"Not the end...beginning of a long history": President of CRUE, Eva Alcon on India-Spain Conference on Higher Education

President of the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE) Eva Alcon emphasised that the event is just the beginning of a long-term partnership, with both governments supporting joint solutions to shared challenges.

Alcon, while speaking to ANI, said that the conference transitioned from a high-level summit to a long-term strategic roadmap.

Coinciding with the India AI Impact Summit 2026, the event signalled a shift toward integrating ethical AI into teaching and research while leveraging new EU-funded opportunities.

"This is a historic event where both university systems, the Spanish and Indian systems, have worked together, educational systems, two educational systems with a strong international vocation. And we have discussed the challenges that we have in the near future. We're very happy because we have had the support of our governments, both the Spanish and the Indian governments. And as we have concluded, this is not the end of the meeting. This meeting is the beginning of a long history that we are going to address in the near future," she said.

Juan Antonio March Pujol, Ambassador of Spain to India, highlighted the event's significance, stating it embodies the spirit of collaboration and exchange between Indian and Spanish universities.

"This event has been very beneficial because it marks the beginning of a new phase of collaboration between the two countries, between the two higher education systems. And, you know, this summit in a way embodies what we all believe in both Indian and Spanish universities, that the university is not a closed space but an encounter of different cultures, diverse perspectives and different forms of knowledge. More than ever in the world of profound transformation that we are living in," he said.

He emphasised the importance of building long-term partnerships, innovative projects, and competitive research initiatives, especially in areas like artificial intelligence

"Universities are not only centres of knowledge and education, but they are also the pillars for stability, critical thinking, innovation and shared prosperity. So, within the framework of the dual year between India and Spain, this summit does not conclude today. I dare say that it begins today. It is the time to build long-term partnerships, sustain dialogue, and innovative projects that provide us answers to the many challenges that we are facing," he said.

Pujol highlighted a major policy shift: Indian universities are now eligible to participate in major European Union research programs.

"For example, the European Union announced that Indian universities will be able to participate in the great programs, research programs, and that's very important. That opens a new window of opportunity for Spanish universities and Indian universities. This is not a symbolic statement. This is very, if successful, it is very important because it allows us to build larger consortia, to build very strong and competitive research projects, you know, and to compete within the European framework. It's a really significant project, and this summit, you know, comes quite timely in a very relevant momentum," he said.

Pujol said that this was an ideal time and a great coincidence that the AI Summit is going on, as it is the right time to explore the extraordinary role of artificial intelligence as a driving force for teaching innovation.

"Well, that's a great coincidence because artificial intelligence is one of the challenges that we as university leaders are addressing. And this is not a minor problem. We want to explore the extraordinary role of artificial intelligence as a driving force for teaching innovation and for research expansion. We want to explore that as a matter of fact one of the sessions that we had in this meeting you know that we debated about this about the role of artificial intelligence you know university leaders are called to lead with vision and responsibility and now we must ensure that knowledge serves society, that innovation is guided by ethical principles and that cooperation, dialogue, know, reinforces, strengthens peace, understanding and shared prosperity," he said.

The summit took place within the framework of the India-Spain Dual Year, with strong backing from both governments. Eva Alcon, President of Crue, and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan emphasised that universities must act as "pillars for stability" in a world of transformation.

Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan addressed the closing ceremony of the India-Spain Conference on Higher Education in New Delhi today. The two-day conference was organised on February 19-20 with the active support of the Embassy of Spain in India. The conference coincided with the India AI Impact Summit 2026. (ANI)