Campus Iberus is the strategic alliance set up in 2010 between four Spanish public universities: University of Zaragoza, Public University of Navarra, University of Lleida and University of La Rioja within the framework of the Campus of International Excellence Programme developed by the Spanish Ministry of Education according to its University Strategy 2015 for the improvement of the quality of Spanish universities.
The Campus Iberus strategy is built on the principles of aggregation, specialisation and internationalisation, focusing especially on the areas of Agrifood and Nutrition; Energy, the Environment and Sustainability; Social Innovation and Territorial Development; Technologies for Health and Bioeconomy and the Circular Economy. These, in turn, are thematic priorities of the Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) of the four regions where the Campus is located.
With the aim of creating “knowledge ecosystems” that foster excellence, cooperation and the efficient use of shared resources, Campus Iberus develops joint actions between its four universities in the areas of higher education and training, research and innovation, students, and internationalisation, which seek to impact its territory while having an international outlook.
In the area of higher education and training, Campus Iberus promotes the launching of internationally-oriented joint master and doctoral programmes between its universities. It also organizes training activities addressed at doctoral students of the four universities of the Campus.
In the area of research and innovation, we encourage the aggregation of research capabilities through actions such as the Iberus Action Groups which involve researchers of the four universities, as well as businesses and local and regional organizations, with the aim of implementing joint research projects in line with the Strategic and Action Plans defined for each of the thematic specialisation areas of Campus Iberus.
With respect to students, we are committed to innovative education, training and university-business collaboration models that foster creativity, the development of talent, co-creation and open innovation processes together with regional socioeconomic actors. The Iberus-CLH Entrepreneurship Programme is an example of an initiative that aims at boosting the entrepreneurial spirit of students and staff of the Campus Iberus universities.
Internationalisation is one of the bases of the Campus Iberus strategy. We foster the exchange of good practices, the international mobility of students, teachers, researchers and other university staff, talent attraction and the international promotion of joint actions implemented by the four campus universities, mainly in Europe, Latin America and Asia. To this end Campus Iberus has set up an international office in Bogota, Colombia.
In the next few years, Campus Iberus will focus on continuing to be an international model of university aggregation, promoting the excellence, innovation potential and competitiveness of its universities in collaboration with regional public and private entities, sharing resources, aggregating capabilities and developing actions and programmes that allow us to face the new challenges in education, research and innovation in a world context.