56 universities. They come from 14 regions on both sides of the Atlantic. The programme includes around 30 research seminars and academic workshops, along with about 20 cultural events. The declaration names joint research and academic mobility among its cooperation priorities. It also includes open science and internationalisation, as well as shared educational programmes.
A separate Canary Islands-Chile cooperation forum is scheduled for 29 October within Campus América. Its programme includes three discussion panels. It will also feature project presentations covering research and education, alongside territorial management. Tourism and innovation are also on the agenda. The forum is intended to explore scientific and educational cooperation, as well as institutional and business ties.
RUSSPAIN’s market ownership report offers a separate view of Spain’s international links: foreign investors held 50.4% of listed companies at the end of June 2026.
