CRUE and France Universités Strengthen Their Cooperation with the Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding at the OECD
Paris, February 19, 2025. The Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE) and France Universités have signed today a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the headquarters of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris. This agreement reinforces the ties between both institutions and reaffirms their commitment to international cooperation in higher education and research.
The institutional signing ceremony was attended by Spain’s Ambassador to the OECD, Ximo Puig, and Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills at the OECD. Lamri Adoui, President of France Universités and Rector of the University of Caen Normandy, and Eva Alcón, President of CRUE and Rector of Jaume I University, were accompanied by their respective delegations, as well as representatives of France and Spain at the OECD.
The signing of this MoU at the OECD reflects the shared intention of CRUE and France Universités to explore new avenues of collaboration with this multilateral organization, contributing to the analysis and design of public policies in key areas such as academic cooperation, lifelong learning, skills development, collaboration in research and innovation projects, digital transformation, and the promotion of inclusive higher education in both countries.
CRUE President Eva Alcón emphasized that this agreement represents a commitment to the future and to strengthening university cooperation between Spain and France. “We have agreed to foster joint participation in European University Alliances and to promote science diplomacy. Our goal is to build an ecosystem of shared excellence, with universities leading innovation in the context of digital transformation and the green transition, aligning with OECD recommendations to integrate technology and digitalization into the educational process,” Alcón stated.
For his part, France Universités President Lamri Adoui highlighted that the agreement is, in his view, “ambitious—more ambitious than any other bilateral partnership agreement signed by France Universités in the past decade. While it acknowledges the mutual trust established between our two organizations over the years, it also sets precise objectives that will require the mobilization of our respective teams through regular exchanges.”
With this MoU, CRUE and France Universités strengthen their cooperation and continue contributing to the development of a more integrated and competitive European Higher Education Area.
