The University of Oviedo has been awarded with the permanent seal of Campus of International Excellence, after getting a positive result in the evaluation carried out by the international commission of experts in charge of rating Campuses of International Excellence throughout Spain. Pending the official resolution of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, which will be released in December, the provisional report has ratified the seal of excellence for the University of Oviedo for the "significant progress" of the strategic plan Ad Futurum since it was created in 2009.

The Rector, Mr. Vicente Gotor and the Vice-Rector for Research and Campus of International Excellence, Ms. Paz Suárez Rendueles, accompanied by the rest of the governing team, have made the results of the evaluation public. Both of them thanked the Asturian society in general for having supported the project Ad Futurum from the very beginning. "This means a success for everyone", highlighted the Rector, who stated they will keep working on the initiatives included in the strategic Project. "We will not stop here", insisted Vicente Gotor.

The report of the prestigious international commission of experts implies the award of the permanent seal of excellence to the University of Oviedo, which will not have to be re-evaluated again. Experts particularly emphasize the process of development and modernization of education and research; the "good results" of the bilingualism plan; and the increase of international collaboration, especially in relevant journals and joint research projects.

The draft report highlights the potential aspects of the academic institution to contribute to the economic and social development of the region.

The draft report includes as strengths, the active participation of companies of the region in the initiatives of Ad Futurum, the work carried out to improve students' employability, the significant reduction of the environmental impact and, in essence, "the successful management of the University and the coordination of efforts".

Likewise, experts highlight the potential impact of the Campus of International Excellence on a pattern of social and territorial development that has helped transform the role of the University of Oviedo in Asturias, and that can also contribute to the economic growth of the region and the country.

The project Ad Futurum. From the 17th to the 21st Century: Looking back, looking ahead was awarded with the seal of excellence in the first call in 2009, alongside with another 8 Spanish universities. Despite the lack of calls in the past few years, and the economic cut backs, the Campus of International Excellence has relied on self-financing and has been able to attract external funding from companies and institutions to keep developing actions aimed at the teaching and scientific improvement, knowledge transfer, modernization of campuses and the link with society.

The Cluster of Energy, Environment and Climate Change, and the Cluster of Biomedicine and Health have contributed to achieve a significant increase of the participation of the University of Oviedo in competitive European projects, while the International Graduate Center has promoted a deep renewal of master courses as well as internationalization through the Erasmus Mundus Master Courses.