Universidad Europea del Atlántico (European University of the Atlantic, UNEATLANTICO) joins with eleven other universities the university consortium promoted by the European Commission, which will allow the institution to share research projects, curricula and put into practice the ‘internationalization at home’.
The director of the International Relations Office (ORI) and teacher of UNEATLANTICO, Juan Luis Vidal, has participated in multiple meetings in which this initiative has been conceived and strengthened. Likewise, the rector of the university, Rubén Calderón, highlights that the European Commission recognises with the Seal of Excellence the capacity of the campus to connect higher education, innovation and the workplace.
The common denominator between the European University of the Atlantic, and the other institutions from Germany, Finland, Croatia, Portugal, the Netherlands, Ireland, Turkey, Belgium, Lithuania and Romania, is that ‘they are universities which are very close to the productive fabric’ of the environment, in line with the approach of universities ‘of applied sciences’ which, says Juan Luis Vidal, is not so common in Spain but is frequent in other European countries.
Calderón stresses that it has curricula that prioritise skills in different areas, including entrepreneurship. ‘We want training to be close to employment,’ he said.
The large Diverse Campus also reflects the values of science and entrepreneurship and the application of technological advances to solve the EU’s key challenges, such as climate change, security and sustainable economic growth. All in all, the European Commission recognises this group of institutions as a European alliance of universities, which reinforces the international projection of the Cantabrian campus.