This forum, organised by the Spanish Service for the Promotion of Higher Education (SEPIE), brought together around twenty vice-chancellors from the leading Uzbek universities and took place on the campus of Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid, where a technical review of the higher education systems of both nations was conducted, panel discussions were held on strategic perspectives and the impact of the Erasmus+ programme, as well as parallel sessions on the Spanish language and the green and digital transitions, concluding with a dedicated block of bilateral meetings.

The UCA delegation comprised Professor Rafael Jiménez Castañeda, Javier Izquierdo Antón from the Internationalisation Office, acting as coordinator and project officer for the Erasmus+ SILKWAY project, the Director General of Language Policy, Leonor Acosta, and Andrés Santana Arribas, head of CUNEAC.

Leonor Acosta was one of the two Spanish speakers on the panel discussion “Spain and Uzbekistan: Strategic Perspectives and Opportunities for Collaboration”, where she highlighted the significant potential for academic collaboration between the two countries, particularly in the areas of the Spanish language and culture and in those fields identified as priorities by the European Commission (signing of the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) with Uzbekistan in October 2025) and the Spanish Government (“The Spanish Strategy for Asia-Pacific 2026–2029”): renewable energy and the green transition, economic modernisation, the digital transition, regional connectivity and the strengthening of the rule of law, all of which have been consolidated.

Professor Rafael Jiménez Castañeda, in his capacity as coordinator of the Erasmus+ project ‘Development of transversal and sustainable skills for the production of electricity and heat from renewable energy (SILKWAY)’, has held bilateral follow-up meetings with Sotiboldiev Oybek Farmonjonovich, Vice-Rector for International Relations at Urgench State University, and with Abror Juraev, Vice-Rector for International Relations at Bukhara State University. These meetings served to discuss new avenues for academic collaboration  beyond the scope of the project . It should be noted that the signing of bilateral agreements with both universities is currently underway.

This 3rd Forum of Spanish and Uzbek Universities was organised by the Spanish Service for the Internationalisation of Education (SEPIE) of the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Spain, and was held at Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid. This event follows on from the 1st Forum, held at the University of Cádiz in 2023, and the 2nd Forum, which took place in the Uzbek cities of Tashkent, Samarkand and Naganman in 2024.