India invites Spanish universities to set up campuses as higher education talks deepen

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday (February 20, 2026) welcomed leading Spanish universities to set up campuses in India, as the two countries deepened academic engagement at the India-Spain Conference on Higher Education in New Delhi.

Addressing the closing ceremony, Mr. Pradhan said “open, ready and welcoming” to global academic collaborations. Ambassador of Spain to India Juan Antonio March Pujol said discussions between the two countries had already started on joint research, mobility of faculty and students, and support for start-ups.

Follow-up meeting in Spain

Mr. Pujol said that the deliberations are expected to “mature in 2026”, indicating that a similar meeting could be hosted in Spain later this year, potentially leading to the signing of Memoranda of Understanding and agreements.

The two-day conference coincided with the India AI Impact Summit, with the Education Minister saying that democracies must lead in shaping responsible innovation with respect to Artificial Intelligence, adding that “India and Spain are committed to doing exactly that”.

Forward-looking conference

Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi said that deliberations at the conference were “focused and forward-looking, reaffirming that education remains central to India–Spain engagement”.

According to an Education Ministry statement, over 30 rectors and senior academic leaders representing the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE) participated in the conference, along with representatives from around 70 Indian higher education institutions.

CRUE president professor Eva Alcón said the conference marked “not a conclusion, but the beginning of a long and meaningful partnership”, adding that the expectation is to work to achieve “shared goals” of “advance equitable access to higher education, sustainable development and global health”, which would require “balancing local priorities with a global vision”.