Miguel Ángel Serna, Minister of Education, positively assesses the evolution of the Campus of Excellence.
The Rector of the University of Cantabria, Federico Gutiérrez-Solana and the Minister of Education, Culture and Sport in the Government of Cantabria, Miguel Ángel Serna, met today in a press conference to assess the resolution of the 2011 International Campus of Excellence public announcement.
The Minister has shown support by the Government of Cantabria towards Cantabria International Campus (CCI). “For the Government of Cantabria it is with great satisfaction that the international assessment Committee for the Campus of Excellence has assessed the work of the University of Cantabria so positively in this project”, said the Minister. “It is very difficult to stop CCI because the regional Government and all the other institutions are behind it”; he commented.
Last week, the international assessment Committee for the International Campus of Excellence (CEI) programme published an assessment of the action-lines of the nine projects which earned the title of CEI in 2009. The assessors ruled that Cantabria International Campus, coordinated by the UC and UIMP, is one of the five CEI’s which is making “good progress”, while another four received a less positive assessment. The CEI projects which were best assessed, besides CCI, are those headed by the following universities; Carlos III; Oviedo; Santiago de Compostela; and the Autonomous University of Madrid.
Besides, last week the Education Dept. also gave 5 Million Euros to CCI in the Sub-Programme of Excellence in the International Campus of Excellence public announcement. In this announcement, CCI was the second project which obtained more funding in 2011 amongst all the Spanish CEI’s. “Besides, amongst the five which were assessed for making good progress, only CCI has achieved additional funding in this public announcement”; said Gutiérrez-Solana.
The UC Rector emphasized that the objective of CCI overflows into the academic atmosphere in a process in which knowledge encourages regional social and economic development, and it has the support of the regional Government and the rest of CCI members. In this sense, he recalled that “the Education Dept. makes it possible for this work to be carried out because it received funding from the competitive public announcements in the CEI Programme”.
What the new funding is used for.
The UC Rector and the Minister of Education also released the action-lines which would take place with the 5 Million Euros received in the Education Dept. public announcement. “They will be applied to action-lines which are currently in progress”, said Gutiérrez-Solana.
The new funding received for Cantabria International Campus will be used for extensions in the Institute of Physics in Cantabria (IFCA), the creation of Santander Fire Research Center; setting up the Institute of ICT Development (IDITIC), adapting the European Higher Education Area for lecture-rooms and teaching equipment; and renovating university lodgings in the Juan de la Cosa Residence, as well as the Campus Residence in Torrelavega.