Casa de América in Madrid hosted the presentation of Campus América, an initiative by the University of La Laguna (ULL) featuring thirty research seminars, exhibitions, and cultural events running until October 30th. The kick-off event on September 17th was attended by the consular corps based in the Spanish capital.
The main objective of Campus América is to create a space for Ibero-American dialogue and university cooperation, highlighting the ULL's current relationships with Latin American universities and building new collaboration pathways. This year, Chile is the guest country.
The fifth edition of this biennial event was presented by the Ambassador of Chile in Spain, Juan Antonio Coloma; the Vice-Rector for Internationalization and Cooperation of the ULL, Inmaculada González; and the Directors of Secretariat Sara González and Roberto González.
The academic program will feature 300 invited speakers from 56 universities and 14 countries. It will also host the Conference of Rectors of Spanish and Chilean Universities, bringing together over forty rectors to discuss mobility policies, open science, and best practices in internationalization.
Vice-Rector Inmaculada González emphasized that the initiative seeks to deepen the creation of an Ibero-American Higher Education Space, promote international teaching with Spanish as a reference, and showcase the work of the ULL's international research groups.
Campus América will also address topics such as democracy, historical memory, sustainable tourism, oceans, astronomy, and relations between Latin America and the EU. The dissemination of American culture, particularly Chilean, will be through exhibitions, music, and gastronomic tastings.
The event officially begins on October 19th at the Paraninfo of the University of La Laguna with an institutional ceremony presided over by the President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo. The plenary lecture will be delivered by Carlos Malamud, Emeritus Professor of American History at UNED, on the international insertion of Latin America.
Similarities between the Canary Islands and Chile will be highlighted, such as being isolated territories, desalination challenges, and their relationship with the ocean and astronomy, aiming to extend these discussions to a general audience.
The initiative aims to strengthen shared teaching in Spanish, with workshops and mirror classes. It also enhances economic and institutional relations between public and private sectors, with a significant business representation.
Campus América seeks to bring Latin America closer to citizens through seminars, workshops, and cultural activities focused on Chilean heritage. Dialogue tables will be held on science and education, centralized/decentralized governments, and alliances for a sustainable future, covering technology, tourism, and energy.
Roberto González presented the research activity of the ULL, highlighting over 85,000 publications, 1,800 researchers, and 900 ongoing projects. The ULL's primary international collaboration is with Europe, followed by Latin America and the Caribbean.
There are 548 publications with Chilean universities, with the University of Chile and the Pontifical Catholic University being the main collaborators. Astrophysics, biomedical technology, educational development, and studies on inequality are areas of fluid collaboration.
This year's research seminars focus on democracy, rights, memory, tourism, territory, sustainability, education, innovation, and culture, reflecting the ULL's international networks.
In the cultural sphere, Campus América includes exhibitions such as ‘Chile: Voices of Patagonia. Secrets of the Seabed’ by photographer Eduardo Sorensen, ‘Chile: Voices of Patagonia. The work of Martín Gusinde’, and ‘Two Hemispheres, One Sky: Canary Islands and Chile’, all at the Casa de Anchieta in La Laguna.
The program also features a concert by the renowned Chilean musician Manuel García, a Chilean music and gastronomy fair, children's workshops, tastings of Chilean products, and guided tours, bringing the campus activities to the public.
A video forum on Chilean cinema will be held with film directors, discussing cinema, emigration, and memory at Multicines Tenerife.
Key sponsors include the La Laguna City Council, the Government of the Canary Islands, the Embassy of Chile in Spain, Cajasiete, and Gesplan, with collaboration from the Organization of Ibero-American States and the Chile España Foundation, among other entities.
The Ambassador of Chile in Spain, Juan Antonio Coloma, closed the event by highlighting the close relationship between the two countries and especially with the Canary Islands, expressing a desire for lasting and significant agreements.
