La Universidad Austral participated in the 2026 General Assembly of Hemispheric University Consortium (HUC), held in Bogotá, where universities from across the region defined new initiatives for academic cooperation, research and leadership to address the global challenges of the coming years.

The University of the Andes (Uniandes), in Bogotá, hosted the 2026 General Assembly of the HUC, a meeting that brought together university authorities, researchers, teachers, professionals and students for two days to reflect on some of the main challenges facing the region and the world, including sustainability, public health, inequality, migration, technological transformation and the training of leaders with a global perspective.

The opening was carried out by Rachel Bernal, Rector of the University of the Andes, Y de Mr. Julián Rodríguez, rector of the Universidad Austral y current president of HUCwho highlighted the sustained growth of the Consortium and its consolidation as a reference network for academic and scientific cooperation in the Americas.

Main advances and definitions

During the Assembly, initiatives and projects were presented that reflect the strengthening of collaboration among member universities. Key highlights include:

• Incorporation University of Montreal y UCLA as new members of the Consortium, which thus reaches a total of 13 universities in the Americas.
• The high-level panel on climate leadership, with the participation of Raquel Bernal (University of the Andes), Julián Rodríguez (Universidad Austral and president of HUC), Juan Carlos de la Llera (Pontifical Catholic University of Chile), Carlos Araya Leandro (University of Costa Rica) and Lisa Philipps (York University).
• In research, the results of the HUC Matching Seed Fund, which in 2026 funded 13 collaborative projects between member universities, as well as the progress of the Virtual Research Internships (VRI), which This year they received 105 applications to participate in international projects developed by universities of the Consortium.
• The evaluation and projection of academic programs such as Social Ideas Challenge, Student Dialogues and the proposal of the HUC Short Program.
• Collaborative workspaces designed to identify new opportunities for cooperation in research, education and institutional linkage.
• The definition of strategic priorities and a shared roadmap for 2027, with a focus on sustainability, university leadership and strengthening hemispheric collaboration.

A renewed commitment to impact

The Assembly concluded with a commitment to continue strengthening joint work among participating institutions and to transform knowledge into concrete actions that generate impact in universities and societies throughout the Americas.

In that context, the rector of the Universidad Austral and president of HUC, Mr. Julián Rodríguez, shared his assessment of the meeting:

“I take away from these days the conviction that a university can transform its environment, but that when we are able to connect our ideas, knowledge and experiences, that impact can be much greater.

Because building a true hemispheric university community is not just about being together, but about doing things together that have meaning for our societies and for future generations.”

In addition, it was announced during the meeting that York University will host the HUC 2027 General Assembly , which will take place in Toronto, Canada.

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