Universities are increasingly called to act as bridges between regions, cultures, and societies. In today’s interconnected yet fragmented world – marked by geopolitical tensions, environmental crises, technological disruption, and widening social inequalities – cooperation beyond geographical and political boundaries has become an imperative for higher education. Institutions are expected not only to generate knowledge, but also to contribute to societal resilience, democratic stability, and inclusive development.

Latin America and Europe share a long history of cultural exchange, intellectual dialogue, and political cooperation. This legacy has been reaffirmed in recent years through renewed high‑level political engagement, including the EU‑CELAC Summit held in Brussels in July 2023, which relaunched the bi‑regional partnership and emphasised cooperation on multilateralism, climate action, digital transformation, and social cohesion. The partnership was further strengthened at the 4th EU‑CELAC Summit in Santa Marta (Colombia) in November 2025, where Heads of State and Government adopted a comprehensive Joint Declaration outlining shared commitments on renewable energy, inclusive digitalisation, climate adaptation, biotechnology, food security, migration, and the defence of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.

These summits underscore the strategic importance of the bi‑regional relationship and highlight areas where universities can play a decisive role: advancing research and innovation, supporting evidence‑based policymaking, fostering people‑to‑people contacts, and contributing to sustainable development. Latin America, with its vibrant academic traditions, demographic dynamism, and expanding research ecosystems, is an indispensable partner for Europe. Conversely, European universities offer opportunities for joint knowledge production, mobility, and capacity building, while contributing to the development of inclusive and equitable cooperation frameworks. Yet collaboration between the two regions continues to face structural obstacles: asymmetries in resources and research capacity, fragmented policy environments, language barriers, and uneven access to mobility and funding instruments.

Against this backdrop, the UNICA Rectors’ Seminar 2026 explored the opportunities and challenges of strengthening cooperation with Latin America through four interconnected themes. The discussions examined how universities can foster long‑term, structurally embedded partnerships; how they can act as agents of civic change through research and knowledge transfer; how they can develop innovative pedagogies in the AI era that promote inclusion and academic integrity; and how they can contribute to joint responses to global challenges, including the reinforcement of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law – priorities explicitly reaffirmed in the 2025 EU‑CELAC Joint Declaration. The Seminar explored how universities can further continue to serve as strategic connectors between Europe and Latin America, fostering dialogue, supporting informed policy engagement, and advancing forms of academic cooperation that remain both impactful and sustainable.