The 5th International Meeting of Universia Rectors gathered 700 rectors from 14 countries, representing 14 million students from Europe, the United States and Latin America.
Representatives of 30 universities, including the Poznan University of Technology, participated in the event from Poland. The meeting was a unique forum for a debate under the slogan "University and society".
The event was officially opened by Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain, and Ana Botin - President of the Santander Group. The discussion was attended by personalities from the world of science, politics and business, including Tim Berners-Lee - inventor of the World Wide Web, Larry Summers - former US Treasury Secretary in the administration of President Bill Clinton and Chief Economist of the World Bank, Ignacio Cirac - Spanish physicist and prize winner Prince of Asturias in 2006, Pilar Manchón - Chief Director of Engineering and Research on Artificial Intelligence at Google.
The participants of the meeting discussed how universities can operate even more effectively in three areas:
- lifelong learning,
- entrepreneurship and innovation,
- creating networks and relationships between universities from around the world.
Santander will invest an additional €400 million in education
At the opening ceremony, Ana Botín confirmed Santander Group's continued support for universities, pledging to "invest an additional €400 million between 2023 and 2026 in education, employability and entrepreneurship." She also added that “there is no better social investment than education. That is why, 26 years ago, Santander decided to focus its efforts on supporting universities.”
As part of its commitment to universities, Santander has already invested more than €2.2 billion in higher education, funding scholarships, and lifelong learning projects and helping more than a million students through contracts with more than 1,500 institutions in 25 countries.
“When we support universities, the entire community – more than a billion people in the countries where Santander operates – benefits. As universities grow, society follows suit,” said Ana Botín.
“A society that invests in education develops sustainably, is more open and diverse, creates opportunities for everyone and can face the conflicts and challenges of the future,” explained the president of the Santander Group and Universia. During the meeting, she called on rectors and experts to "think with ambition" in terms of the university's mission in an ever-changing society that "acts like an interconnected network and removes barriers between the digital and physical worlds. (...) Lifelong learning is essential in society and among companies; it is not a luxury but rather a necessity”.
Works of the Polish delegation
The meeting also included workshops for the Polish delegation. The rectors, together with representatives of Santander Bank Polska, including the President of the Management Board, Michał Gajewski, Vice-President of the Management Board, Arkadiusz Przybyłem and Member of the Management Board, Magdalena Proga-Stępień, discussed the challenges and opportunities for Poland in connection with sustainable development and digital transformation.
Valencia Declaration
The commitments developed during the 5th International Meeting of Rectors were written down in the "Declaration of Valencia", which is available here. It reflects the commitment of rectors and the academic world to the development of society.
For more information, please visit https://www.santander.com/en/press-room/specials/encuentro-internacional-rectores-universia/2023-valencia
Previous editions of the meeting took place in Salamanca (2018), Río de Janeiro (2014), Guadalajara (2010) and Seville (2005). The organizer of the meeting, the Santander Group, constantly supports sustainable development aimed at eliminating social exclusion. For 26 years, the bank has stood out from the world's financial institutions with its activity to support education, entrepreneurship and increase employment. (www.santander.com/universidades).
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