The Vice-Rector for Academic Organisation and Teaching Staff of the Universidad Europea del Atlántico ( European University of the Atlantic, UNEATLANTICO), Silvia Aparicio, has held a meeting with the Ambassador of Chile in Spain, Javier Velasco, with the aim of exploring new avenues of cooperation in the academic and business fields. The meeting was also attended by the executive director of the Chile-Spain Foundation, María Ángeles Osorio, the director of the International Relations Office of UNEATLANTICO, Juan Luis Vidal, and the director of the Fundación Innovación y Desarrollo (Innovation and Development Foundation, FIDBAN), Diego Lainz.
During the meeting, Ambassador Velasco stressed the importance of strengthening collaboration between Chilean and Spanish higher education institutions, highlighting the fundamental role of universities in the generation of knowledge and the training of professionals with a global vision. In this context, new opportunities for the development of joint degrees between Chilean universities and universities of the FUNIBER network were discussed, among them the Universidad Internacional Iberoamericana (International Iberoamerican University of Mexico, UNINI) of Mexico, the Universidad Internacional Iberoamericana ( International Iberoamerican University, UNIB) of Puerto Rico, the Fundación Universitaria Internacional de Colombia ( International University Foundation of Colombia, UNINCOL), the Universidade Internacional do Cuanza (Angola) and the Universidad de la Romana ( University of La Romana , Dominican Republic).
Currently, UNEATLANTICO has collaboration agreements with various higher education institutions in Chile, among which are the EATRI Professional Institute, the Finis Terrae University, the National Institute of Football, the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaiso, the University of ALBA, the SEK University, the University of Development, the University of La Frontera and the University of the Americas. In the framework of the meeting, progress was made in the negotiations for the signing of a new agreement with the Andrés Bello University, one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the country, which will contribute to further strengthen academic cooperation between the two countries.
Ambassador Velasco and Ms. Osorio also presented Blue Week, an event co-organised with Këtrawa, whose purpose is to promote an ecosystem of climate innovation from Patagonia. This initiative, which will be held from 12 to 17 May 2025, will address the potential of the Blue Economy in southern Chile and its impact on sustainable development. The European University of the Atlantic has been invited to participate in this meeting, which opens up new opportunities for academic exchange and cooperation in research projects in this field.
During the meeting, Dr. Silvia Aparicio presented the growth that UNEATLANTICO has experienced since its foundation in 2014. The university has grown from 300 undergraduate students to more than 2,500, in addition to 3,000 postgraduate students, and has expanded its academic offerings to 16 official degrees, 16 university master’s degrees, 63 degree programmes, 96 expert and university specialist programmes, and 3 doctorates. This growth has consolidated UNEATLANTICO as a reference institution in Cantabria and on the international academic scene.
Another of the topics addressed was the work of FIDBAN, the international network of business angels promoted by UNEATLANTICO, which facilitates the financing of innovative projects in the 30 countries in which FUNIBER is present. The ambassador highlighted the importance of this type of initiative to promote investment and entrepreneurship, generating new opportunities for collaboration between companies and entrepreneurs from Chile and Spain.
This meeting reaffirms UNEATLANTICO’s commitment to internationalisation and its role as a link between Europe and Latin America through education, research and business cooperation.