The Consejo Andaluz de Universidades (CAU), highest regional institution for consultancy, planning and assessment with regard to university policies, has endorsed the Junta de Andalucía’s proposal to fund the Andalusian Campus de Excelencia Internacional with 12 million €.

The CAU has reached this decision during a meeting held in Cádiz with the participation of Andalusian university chancellors and Francisco Triguero, the general secretary on universities, research and technology related issues, Consejería de Economía, Innovación y Ciencia.

Triguero has confirmed that Andalusia will be the only region to date to assume this level of expense with its own resources. The financial aid is aimed at supporting the coalitions constituted under the umbrella of Campus de Excelencia Internacional, which is considered a strategic sector for regional development.

The Junta and the universities have agreed that 12.1 million € will be allocated to this project, through an administrative channel still to be developed.

Andalusia has a total of four coalitions: Campus de Excelencia Internacional (CEI) Andalucía Tech, headed by the universities of Málaga and Seville, and three Campus de Excelencia Internacional de ámbito Regional (CEIR) Ceia3, including the universities of Almería, Cádiz, Córdoba (coordinator), Huelva and Jaén; Campus Bio-Tic, coordinated by the University of Granada, and CEIMAR, coordinated by the University of Cádiz and including Andalusian universities located in coastal provinces.

Additionally, other projects are CEI PatrimoniUN10, with the participation of all 10 Andalusian universities, and CEI CamBio, coordinated by the University Pablo de Olavide, which despite not having been awarded the qualification – an appeal to the decision is still pending – are promising projects for Andalusia.