The Basque Government wants to expand cooperation with Uruguay in science, higher education and innovation. Following a delegation visit, on 14 November 2026 it identified healthy and sustainable food, health and artificial intelligence as possible areas for joint work. It did not announce any specific project agreements, funding commitments or timelines.
The visit was led by Juan Ignacio Pérez Iglesias, the Minister for Science, Universities and Innovation of the Spanish Autonomous Community of Basque Country. According to his government, he sees favourable conditions for long-term cooperation. Among the reasons he cited were Uruguay’s political stability, security and predictability, as well as its comparatively low inequality. These are the minister’s assessments; the statement provides no statistical evidence for them.
Pérez Iglesias also referred to the Basque community in Uruguay. He said it was important both because of their shared identity and as a link for cooperation. He added that the two sides had comparable population sizes.
On 12 November, according to the Basque Government, the delegation met Uruguay’s Vice-President Carolina Cosse. The meeting also discussed opportunities for student exchanges and researcher mobility. Further meetings were held with representatives of the University of the Republic and Uruguayan authorities.
On the following day of the visit, according to the government, the delegation spoke, among others, with Uruguay’s Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin and visited the Institut Pasteur in Montevideo. Further talks with science and innovation organisations addressed public research funding, knowledge transfer and relations between research and business.
The topics discussed included an approach to health that links the health of people and animals with environmental conditions. Pérez Iglesias referred to the importance of agriculture and livestock farming in Uruguay, as well as to possible diseases that can be transmitted between animals and people. For artificial intelligence he sees potential applications in health, agriculture and science, among other areas.
To conclude the visit, the delegation met representatives of Basque organisations in Uruguay. Pérez Iglesias presented the international focus of the Basque Science, Technology and Innovation Plan to 2030. According to his government, the visit builds on contacts established during a visit by Uruguayan representatives to the Basque Country in September 2025.
Editor: Andreas M. Brucker (Article created with AI assistance).