The Universidad Europea del Atlántico (European University of the Atlantic, UNEATLANTICO) is strengthening its commitment to internationalization with the inauguration of the Atlantic Institute of Digital Culture at Shandong University of Political Science and Youth (SDYU), a higher education institution located in Jinan, China.
The launch of this joint campus marks a milestone for Spanish higher education and, in particular, for Cantabria, as it makes UNEATLANTICO the first private Spanish university and the fifth Spanish university overall to reach an agreement of this kind in China.
The event was attended by the president of UNEATLANTICO, Rubén Calderón; the secretary general, Jesús Peña; and the dean of the Higher Polytechnic School, Manuel Masías, as well as the counselor for education at the Spanish Embassy in China, María Luisa Ochoa, along with representatives from both institutions. The presence of the representative from the Spanish Embassy underscored the institutional support for an initiative that strengthens academic and cultural ties between Spain and China.
During the ceremony, UNEATLANTICO presented a Medal to Professor Wei Yanju, secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Committee at Shandong University of Political Science and Youth, in recognition of her personal contribution to the development of collaboration between the two institutions. The Medal is UNEATLANTICO’s highest institutional honor and recognizes outstanding and extraordinary achievements in fields such as academia, science, culture, society, the arts, and technology.
In his laudatory speech, the president of UNEATLANTICO highlighted the role played by Wei Yanju in building the relationship between the two universities and in turning the desire for cooperation into concrete projects. Rubén Calderón emphasized that behind the academic agreements, student exchange programs, dual degree programs, and the joint campus lies a fundamental element: trust between people and institutions.
The Atlantic Institute of Digital Culture is launching its program with two joint degree programs, each offering 120 spots in their first year. All 240 spots offered to new students have been filled, reflecting the interest generated by this university cooperation initiative. Once fully
operational, the joint campus is expected to accommodate nearly 1,000 students, establishing itself as a major center for education and international collaboration.
The creation of this joint campus represents a particularly significant step for UNEATLANTICO and for Cantabria. This is the fifth Spanish university to launch a university initiative of this kind in China and the first private one, reinforcing the Universidad Europea del Atlántico’s position as an institution with a strong international focus.
During the inauguration, Rubén Calderón highlighted the importance of this new step in the relationship between the two universities and emphasized how their resources and experiences complement each other. The president noted that the Institute marks the beginning of a broader collaboration, with both institutions committed to continuing to make joint progress in various fields of knowledge.
In this regard, both universities share the goal of gradually expanding their joint collaboration to new areas of knowledge and deepening their cooperation in various fields of academic and scientific research. Among them, the development of joint international research projects, scientific collaboration, and the publication of academic findings are particularly important, as are new initiatives related to curricula, student and faculty mobility, and teaching. This expansion will make it possible to continue creating opportunities for exchange and knowledge-sharing between the university communities in Spain and China.
The scope of this partnership is also evident in the size of Shandong’s university community, which has a large student body and significant teaching and research capacity. Cooperation with UNEATLANTICO will help build new bridges between the two academic communities and create opportunities for learning, exchange, and international collaboration.
For her part, María Luisa Ochoa highlighted the initiative as an example of educational cooperation and mutual learning between China and the West. The Education Attaché at the Spanish Embassy in China emphasized the importance of helping young people learn about other cultures, broaden their horizons, and develop competencies in international settings.
The visit also gave the UNEATLANTICO delegation the opportunity to tour various academic facilities at Shandong University of Political Science and Youth and learn about its academic programs, including those dedicated to dance, design and art, foreign languages, and cultural communication. The visit provided an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the institution’s academic projects and to lay the groundwork for new avenues of cooperation.
This initiative is part of UNEATLANTICO’s international strategy, as the university is positioned as one of the most internationally oriented universities in Spain. The launch of the joint campus in China expands a network of international partnerships that enables its students and faculty to gain academic experiences in a global context.
Cooperation with Shandong will also continue at other international events. Shandong University of Political Science and Youth will participate in the preparations for the 8th Ibero-American Forum, which will be held this year in Santander and is being organized jointly by Cátedra China, the Iberoamerican University Foundation (FUNIBER), and the Universidad Europea del Atlántico (UNEATLANTICO). The event will help further strengthen academic, cultural, and knowledge-based ties between Spain, China, and Ibero-America.
The inauguration of the Atlantic Institute of Digital Culture therefore represents a major step forward in a collaboration that is aimed at growth and is designed for the long term. A partnership that connects Cantabria with China and reflects one of UNEATLANTICO’s main commitments: to offer its students an education that is connected to the world.