The Diplomat
Yesterday Tuesday was held in the Palace of the Zarzuela the XXXVI ordinary session of the Patronato de la Fundación Carolina, under the presidency of honor of King Felipe VI.
The event was attended by the President of the Government and Executive Chairman of the Patronato, Pedro Sánchez; the Vice-President and Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero; and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares.
Also attended were the Minister of Economy, Commerce and Enterprise, Carlos Cuerpo; the Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant; the Secretary of State for Ibero-America and the Caribbean and Spanish in the World, Susana Sumelzo; the Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Eva Granados; the director of the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development, Antón Leis; the director of Cultural and Scientific Relations of AECID, Santiago Herrero; and the general director for Ibero-America and the Caribbean, Francisco Javier Gassó.
The BBVA President, Carlos Torres Vila; the Vice-President of Santander Spain and Director General of Communication, Corporate Marketing and Studies at Banco Santander; Juan Manuel Cendoya; the Director of Institutional Relations at Fundación Repsol, Mercedes Gómez Badiola; the President of Fundación Iberdrola, Jaime Alfonsín Alfonso; the Director of Global Public Affairs Strategy at Telefónica, Trinidad Jiménez; the CEO of Aguas de Barcelona (AGBAR), Felipe Campos; the Vice-President of the Prisa Group, Fernando Carrillo; the Deputy Director-General of CECA, Mónica Malo; the Chairman of the ACS Group, Florentino Pérez; the Vice-President of MAPFRE and the Fundación MAPFRE, José Manuel Inchausti; the president of Abertis, Juan Santamaría; the president of the Instituto de Crédito Oficial (ICO), Manuel Illueca, and the Ibero-American secretary general, Andrés Allamand.
The president of the Fundación Carolina Colombia, Daniel Haime Gutt, also attended as a guest, as well as the director of the Fundación Carolina, Érika Rodríguez Pinzón, and the general secretary, Purificación Causapié.
The session approved the Foundation’s Action Plan for 2026, which includes a post-graduate and doctoral training call comprising 736 scholarships, giving continuity and programmatic coherence to the pillars that underpinned the previous call.
The plan consolidates high-profile programmes, with emphasis on technological and innovative areas, and promotes women’s participation in STEM studies. It also maintains grants for research aimed at the promotion of human rights, democratic institutions and social protection.
During the session, the President of the Government expressed his gratitude to the management of the Fundación Carolina and all its technical team for “the extraordinary work they do”, and stressed that the institution “continues to be an indispensable and highly effective tool for development cooperation and public diplomacy in all its aspects”.
Then, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation highlighted “the magnificent reception that the Fundación Carolina has given to the impulse of democracy in Latin America by the Spanish Cooperation”, noting that this commitment is especially reflected “in initiatives to support the work of human rights defenders in the region”.
The director stressed that the 2026 Action Plan reinforces the vocation of the Fundación Carolina to articulate alliances and global networks that promote innovation, knowledge exchange and capacity building in the Ibero-American space. He also stressed that this effort is aligned with the priorities of the Spanish Cooperation, paying special attention to promoting regional security and The Carolina Foundation, linked to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was established in October 2000 as a cultural bridge between Spain and Latin America, as well as with other countries with which it has special cultural, historical and geographical links, Through its relations with the chancelleries and Ibero-American academic institutions. This public-private institution offers every year a wide range of scholarships to Ibero-American students and professionals, allowing them to carry out postgraduate studies in the best Spanish universities. In addition to the scholarships, the Carolina Foundation organizes numerous cultural and academic events that encourage the exchange of ideas and the strengthening of ties between both continents.strengthening democracy as essential pillars for sustainable development.