IPN Signs Agreement with Spain’s National Research Council

• The agreement paves the way for joint research, access to cutting-edge technology, and academic exchanges

• This collaboration positions IPN as a Latin American leader in high-tech scientific cooperation, said IPN Director General Arturo Reyes Sandoval

• A specific agreement was also signed with the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona for the joint development of advanced computer architecture technologies

The Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN) has signed a Collaboration Agreement with the Spanish National Research Council (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas – CSIC), enabling joint scientific projects, academic exchanges, access to state-of-the-art infrastructure, and cooperation on strategic topics of mutual interest for both countries.

IPN Director General Dr. Arturo Reyes Sandoval and CSIC’s Vice President for International Relations, Francisco Javier Moreno Fuentes, signed the agreement at a formal event. Reyes Sandoval emphasized that this new partnership undoubtedly positions IPN as a global player in technological innovation, fulfilling Commitment 33 of the 100 initiatives promoted by President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo.

Reyes Sandoval also recalled that the Secretary of Public Education, Mario Delgado Carrillo, has highlighted the importance of strengthening technological and scientific education as one of the pillars of Mexico’s educational transformation.

CSIC is Spain’s most important scientific research institution, with capabilities comparable to the world’s top research organizations. It works closely with the Spanish government and leads a large portion of the country’s scientific and technological innovation.

In addition to boosting IPN’s international rankings, this agreement enhances the university’s visibility as a Latin American hub for applied science and technological

innovation, positioning it as a strategic scientific partner in Europe.

The agreement also opens new pathways for research stays, joint PhD supervision, and researcher mobility. It promotes cutting-edge scientific collaboration in areas such as microelectronics, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and embedded systems—fields that benefit greatly from elite international cooperation.

According to the Director General, forming strategic alliances of this scale marks a new stage for IPN’s global positioning, scientific integration, and access to advanced research platforms. “It makes us a Latin American benchmark for high-tech scientific cooperation,” he said.

Reyes Sandoval also reflected on the historical ties between IPN and Spain, particularly during the era of exile, when many Spanish nationals came to Mexico and contributed to the IPN’s early development. “They not only founded laboratories, academic chairs, and prestigious scientific journals but also strengthened our herbarium and dedicated their efforts to studying the diseases affecting the Mexican population,” he noted.

“If Mexico and our Institute offered them refuge, the educators of the Spanish exile, in return, helped forge a path for IPN and other institutions—including those they established themselves, like El Colegio de México—to contribute to the advancement of humanistic, scientific, and technological knowledge around the world,” he added.

Referring to this legacy and the greatness it helped build, Reyes Sandoval stressed that such is the spirit of internationalization prioritized by his administration. “Today is doubly historic: it is a reunion with a past that unites us, and the beginning of a new alliance with Spain’s leading scientific research institution and one of Europe’s most important,” he emphasized.

The agreement will also give IPN access to top-tier research infrastructure and strengthen its connections with leading European research centers. It is expected to raise the impact and visibility of IPN’s scientific publications, improving performance indicators in international databases such as Scopus and Web of Science.

Additionally, IPN signed a specific agreement with the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona to jointly develop advanced technologies in computer architecture and integrated circuit design.

For more information, visit www.ipn.mx