COMUNICACIÓN

The joint bid to host the meeting was presented in Ecuador last Friday and was unanimously approved.

More than 20 universities from Latin America, Portugal and Spain will take part. (28/09/2026)

Extremadura will host the AULA CAVILA rectors’ meeting in October 2027. AULA CAVILA is the Association of Universities behind the Latin American Virtual Campus. The decision was unanimously approved by the plenary of rectors held from 21 to 25 September in the Ecuadorian city of Guaranda, hosted by the State University of Bolívar (UEB).

The meeting was attended by José Javier Berrocal, vice-rector for Digital Transformation at the University of Extremadura (UEx), and Fernando Pizarro, director of Yuste Foundation. They jointly presented a bid centred on the opportunities Extremadura offers in the field of education and on the development of activities related to education and culture, with the University of Extremadura and Yuste Foundation playing a leading role in the region. Put to a vote, the bid from Extremadura was unanimously approved.

The choice of Extremadura carries strong symbolic significance, as the meeting will mark the 20th anniversary of the Aula CAVILA network, which was founded in Cáceres in December 2007 as part of the International Meeting of UNESCO Chairs on Ibero-America. Two decades later, the network is returning to the place where it was founded.

Aula CAVILA seeks to build an innovative Ibero-American virtual campus with a strong focus on social relevance, providing education and training for professionals committed to human rights, peace, good governance, addressing the challenges facing their communities and business innovation, while sharing the scientific and technical strengths of each university.

It currently comprises 22 institutions from 15 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Alongside the University of Extremadura, the founding members include the University of Guadalajara (Mexico), the University of Porto (Portugal), the Federal University of Santa Maria (Brazil), and the Argentine universities of Córdoba, Entre Ríos and La Plata. They have since been joined by institutions from Portugal, Cuba, Mexico, Bolivia, Colombia, Panama, Chile, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Argentina and Mozambique. Yuste Foundation participates as an honorary partner.

One of its most established initiatives is the International Virtual School, launched in 2013, which offers fully online short courses designed by the universities in the network and aimed at advanced students, teaching staff, professionals and graduates. The University of Extremadura incorporates these courses into its International Summer/Autumn Courses and, with the support of Yuste Foundation, up to 20 students on each University of Extremadura course can take part free of charge.

By hosting the 2027 meeting, the University of Extremadura and Yuste Foundation reaffirm their role as institutions that have helped drive Aula CAVILA since its foundation, as well as their commitment to serving as a bridge between Europe and Ibero-America in higher education.