As part of its institutional agenda in Spain, the Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL) paid an official visit to the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME-CSIC), with the aim of strengthening and developing new avenues of scientific and academic cooperation.
The ESPOL delegation was led by the rector, Cecilia Paredes, along with the vice rector for Academic Affairs, Paola Romero, and academic officials such as María del Pilar Cornejo, William Herrera, and the dean of the Faculty of Geosciences Engineering (FICT), Paúl Carrión, Ph.D. During the visit, they held a working meeting with the director of IGME-CSIC, Rosa María Mateos, and an award was presented to scientist Juan María Fornés, Ph.D., for his outstanding work in training programs developed in collaboration with the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and WASA-GN.
The meeting helped strengthen collaboration in strategic areas such as hydroecology, academic training, and scientific research. In addition to strengthening close ties of cooperation in initiatives such as Hidrogeodía, an annual CIPAT event organized in partnership with the AIH-GE (led by Dr. Almudena de la Losa Román), cooperation with the Oviedo office (Dr. Edgar Berrezueta), the Granada office (Dr. Sergio Martos), and collaboration on ongoing projects.
This cooperation will be strengthened through the INTERCOONECTA program (2026–2028) and coordinated efforts with the IGME-CSIC campuses in Oviedo and Granada, promoting knowledge exchange, applied research, and the development of sustainable solutions. Under the leadership of the rector and her administration, ESPOL will strengthen a partnership spanning approximately three decades, with results that promote sustainable development across training and research initiatives.
These actions reaffirm the commitment of FICT and ESPOL to strengthening strategic alliances that contribute to academic and scientific development.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
SDG 4 – Quality Education
SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation
SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals
